Chamber and committees

All three of you mentioned that we require an expert group, but we heard evidence from Professor Fox that the UK jurisdiction task force was sufficient, because the advice that was given would be publicly available and neutral to any particular legal system. What would you say in response? You raised it first, Professor Schafer.

Good morning. I am looking for clarification on some of the stuff that we have been discussing this morning. The bill is very much a foundation bill, if you like. However, Greg McLardie has referred to the need to protect farmers, while Professor Robbie has suggested the removal of carbon units. What next steps should the Scottish Government take in order to build on this foundation bill? What should it be looking at next to ensure that things do not go out of date?

You just said that we need regular oversight. Are the regulation-making powers and the feedback mechanism in the bill sufficient?

The OBR has updated its growth forecasts for the next five years. It now forecasts average GDP growth to be slower than was projected in March 2025. It also downgraded its forecast for the UK for 2026, 2027 and 2028. In the light of those forecasts, what policies has the Scottish Government implemented to help to grow Scotland’s economy?

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding any implications for its work to grow Scotland’s economy, whether it will provide an update on its engagement with the United Kingdom Government regarding the Office for Budget Responsibility’s recent economic forecasts. (S6O-05265)

I thank Jamie Hepburn for securing this important debate to recognise Cumbernauld’s 70th birthday. Many people will be aware that I was born in Glasgow, but, apart from Jamie Hepburn, not many know that I grew up in Cumbernauld from the age of eight until I moved to Edinburgh in 1982. I attended Kildrum primary school and the then Cumbernauld high school, and it is a sign that I am getting older when I see that both those original new town school buildings have been demolished.

Coming at a young age from the centre of Glasgow to the first street that was built in the new town gave me a sense of freedom that I never had when I was surrounded by tenements and not the open fields and woodland of Cumbernauld Glen. Education was an improvement on the composite classes that we had in Glasgow, as the area that I lived in was being demolished. In Cumbernauld, there were no private schools within an easy commute, so everyone attended the local school. That helped to create a sense of community that still exists today, as everyone, regardless of their background, supported one another. It will surprise some that I am still in contact with school friends from those early days in Cumbernauld.

The town has a significant history of being recognised by the Saltire Society housing design awards, especially in its early decades. In eight out of the 11 years between 1961 and 1971, Cumbernauld won Saltire Society awards for housing design, and, in two of those years, it won two awards in a single year. Those accolades were granted during a period of major innovation and experimentation in Scottish urban planning, with Cumbernauld often being highlighted as the model of a new community design.

It was not all good news. Some of the first homes, especially those in Kildrum, had flat roofs, which is not a clever idea for homes that are placed at the top of a hill that was prone to very wet and windy weather. Other blocks of flats were built of concrete and were demolished after a short lifespan because of damp. When we left school or graduated from college or university, little work was available in the town, which resulted in many of my generation moving across the UK to find employment, which also had an impact on the development of the town.

Another issue was the 1996 local government reorganisation, which resulted in the absorption of Cumbernauld and Kilsyth District Council into North Lanarkshire Council. Many residents in the town believe that Cumbernauld was used as a cash cow for North Lanarkshire and that investment in the town declined as a result.

We had the first indoor shopping centre in the UK, but many residents missed the traditional town centre. It was also the first indoor shopping mall to have a song written about it, with a local duo, Edible Pear, writing a song “The Concrete Town Centre of Cumbernauld”.

With it being the first, it was also the prototype, with all the mistakes that go with building a groundbreaking centre that everyone else learned lessons from. The situation was not helped in 1997, when the UK Government wound up the development corporation, resulting in the town centre being sold to more than one landlord. That was the start of the centre’s decline, as no one had a clear plan for or agreement on its future.

Despite those issues, Cumbernauld was a great place to grow up in. That first generation of new town dwellers appreciated the improvements in their living standards. Even though there was a lack of entertainment facilities, people came together, and a host of organisations were established. That brought the community closer together. That same sense of community exists today and should be celebrated as Cumbernauld reaches its 70th anniversary.

Good morning. I am just looking for a couple of points of clarification, because we have had a good discussion on the subject. I think that it was Peter Ferry who said that we need a team of experts to assist with the whole process. Last week, I asked Professor David Fox some questions, and he suggested that any guidance that comes from the expert group that was created south of the border in England and Wales would be neutral to any particular legal system. Is that enough to guarantee and take into consideration the separate needs of Scots law, or should we have a separate Scottish expert group?

My other point relates to what you have just said. The bill is short and is limited in its scope, quite rightly. It is very much a foundation bill. If we want to ensure that Scotland is a safe place to do business, and noting that we have to get the balance right, what should the next step be, given that there will be a new Government after the election in May next year? What should be the focus of the legislative process in order to maintain momentum in this area, given that legislation could get out of date? This is a fast-moving issue.

The Scotch Whisky Association has warned that the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s decision to further increase duty on Scotch whisky will put additional pressure on a sector that is already suffering job losses, stalled investment and business closures. Does the First Minister agree that that was the wrong decision, given the challenges facing the industry, and will he highlight what the Scottish Government is doing to support the sector?

The number of police officers per capita is higher in Scotland than in England and Wales. Will the cabinet secretary provide details of the pressures that Police Scotland faces as a result of the United Kingdom Government’s hike in employer national insurance?