Scottish Government Debate: The UK Budget – Scotland’s Priorities

Shona Robison S6M-14614 That the Parliament recognises the importance of the UK Budget on 30 October 2024 to Scotland’s budget; supports the call from prominent economists, including Professor Mariana Mazzucato, Professor Anton Muscatelli, Lord Gus O’Donnell and Professor Simon Wren-Lewis, for the UK Government to use the forthcoming UK Budget to halt “the under-investment that has resulted in a vicious circle of stagnation and decline, whereby low investment leads to both a weaker economy and greater social and environmental problems”; calls on the Chancellor of the Exchequer to replace the current austerity fiscal rules that the UK Government is operating under, in order to allow for greater investment to renew and enhance public infrastructure and deliver projects that support the transition to net zero; believes that the UK Government should reverse its cut to the Winter Fuel Payment, as this cut will impact many of the most vulnerable older people in society, and urges the UK Government to use its first Budget to remove the two-child limit on benefits and deliver greater investment to tackle child poverty, and deliver a sizeable increase in investment in the NHS and schools, which would deliver consequentials for application in these vital public services in Scotland. Murdo Fraser S6M-14614.2 As an amendment to motion S6M-14614 in the name of Shona Robison (The UK Budget – Scotland’s Priorities), leave out from “supports” to end and insert “acknowledges the crucial role of the previous UK Conservative administrations in securing the largest ever block grants for Scotland, in curtailing inflation, guiding the country through and out of the COVID-19 pandemic, protecting businesses through the furlough scheme, and in providing non-domestic rates relief, which the Scottish National Party (SNP) administration chose not to pass on to businesses in Scotland; credits the Conservative administration for ensuring consistent economic growth for the UK, frequently outpacing the rest of the G7, and protecting UK pensions; notes that the current UK Labour administration, despite this legacy, has created a budget deficit by paying above-inflation pay awards to the public sector; condemns the UK Labour administration for scrapping the Winter Fuel Payment, thereby putting 900,000 Scottish pensioners in Scotland at risk this winter, and acknowledges the legacy of 17 years of economic mismanagement by the SNP administration in Scotland, which has resulted in stagnant growth, high taxes, underinvestment, spending cuts, and difficulties in attracting skilled workers to Scotland.” Daniel Johnson S6M-14614.3 As an amendment to motion S6M-14614 in the name of Shona Robison (The UK Budget – Scotland’s Priorities), leave out from "recognises" to end and insert "believes that Scotland’s priorities were reflected in the overwhelming mandate that the people of Scotland gave to the Labour Party on 4 July 2024; recognises that the new UK Labour administration inherited a black hole of £22 billion from the previous Conservative administration; understands that the only way to deliver fairness and opportunity for people is to fix the foundations of the economy; welcomes the renewed commitment from the Chancellor of the Exchequer that there will be no return to austerity; calls on the Scottish Government to work with the UK Government to ensure that the benefits of economic stability and the opportunities of national renewal are felt across Scotland, and further calls on the Scottish Government to reflect the importance of financial competence, economic stability and transparency in its management of Scotland’s finances." Lorna Slater S6M-14614.1 As an amendment to motion S6M-14614 in the name of Shona Robison (The UK Budget – Scotland’s Priorities), insert at end "; believes that, whilst the fiscal levers available to the Scottish Government are inadequate to fully protect public services and communities from UK Government austerity, it must use every power available to address the urgent social, economic and environmental challenges that Scotland faces, and calls, therefore, on the Scottish Government to explore all avenues to fiscal sustainability, including maximal use of existing tax powers, a review of tax reliefs and other subsidies, reform of local government finances, and the creation of new local revenue raising powers, such as the carbon emissions land tax and cruise ship levy, and to reprioritise spending away from programmes that undermine its core missions of tackling child poverty and the climate emergency." Alex Cole-Hamilton S6M-14614.4 As an amendment to motion S6M-14614 in the name of Shona Robison (The UK Budget – Scotland’s Priorities), leave out from “importance of” to end and insert “terrible state of the public finances caused by the mismanagement of the previous UK Conservative administration; believes that the top priority of the new Labour administration’s first UK Budget must be fixing the NHS and social care crisis so that people across the UK can get the care that they need; considers that it would not be right to further squeeze households that have seen their living standards fall, and believes that a fair deal would see the removal of the two-child limit on benefits, the reversal of the cut to the Winter Fuel Payment, and tax revenues raised in a fair way, including by reversing the previous Conservative administration’s tax cuts for the big banks, closing loopholes in capital gains tax exploited by the top 0.1% wealthiest people, and taxing the social media giants so that they pay their fair share.”