Scottish Green Party Debate: Budget Priorities 2025-26

Ross Greer S6M-14825 That the Parliament notes that the fiscal levers that are currently available to the Scottish Government are inadequate to fully protect public services and communities from UK Government austerity and economic turmoil, but that the Scottish Government must use every power at its disposal 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 seeking opportunities for further powers, such as those over levies and charges, to be devolved to local government for 2025-26, creating new powers, such as a cruise ship levy, exploring how a carbon emissions land tax and a power of general competence could be delivered and ensuring the most effective and progressive use of existing tax powers and tax reliefs and that spending does not undermine the core missions of tackling child poverty and the climate emergency. Shona Robison S6M-14825.3 As an amendment to motion S6M-14825 in the name of Ross Greer (Budget Priorities 2025-26), insert at end ", and calls on the UK Labour administration to scrap the fiscal rules of the former UK Conservative administration." Murdo Fraser S6M-14825.2 As an amendment to motion S6M-14825 in the name of Ross Greer (Budget Priorities 2025-26), leave out from "notes" to end and insert "agrees that the fiscal levers currently available to the Scottish Government are more than adequate to deliver the economic growth that is vital to sustain public services; recognises that the current fiscal settlement, provided by the former UK Conservative administration, is the most generous on record, and that the Scottish Government has failed to properly utilise the monies allocated to it, by instead choosing to prioritise wasteful projects, such as the National Care Service; notes that the Scottish Government’s financial incompetence, which was exacerbated by the former Bute House Agreement with the Scottish Green Party, has resulted in Scotland becoming a high-tax, low-growth economy that has lost the confidence of the business sector and has resulted in severe public sector spending cuts to fix the Scottish Government’s financial black hole, and urges the Scottish Government to show some common sense and ignore the economic and financial illiteracy proposed by the Scottish Green Party, which proposes yet more burdensome taxation and anti-growth regulations, and to use the generous fiscal powers that it already has to deliver a Budget that prioritises economic growth and provides for all of Scotland." Michael Marra S6M-14825.1 As an amendment to motion S6M-14825 in the name of Ross Greer (Budget Priorities 2025-26), leave out from "notes" to end and insert "understands that tackling the social, economic and environmental challenges that Scotland faces and delivering sustainable funding for public services is only possible through delivering sustainable economic growth and an economy that works for everyone in Scotland; recognises the importance of the UK Government’s commitment to fix the foundations of the economy, and understands that Scotland will benefit from this approach; understands that the Scottish Government’s wasteful spending and failure to plan ahead have led to significant pressures on the Scottish Budget, including £5 billion lost to waste; notes that the Scottish Fiscal Commission has projected a £1.9 billion gap between spending pledges and available funding in the Budget by 2027-28, and believes that, in addition to effectively using the extensive fiscal powers available to it, the Scottish Government should prioritise fiscal competence and transparency in the management of Scotland’s finances." followed by Scottish Green Party Debate: Free Bus Travel for Asylum Seekers Maggie Chapman S6M-14823 That the Parliament believes that the Scottish Government should extend free bus travel to people seeking asylum as soon as possible and at least before the end of the current parliamentary session. Fiona Hyslop S6M-14823.3 As an amendment to motion S6M-14823 in the name of Maggie Chapman (Free Bus Travel for Asylum Seekers), insert at end ", and urges the UK Government to provide adequate financial support to local authorities and asylum seekers to ensure that they are not pushed further into hardship." Sue Webber S6M-14823.2 As an amendment to motion S6M-14823 in the name of Maggie Chapman (Free Bus Travel for Asylum Seekers), leave out from "extend" to end and insert "ensure that there are reliable and affordable bus services in every community across Scotland; acknowledges that the Scottish Government has failed to make the ‘public transport network cleaner, smarter and more accessible than ever before’, as was the stated aim of the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019, and calls on the Scottish Government to introduce a national £2 bus fare for any single ticket on a bus route, to fully support the Community Bus Fund to allow local authorities to propose bus services in their area, and to implement integrated ticketing across all public transport.” Claire Baker S6M-14823.1 As an amendment to motion S6M-14823 in the name of Maggie Chapman (Free Bus Travel for Asylum Seekers), insert at end ", and further believes that public transport should be affordable, accessible and reliable for everyone." followed by Decision Time followed by Members' Business — S6M-13937 Jackson Carlaw: 40th Anniversary of the Brighton Bomb Blast That the Parliament recognises the 40-year anniversary of the bombing at the Grand Hotel, Brighton, on 12 October 1984 during the annual Conservative Party Conference, where, it understands, five people were murdered and 34 others injured in the terrorist attack by the IRA; understands that the objective of the bombing was to assassinate members of the UK Government, including the Prime Minister; notes that people living in Eastwood and Scotland were in attendance at the conference and made use of the Grand Hotel; remembers that one of the five people who died was a Scot, and wife of Sir Donald Maclean, Muriel Maclean, who tragically passed away from her injuries five weeks after the bombing; believes that engaging in murderous terrorist activity to achieve political ends is completely unacceptable in all cases and must always be unreservedly condemned by everyone who cherishes democracy, and further believes that terrorist attacks to weaken systems of democracy must always fail and never be allowed to succeed.