Former Liberal Democrat MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife
To ask the Scottish Executive how many children have been home educated in each of the last five years.
To ask the Scottish Executive how and at what frequency inspection of home education is carried out.
I find it interesting that the SNP motion is on small businesses rather than the large business sector and that Jim Mather provided a pretty rosy-eyed romp through the few statistics that suit the SNP vision but ignored the multitude that pick up on the big holes in the SNP view. We know that big business has seen through the SNP hype. When the SNP could not answer the simple questions about...
No. If the SNP had not shoehorned two debates into the time that is normally allowed for one, we would have had more time to debate the issues properly. Of course, if the CBI had agreed with the SNP on the creation of a separate state, we would never have heard the end of it. Alex Salmond is fond of name dropping the Royal Bank of Scotland as a former employer, to try to boost his economic...
No. As I explained, SNP members should not expect to make interventions if they limit the time for their debates. The Liberal Democrats will maintain the very successful small business rate relief scheme. Cutting business costs is vital. Energy costs can be significant for small businesses. When a business installs microgeneration, which is supposed to cut its costs, its rateable value goes...
Will the member take an intervention?
Will the member give way?
I point out to Ms Scott that a fair proportion of the agriculture sector operates on an unsupported basis—the producers of pigs, poultry, potatoes and soft fruit are all highly market orientated and extremely progressive. The big problem with any debate on organic farming is that there is a tendency for some people to regard it as the only true path. That opinion is fostered by trendy food...
