Chamber and committees

I, too, refer to my entry in the register of members’ interests as a member of the trade unions GMB and Unite, and to the voluntary section of my entry, which lists my memberships of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers, the Public and Commercial Services Union and the Communication Workers Union and of parliamentary groups, and which notes that I chair the Scottish Labour trade union group.

Those declarations keep me on the right side of the Parliament’s rules, but I am very proud to be a trade unionist, like my colleagues on the Labour benches. I first joined a trade union as a graduate worker, more than 20 years ago, several years before I joined the Labour Party. The importance of being in a trade union was drilled into me through my family background and my community experience. I say to colleagues on the Tory benches that, while being in a trade union might be viewed as ideological, trade unions are good for the economy, and smart employers and smart politicians understand that.

More than two decades on from when my working life began, I am in despair at the state of workers’ rights in Britain, as they are more precarious now than at any time that I remember. What kind of future will my 17-year-old daughter and her friend group have? They already know what it is like to be on a zero-hours contract. They know that working hard and being in work is not a protective measure against poverty and that a college or university qualification does not guarantee them fair work.

Like other members who have spoken today, I am appalled that we are having this debate, not because it is a waste of time or because there are other things that we should be talking about, but because our constituents are worried. We are days away from Christmas, and Liam Kerr and I have just been singing Christmas carols together—he had my festive Christmas glasses on, and I have my reindeer dress on. For a lot of people right now, however, there is not a lot to be cheerful about. Many people want to see the Tories at Westminster getting sacked this Christmas.

I would like to see the Conservatives in this place stand up to their colleagues. It is not always easy to do that in a political party, but they should not just be apologists. We have seen the Tories in the Scottish Parliament stand up to their colleagues at Westminster before—maybe it is time for them to do it again.

The Prime Minister may well be one of the richest men in Britain today, but his rotten Government is morally bankrupt. The Tories at Westminster are out of control because they know that they are on borrowed time. We are seeing, not just with the Tories’ UK Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023 but in many other actions, a full-frontal assault on workers’ rights. I am relieved, therefore, that the Scottish Government will not enforce the 2023 act, which attacks the dignity and rights of public sector workers.

I was pleased to hear the cabinet secretary state today that fair work ambitions are the bedrock of the Scottish Government’s vision for the wellbeing economy. I support that, but we all need to work harder in Parliament to ensure that the actions that we take match that ambition. That means funding our public services properly, using public procurement powers to improve workers’ terms and conditions, tackling the growing disability pay gap in Scotland, and tackling the rise of zero-hours contracts.

I know that Clare Haughey ran out of time to take my intervention, and she has left her seat just now, but we did not hear a peep from her when the SNP was caught using zero-hours contracts in her Rutherglen constituency during a recent by-election.

Perhaps panel members can respond to that, but first, in your written submission, you stated that

“there should be ‘biodiversity impact’ screening for any recipient of public funds, including in their supply chains.”

Why is that important?

That is helpful. Thank you.

I do. I will pick up on funding, as well as investment and resources, which have been mentioned already. Before that, I was concerned to hear Tavish Scott say that it was a struggle to keep up with Government invitations, attend meetings and respond to consultations. We will reflect on that, and I am sure that the Government will, too. It is important that all stakeholders have capacity.

What is even more worrying for me is that the broadcaster and RSPCA president, Chris Packham, made a big intervention yesterday, calling for, in his words, the halt of the “catastrophic” expansion of Scottish salmon farms, saying that a moratorium was needed as mortality rates jump. We have heard a lot about the importance of data and evidence and I am keen to get a better understanding, but we are reading in the press that salmon mortality in Scotland has hit record levels this year, which is catastrophic for fish welfare and Scotland’s environment. Is Chris Packham wrong, Mr Scott, or does he have a point?

That is great. Thank you. Elspeth?

Thank you. I will hand back to the convener. I am conscious of time so I will keep my questions to myself for now.

That is perhaps an unfair question ahead of the budget.

One of the suggestions that we got in our written submissions was that the marine directorate should undertake—if I can read my handwriting—

“a strategic review of its enforcement assets”.

That is looking at equipment as well. The point being made was that we need to have effective deterrence of illegal activities. Is there a concern about equipment?

Thank you. Tavish?

Okay. I am sure that we have not heard the last of that, because serious issues have been raised, although we will not get to the bottom of them today. However, we have heard many calls for better regulation and better enforcement. That brings me back to resources. In written submissions, many stakeholders raised concerns about the strategy. We have also heard about a big reduction in the budget for bodies such as NatureScot.

I would like to start with Dr Clare Cavers and work along the table: do you have concerns about the resourcing of the strategy, which I like to think of as not just a biodiversity strategy but about Scotland’s nature emergency? Where will the funding come from, or what does the funding need to look like, for it to work effectively?