Chamber and committees

Economic growth is at the very heart of the Government’s agenda and we are working closely with businesses to drive economic growth in our towns and cities and to support both consumers and local businesses.

That support includes funding the Scotland loves local campaign, more than £3 million in funding to address retail crime and the most generous business rates relief in the United Kingdom. Our competitive non-domestic rates regime in 2025-26 includes a freeze on the basic property rate, delivering the lowest such rate in the United Kingdom for the seventh year running and maintaining the lowest property tax rate in the UK for more than 95 per cent of non-domestic properties in Scotland. Those are some of the measures that we are taking to support towns and city centres.

The way to solve the housing crisis in Scotland is to build on the strong record of this Government, which has built—[Interruption.]

I very much welcome Clare Adamson’s points. It was my pleasure to host, along with the minister responsible for innovation, Richard Lochhead, representatives of the games industry at Bute house on Monday evening as part of the prestigious DICE Europe summit, which had come to Scotland for the first time. It is an industry that matters, and we brought its senior leaders to Bute house to consider how we can continue to build on the growth that has already been delivered. We now have an industry in Scotland that has increased in turnover by nearly 800 per cent since 2010—that is a huge vote of confidence in the industry.

The Government is investing in our skills system to ensure that our universities are able to produce the graduates who will support the industry, and we provide targeted enterprise support for our start-up ecosystem. We have a range of other programmes to support our creative industries, which again, this week, delivered formidable achievements in taking steps to engage young people and members of the public. I very much welcome the participation of the DICE summit in Scotland and I look forward to supporting the industry as part of the Government’s focus on growth.

There is a consultation process under way, led by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, which is looking fundamentally at the basis for delivering a safe and sustainable fire service that is appropriate for our needs at this particular time.

I know that there is widespread concern about Marionville fire station; I have seen representations about that, and I encourage all interested parties to engage with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. I give Mr Choudhury an assurance that the SFRS will undertake the consultation on the basis of assessing the needs to enable sustainable and safe delivery of a service, and that must include a service for his constituents in the city of Edinburgh.

I totally acknowledge the points that Pam Duncan-Glancy makes about the importance of care workers and supporting independent living. I express my admiration for those workers in general, and especially for the fine individuals who support Ms Duncan-Glancy, who are always a joy to see in the Parliament.

This is a pay dispute between Unison and Enable, so I have to leave it to the trade union and employers to resolve it. For its part, the Government is investing around £900 million in social care pay support. I value the work that care workers undertake; the state relies entirely on those care workers to provide that support. We continue to look at what more we can do in that respect. It will be a material part of the budget process and, as I said in one of my earlier answers, the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government will engage with all parties on those priorities in the run-up to the setting of the Government’s budget for the next financial year.

One thing that I will always be able to say about Jackson Carlaw is that he knows how to bring hilarity into the parliamentary chamber. [Interruption.] Oh, and Jackie Baillie thinks that I can manage it, too. I am glad that I am conveying such bonhomie. It is not always how Jackie Baillie describes my contribution to Parliament but, if bonhomie is the order of the day, I shall settle for that.

On Mr Carlaw’s question, the fact that President Trump was prepared to engage in discussions about that issue in the Oval office should be welcomed, because it indicates a willingness to consider the propositions that I am putting forward. Fundamentally, all that I can ask for is to get a fair hearing about issues that are affecting the industry in Scotland. I was able to marshal, for President Trump, some of the difficulties that are being created for the industry in Scotland as a consequence of tariffs. Some such difficulties are also prevalent in the United States, because the tariffs are leading to a loss of employment in Kentucky, due to the reduction in production activity in the Scotch whisky industry. I hope that, with regard to what I have characterised as a win-win situation, President Trump will be persuaded by my arguments, but time will tell on that matter.

I am all for developing the skills to make sure that we can do that, and I am all for ensuring that we invest to make that happen. That is what I was doing this week—making sure that that is likely to happen—and I am proud of that record for the people of Scotland.

I agree with Mr MacDonald and with the comments from the Food and Drink Federation, whose forecast is concerning, particularly for low-income households in Scotland that are already grappling with cost of living pressures and are disproportionately affected rising food prices.

I will quote the chief economist of KPMG, who summarised the situation as follows:

“Since April, the rise in inflation has been driven largely by domestic policy choices, including the increase in employer national insurance contributions.”

The Scottish Government is taking steps to try to support households. Our most recent intervention has been the abolition of peak rail fares, and we have other interventions, such as the Scottish child payment. What does not help us is to have significant negative economic impacts coming from policy choices such as the United Kingdom Government’s decision to increase employer national insurance contributions, which is damaging the economy.

Such a measure would certainly help the hospitality sector and would go some way towards dealing with the negative consequences of the increase in employer national insurance contributions. It is beyond my conception as to why it is a good idea for a United Kingdom Government that is supposedly interested in growth to apply an increase in employer national insurance contributions. Such increases stifle growth, and we are seeing the effects of that in many communities around the country.

Mr Macpherson set out the arguments that the UK Government will need to consider in the budget. We will, of course, make representations to the UK Government on that question. In addition to the steps that we are taking in Scotland to support many businesses in our town and retail centres, we will continue to consider any changes in regulation and in the planning system that we could apply that would make it easier for businesses to trade and to create the type of economic opportunities that we want to be available in our town and retail communities.

I am certain that the Conservatives will want to do exactly what their London equivalents did: pursue and harass vulnerable people in our society. This Government will not go down that road.