Clare Adamson: That is fine, Presiding Officer. I have received that message now, too. Thank you.
Clare Adamson: On a point of order, Presiding Officer. My app would not connect. I would have voted no.
Clare Adamson: On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I had trouble with my app disconnecting again. I would have voted no.
Clare Adamson: Presiding Officer, I was in the same position as Sue Webber. I believe that my vote has been cast.
Clare Adamson: I am pleased to be speaking on behalf of the Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee. The focus of our budget scrutiny, as it has been throughout the parliamentary session, has been the Government’s culture portfolio spend. That approach has the benefit of building on previous working positions and gives us an opportunity to better assess progress over the years....
Clare Adamson: Will the member take an intervention?
Clare Adamson: I tried to intervene on Mr Rennie when he was making his argument about what we spent on the EU referendum. He forgets that we won that referendum in Scotland—we won it by a huge margin. Was 64 per cent not enough for him? Would 88 per cent of the vote in Scotland going for Europe have been enough? Mr Rennie argued that we did not do enough, but it is evident that the people of Scotland...
Clare Adamson: 3. To ask the Scottish Government what social security support is available to people in the Motherwell and Wishaw constituency who are experiencing poverty, including fuel poverty. (S6O-03008)
Clare Adamson: E nergy companies are resuming the installation of prepayment meters under warrant, following updated advice from the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets. I have contacted Ofgem and major energy suppliers, which say that that is a last resort. However, my constituents in Motherwell and Wishaw, who are at the sharp end of that unfair practice by the energy suppliers, tell a very different...
Clare Adamson: It is always a pleasure to take part in Parliament debates about technology. A few years ago, I spoke in a debate about the Scottish Council for Development and Industry report “Automatic for the People”, which examined the opportunities and challenges that Scotland faced in the fourth industrial revolution that was then almost upon us. That was just a few short years ago, but that...
Clare Adamson: Absolutely. That is why the debate this afternoon is so important. Cobots are being used in our renewable energy and in welding. That is important and is something that is close to my heart. Cobots working at height means that no one has to abseil up towers so people are less likely to sustain an industrial injury. It is not safe to abseil when weather conditions are inclement; the job cannot...
Clare Adamson: In 25 seconds, I can say that I met the Scottish AI Alliance at an event the other day for the British Standards Institution. The alliance is working with The Data Lab and has a wonderful course called “Living with AI”, which explains how AI impacts our lives from day to day. I recommend that course; I will try to take it. I hope that other members will consider it as a way into...
Clare Adamson: 5. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recommendations outlined in the final report of the economy 2030 inquiry, “Ending Stagnation: A New Economic Strategy for Britain”, as they relate to public finances in Scotland, including those relating to taxes and local government investment. (S6O-02970)
Clare Adamson: The Tories have imposed the highest tax level on record. Meanwhile, income inequality in the UK is higher than in any comparable European economy. The report calls for better, not just higher, taxes. Yesterday, we discussed the visitor levy, which is a common form of income generation in Europe. Does the minister agree that, although most taxpayers in Scotland continue to pay less income tax...
Clare Adamson: The issue is byzantine in its complexity, not least because of the many varied contracts and terms under which postmasters were employed over the period. Some postmasters of long standing, when faced with—in the Lord Advocate’s words—“bugs and errors” associated with Horizon, handed back their businesses but, according to them, they were coerced into signing non-disclosure...
Clare Adamson: On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I had trouble connecting with the app. I would have voted yes.
Clare Adamson: Presiding Officer, could you confirm how much time I have for my opening speech?
Clare Adamson: Thank you very much. I put on record my thanks to our committee clerks, colleagues from across other legislatures and all those who gave evidence to our inquiry. I welcome the opportunity to open this afternoon’s debate on behalf of the Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee on its report, “How Devolution is Changing Post-EU”. The report is the third in a series of...
Clare Adamson: That is one of the aspects that we have considered. The committee looked at how the common frameworks are developed, and we noted that there is a lack of transparency. That is very much civil service driven, and the implications for both Parliaments and the other devolved Parliaments that are engaged in the process are opaque to us at the moment. I recognise John Swinney’s concerns and the...
Clare Adamson: I declare an interest as a member of the cross-party group on Ukraine. I welcome the comments about Colin Beattie setting that up in the Parliament. I am also the MSP for Motherwell and Wishaw. We have a project in North Lanarkshire that has seen more than 80 families come to my constituency to be welcomed into our community, and I commend the work of North Lanarkshire Council. Those families...