Chamber and committees

As I have indicated in a number of my answers, the Government is investing in a sustained number of programmes through YouthLink Scotland, the violence reduction unit and the mentors in the violence reduction programme, to address those issues. They are serious and significant issues, but, in the longer term, there has been a significant fall in knife crime. We have to ensure that the programmes that we have in place remain effective and impactful in addressing the circumstances that Mr Briggs puts to me.

I welcome the report from the Hunter Foundation and share the aim to boost economic growth and secure a prosperous future for the next generation of Scots. I particularly agree with Sir Tom Hunter’s comments that we in Scotland need a separate immigration policy that suits our circumstances and can help to boost our workforce. I hope that the United Kingdom Government will take those calls into consideration.

An area of policy that I have been closely associated with throughout my parliamentary career is that of entrepreneurial activity. By anyone’s estimation, Scotland now has a supportive innovation and entrepreneurship system. The Techscaler programme that the Deputy First Minister leads is generating significant economic benefits and wealth in Scotland.

The key challenge is how we generate sufficient economic activity to support our investment in people and public services. Part of the correct approach in Scotland is to ensure that we raise the revenue to invest in our public services. The position that Mr Simpson’s party’s front-bench members advocate is to reduce public expenditure by £1 billion. The Conservatives often shout at me about it, but what they do not shout at me is how they will reduce public expenditure without harming the people of Scotland. They do not tell us the hard realities. If the Conservative Party is prepared to share that detail with the public, I will be very pleased to listen to it. However, what is clear to me is that the Scottish Government is taking the right steps to raise revenue, invest in our public services and improve outcomes for the people of Scotland.

It is a matter of fact that more than half of Scottish taxpayers continue to pay less income tax in this financial year—[Interruption.]

—than they would if they lived elsewhere in the United Kingdom. [Interruption.]

As I indicated in my answers to Mr Findlay, the Government takes a combination of measures in relation to these issues.

First, we are proactively taking forward education programmes on the danger and unacceptability of carrying a knife or taking part in violence. That advice was reinforced by Assistant Chief Constable Tim Mairs in his public statement on Wednesday. Secondly, effective punishment is in place when offences are committed. Thirdly, there is sustained school and community engagement with young people to ensure that we create responsible citizens in our society.

As I indicated, I share the devastation about the loss of young lives as a consequence of any violence in our society. Mr Sarwar and I share that devastation. I assure him that the Government will take forward a combination of early intervention and education measures, but we will also resort to punishment, if required, when offences have been committed. That is the approach that the Government will take and which it will work with Police Scotland to deliver in our communities.

In what I say to Mr Sarwar I will, inevitably, rely on material that I have already used in my answers to Russell Findlay. Since 2008-09—which precedes the creation of Police Scotland—there has been a 69 per cent decrease in emergency hospital admissions due to assault with a sharp object. Over a long period—during which we undertook the reform of the police service and the creation of Police Scotland—Scottish society has become safer.

We have recorded crime data that shows that there has been a 55 per cent fall in attempted murder and serious assault, with homicides remaining at a near-record low in our society today. In addition to that recorded crime data, we also have the latest Scottish crime and justice survey, which captures incidents that are not reported to the police as well as those that are. That reveals that crime has fallen by 53 per cent since 2008-09.

I totally understand the points that Mr Sarwar puts to me. However—and I go back to my point that even one incident is absolutely unacceptable and devastating, so I do not diminish that at all—the evidence indicates that, overall, Scottish society is safer today than it was before we created Police Scotland. That is the outcome that has been achieved as a consequence of the reform that the Government put in place to create a single police service that serves every community in our country.

I fear that Russell Findlay has not been listening to my answers, in which I have set out that a combination of proactive and preventative work is undertaken by a number of very successful organisations, which, since 2008-09, has resulted in a 69 per cent decrease in emergency hospital admissions because of assault with a sharp object.

That is the result of us tackling knife crime in our society. That prevention work is having an effect. Scotland is a safer country today than it has been in the past, but I return to my point that one incident is one incident too many.

The work on prevention is absolutely vital, but the public cannot look at this exchange and believe that there are no consequences for carrying a knife or for carrying out an incident. I repeat: the Scottish Sentencing Council guideline for young people indicates that all sentencing options, including imprisonment, remain open to the court. That is what the law says and that is what the guideline says. People need to understand the consequences of carrying a knife and committing an offence. There is a risk of imprisonment. I encourage people to follow the advice issued on Wednesday by Police Scotland, which was that under no circumstances should young people carry knives in our society. It is dangerous, it is damaging and young people should not do it.

The services that the bus drivers provide are critical for the mobility of the constituents that Carol Mochan represents. I want to avoid any possible disruption to the delivery of transport services, including bus services, in the area. I encourage all parties to work together to find an agreement that will avoid the inconvenience for members of the public that Carol Mochan has raised and enable services to operate as planned.

As I said in my earlier answer, the Government will announce its plans to respond to the Climate Change Committee in due course. I very much welcome its contribution.

We are implementing a range of measures. For example, we made a commitment to create 6,000 public charge points for electric vehicles, which helps with the shift to electric vehicles, and we exceeded that target two years early.

Yesterday, along with the Secretary of State for Scotland, I had the pleasure to be at the announcement of a regional selective assistance grant—which goes alongside investment from the Scottish National Investment Bank and the National Wealth Fund of the United Kingdom Government—for the green aircraft engine developer ZeroAvia, at the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District in Renfrewshire. That is a splendid example of investment in new technology that reduces emissions, and it can help to create 350 jobs in Renfrewshire, which is a step in the right direction.