Chamber and committees

Sean, your contributions are great, but they are quite long, so I wonder whether we could have briefer answers. That would be useful.

I do not know whether the minister is aware of a survey that was done by the Scottish Association of Landlords, in which more than 50 per cent of people who responded said that they plan to cut the size of their portfolios in the next five years, and only 10 per cent said that they are planning any investment in the sector. Part of the reason for that is rent controls. Stage 2 of the Housing (Scotland) Bill is coming up, and the minister knows that I have lodged sensible amendments on exemptions to rent controls. Is he prepared to commit to having sensible exemptions, either in the bill or in regulations?

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to data from the most recent Scottish landlord register, which shows that the number of landlords has decreased by 2,650 in three years. (S6O-04436)

It should have looked at that, because the issue is serious and affects everyone—businesses as well as individuals.

However, the UK does not have the highest bills in Europe. That accolade falls to Germany, which has the highest electricity prices—which, as I pointed out last week, is connected to its getting rid of nuclear power.

We should not worry, of course, because Labour promised to cut energy bills by £300 a year. However, bills have gone up. As Liz Smith pointed out, from April, the annual energy bill for a household that uses typical amounts of gas and electricity will go up by £111 a year, to £1,849.

Ofgem chief executive Jonathan Brearley said:

“We know that no price rise is ever welcome”—

he is right about that—

“and that the cost of energy remains a huge challenge for many households”—

most households—

“But our reliance on international gas markets leads to volatile wholesale prices, and continues to drive up bills, which is why it’s more important than ever that we’re driving forward investment in a cleaner, home-grown system.”

Even GB Energy, which has been mentioned—that ill-defined vehicle to deliver goodness knows what—might be getting its budget cut before it has even started.

According to a survey of 234 businesses that was conducted last month, 88 per cent of Scottish businesses have said that high energy costs are impacting investing decisions—which goes back to what Fergus Ewing said—while 77 per cent say that it has forced them to put prices up for customers.

We must not forget Labour’s disgraceful scrapping of the winter fuel payment. On the subject of benefits, if a Conservative Government said that it would cut the welfare bill by £6 billion, the members opposite would be apoplectic. However, we now have the bizarre situation of a number of Labour MPs backing such a move—including my own, East Kilbride and Strathaven’s Joani Reid. [Interruption.] If Paul O’Kane wants to intervene, he is welcome to do so; however, I notice that he does not want to.

The cost of living affects us all but, for too many, it has gone beyond what is acceptable. Transport is the engine of the economy. People and goods need to get about. People can sit and shiver at home as they try to cobble together enough money to pay the council tax but, at some point, they will have to go out. Even though the Government has abandoned its daft target of a 20 per cent reduction in car miles, that should not stop it from encouraging more people on to public transport by making that more affordable.

We have debated this before: reintroducing peak fares on trains—a move that this Parliament rejected but was ignored on—not only makes things more expensive but is likely to lead to fewer people using trains. Cheaper and simpler fares lead to 10 million more journeys, according to The Times this week.

Labour’s national insurance hikes will cost businesses £25 billion and lead to fewer jobs and higher costs for people. I am afraid that Paul O’Kane is in total denial on this.

The Government has a bit of a nerve to present itself as squeaky clean in the debate. Actually, no party is—not mine, certainly not the SNP and definitely not Labour. Last week, my constituents in Falkirk learned that they would be subject to the highest percentage rise in council tax bills in Scotland, at 15.6 per cent, because Labour rejected the already high increase suggested by the minority SNP administration and suggested an even higher amount. You really could not make it up. Contrast that with Labour in South Lanarkshire.

I was not aware of that, but it was a daft idea. We might contrast that with Labour in South Lanarkshire, where the council leader is seeking election to this place. South Lanarkshire has the lowest council tax rise in Scotland, but it is still inflation busting. Wherever people are, they will be paying significantly more in council tax, with an increase way above inflation, because of the way that the Scottish Government has hollowed out local government finances. We cannot blame councils for doing what they are doing—apart from Falkirk Council. Goodness knows what councillors were thinking of there.

On top of council tax, there are other, fiendish ways of raising money, from parking charges, for which Glasgow is particularly bad, to—in the case of prudent South Lanarkshire Council—introducing a new fee for collecting garden waste.

Council tax is a big and growing part of people’s cost of living, but, instead of forcing a freeze on councils, the SNP needs to properly fund them. Part of the reason for this year’s steep rises is a fear of a pre-election freeze next year to buy off voters. The gushing bit of the motion that backs the recent budget is therefore laughable. The budget has made things worse, not better.

In addition, energy bills, which have been mentioned, form a big chunk of the household budget. Bills are far too high; they are among the highest in Europe. Fergus Ewing told us why that matters. Part of the reason for that is our reliance on gas, for which the price is set on the international markets. Willie Rennie spoke of the need to decouple markets. Somehow, we need to break that model and set our own prices. I therefore agree with the Government that we need to reform the energy market—as long as the aim is to bring prices down.

Okay.

Speaking of costs to businesses, we can also look at business rates relief, which was applied at 40 per cent in 2025-26 in England. Business rates here, in Scotland, will apply only to hospitality and music venues, and so retail loses out. That will have a major impact on our struggling high streets.

Liz Smith’s amendment mentions “growth”, which is a dirty word to some in the chamber, but she is right that it is vital. To that end, investment in infrastructure, such as the A9, is essential. We need to get Scotland moving to foster renewal and cut bills.

I would be very happy to take the intervention.

Does the cabinet secretary agree that the Scottish Government has absolutely no chance of achieving that target?

I agree that you should not really brag about the number of words that you have written—the important thing is what you write, not how much you write.

I will ask a quick question on the medium-term financial strategy. It requires a quick answer. What period will it cover?