Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party Debate: Scotland's Economy

Murdo Fraser S5M-05172 That the Parliament notes with concern that the Scottish economy contracted in the final quarter of 2016, while the wider UK economy experienced strong growth; notes that business confidence in Scotland is lower than in any other part of the UK; further notes commentary from the Fraser of Allander Institute that it is hard to argue that Scotland’s weaker economic performance can be explained by the outcome of the EU referendum; recognises that recent policies of the Scottish Government, including on income tax, business rates, the large business supplement and the Land and Buildings Transaction Tax will further undermine growth; considers that in prioritising its aim of separation from the UK above all else, the Scottish Government has neglected and mismanaged the economy; further considers that the threat of a second referendum is causing further economic damage, and therefore calls on the Scottish Government to set aside its campaign for a second referendum and take urgent action on the economy instead. Keith Brown S5M-05172.3 As an amendment to motion S5M-05172 in the name of Murdo Fraser (Scotland’s Economy), leave out from first "notes" to end and insert “recognises the strength of the Scottish economy, with unemployment now lower than in the UK as a whole, productivity growing four times faster in Scotland than the UK, and the number of people in employment up by 45,000 since 2008, with the number of registered businesses having grown by 15% since 2007 to an all-time high; notes that most powers over the economy are reserved to the UK Government; acknowledges the resilience of the Scottish economy in the face of the slowdown in the oil and gas sector and welcomes the measures that the Scottish Government is taking, including the Energy Jobs Taskforce and the Decommissioning Challenge Fund; further acknowledges the wider measures that it is taking to grow the Scottish economy, including investment in transport and digital infrastructure and financial support for private sector business investment through the Scottish Growth Scheme, and believes that the main risk facing Scottish households and companies is the UK Government’s plans to adopt a hard Brexit, against the wishes of the Scottish people, impacting negatively on business growth and leading to skills shortages, which will in turn reduce employment, investment and public spending across the country.” Jackie Baillie S5M-05172.1 As an amendment to motion S5M-05172 in the name of Murdo Fraser (Scotland’s Economy), leave out from “recognises" to "undermine growth” and insert “believes that the Scottish Government has not fully utilised the new powers of the Scottish Parliament, which could boost economic growth; further believes that the economic strategy requires urgent review to turn around the fortunes of the Scottish economy, as well as to deal with the impact of Brexit”. Patrick Harvie S5M-05172.4 As an amendment to motion S5M-05172 in the name of Murdo Fraser (Scotland's Economy), leave out from "contracted" to end and insert "has been affected so profoundly by the fall in oil prices, and that inequality of wealth and income remains high; considers that the ongoing failure to transition Scotland’s economy away from a dependency on fossil fuels has risked the jobs and livelihoods of people in Scotland, and that poverty and inequality are causing severe damage to people’s health and quality of life; notes commentary from the Fraser of Allander Institute that the low oil price continues to have a significant impact on the wider Scottish economy; considers that narrow metrics, which ignore the inequalities in the economy are inadequate; notes that the economic powers necessary to react to an asymmetric shock to the Scottish economy, such as oil price fluctuations, are reserved to the UK Parliament; considers that collaboration on green energy targets and global climate agreements through the EU to be vital, and calls on the UK and Scottish governments to start a rapid transition to a low carbon economy in order to protect livelihoods, reduce wealth and income inequalities, and prevent the worst effects of climate change." Mike Rumbles S5M-05172.2 As an amendment to motion S5M-05172 in the name of Murdo Fraser (Scotland's Economy), leave out from “strong” to end and insert “growth, placing Scotland on the brink of a recession; notes the string of warnings about the fragility of the Scottish economy, business confidence and skills shortages; believes that these necessitate a transformational investment in education and skills, building a high-wage, high-skill economy; further believes that the profound dangers posed to the Scottish and UK economies by Brexit are only compounded by the uncertainty created by the threat of a second referendum on Scottish independence, and therefore relishes the opportunity presented by a snap General Election to change the direction of the whole UK and work towards securing Scotland’s economic future by avoiding a hard Brexit and keeping Scotland in both the UK and EU single markets."