Chamber and committees

Obviously, given the challenges of the budget that we have just presented today, all public services are having to look at how we hold our money together. I was reflecting on a point that Mr Smyth raised—that is why I was highlighting the investing in communities fund and the strengthening communities programme.

Reflecting on the contribution that the CRT makes, and in spite of the challenging fiscal position, we have provided a substantial grant of nearly £650,000 to enable the trust to continue delivery of its employability, skills and training programmes, and its capacity building programmes, which the Government recognises.

I was pleased to meet the trustees in September to listen to their concerns. That provided me with the opportunity to convey to them our on-going support and our commitment to working with the trust. The meeting also gave me the opportunity to stress the importance of ensuring that the trust continues to support delivery of our regeneration outcomes.

Martin Whitfield, Fulton MacGregor, Alex Rowley and others referred to the coalfield investment programme small grants. I absolutely understand and appreciate the points that were made about access to small grant funding. Procurement rules and grant-making conditions exist to support proper use of public funds. However, I have asked my officials to explore the issue with the CRT in order to identify other ways in which the trust can support small community organisations, where that is possible and appropriate. However, I must be clear that the overall grant allocation for 2023-24 cannot be increased.

On future funding for the CRT, members will be acutely aware of the on-going budget challenges over the medium term. The First Minister has been clear that we must be able to demonstrate how every penny supports the three central missions of equality, opportunity and community, and our budget will deliver against those missions.

Members rose

I am mindful of time, so I will go straight to my conclusion.

I want to reaffirm our commitment to supporting work that delivers impact against our core missions, and to continuing to support the Coalfields Regeneration Trust as much as we can within our limited resources. To the best of our ability, within the constraints of the financial position in which we find ourselves, we want to support the valuable contribution that the trust makes in helping our coalfield communities to thrive.

I thank the people from the Coalfields Regeneration Trust for coming along today and listening to this important debate. I hope that they have felt the support for them from across the chamber. I will continue to do what I can to support the trust in being a sustainable organisation that supports our coalfield communities across Scotland.

It is important that children and young people have access to healthy and nutritious meals as part of their learning. The Scottish Government recognises that, which is why Scotland has the most comprehensive free school meal offer in the United Kingdom. Families who take up the offer save, on average, £400 per eligible child per year, and we are committed to expanding the offer further. As I said in my initial response, the Scottish Government is looking at all options to support families who are struggling through the cost of living crisis.

The Scottish Government strongly discourages trade and investment from illegal settlements anywhere in the world, and it is absolutely right that it should expect companies that are awarded public contracts to maintain the highest standards of business and professional conduct.

The Scottish Government has taken a number of steps following the publication in 2020 of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights database of companies’ active enlisted activity in the occupied Palestinian territories. We wrote to public bodies in Scotland and asked that they consider the database as part of their human rights due diligence process. We also contacted companies that are listed on the database and have a relationship with a Scottish public body to ask what they are doing to cease the activities that led to their inclusion.

As the First Minister confirmed to Parliament in November, we are currently considering next steps following the publication of the revised database in June 2023.

We use conditionality and other carefully crafted approaches as part of our procurement policies and processes to drive social, economic and environmental outcomes, and we publish evidence of impact annually. The £14.5 billion of procurement spending covering the 2020-21 financial year supported around £12.5 billion of economic activity and around 120,000 full-time equivalent jobs, and contributed around £6.9 billion to Scottish gross domestic product, which benefited communities across Scotland.

That is a really important question, because we know that school meal debt can have a significant impact on the mental wellbeing of families. If a family is experiencing difficulties, I expect local authorities, in the first instance, to use the powers available to them to provide any necessary support.

Although school meal debt is a specific matter for local authorities, the Scottish Government is determined to do everything that we can to support people through the cost of living crisis, and we will consider all available options to ensure that families do not find themselves punished for struggling through tough financial times.

Mark Griffin may be getting ahead of things. Local authorities in Scotland have a different framework from those in the rest of the UK. A number of local authorities in England—not just Birmingham and Nottingham city councils, and including those led by all the main English political parties—have gone bust because of UK Government austerity.

In Scotland, however, things have been different. In an interview on “Good Morning Scotland” on 6 September—the day that Birmingham City Council announced that it was going bankrupt—Dr Jonathan Carr-West, chief executive of the Local Government Information Unit, made the point that Scottish councils have not seen the same sustained austerity that English councils have seen over the past 13 years—that we are starting from a safer place. That does not take away the challenges that we all face across public service. We will have to make difficult choices. Are Mr Griffin and his party prepared to make some of those choices? If so, I ask them please to come to speak to us, and let us see what we can do for public service across the country.

The budget process is under way and discussions are on-going with COSLA. We go into this budget round in one of the most difficult and challenging times that we have seen. I know that the Deputy First Minister’s door will be open to suggestions from the Labour Party and the Conservatives as to how Scotland’s pot of moneys can be increased or distributed in a different way. The Deputy First Minister will be keen to hear any suggestions from Mark Griffin.

The challenges that are posed by the current cost of living and climate crises require additional funding. The autumn statement delivered the worst-case scenario for Scotland’s finances. It is deeply worrying that Labour’s leader, Keir Starmer, has indicated that he is likely to follow austerity. That makes it all the clearer that only the full fiscal powers of independence can ensure that the people of Scotland continue to receive the high-quality front-line services that they expect and deserve.

The council tax freeze will help people right across Scotland. It surprises me that the Conservatives do not support the council tax freeze, which is making sure that Scotland continues to be the part of the UK with the lowest council tax. It is really important that, with the cost of living crisis, we do everything within our powers to support hard-pressed families.

We have said that we are speaking to COSLA to work out a fair settlement that meets the criteria for full payment for the council tax freeze. I would have thought that the Conservatives—of all parties—would support the Government in taking that action.