Gordon Lindhurst: Does the cabinet secretary agree that Edinburgh Leisure, which provides affordable leisure facilities on behalf of the City of Edinburgh Council, could be devastated by the twin effects of a cut to its budget of several hundreds of thousands of pounds next year and a potentially enormous bill for business rates if the Scottish Government takes on that aspect of the Barclay review recommendations?
Gordon Lindhurst: 6. To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides to encourage growth in the retail sector. (S5O-01400)
Gordon Lindhurst: Footfall in Scotland dropped in September by the biggest amount in more than a year, exceeding the United Kingdom rate. Does the minister accept that any rise in the basic rate of income tax would further hurt businesses by taking money out of the pockets of Scottish consumers and reducing their ability to spend in Scotland’s shops?
Gordon Lindhurst: 1. To ask the Scottish Government what role sports clubs and leisure centres play in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. (S5O-01315)
Gordon Lindhurst: The Barclay review has floated the recommendation of ending rates relief for arm’s-length external organisations such as Edinburgh Leisure. That could foot them with a bill of millions of pounds. If the Scottish Government decides to implement that recommendation, is the minister concerned about the potential effects on health if public leisure facilities are stripped back or made more...
Gordon Lindhurst: Can the minister offer insight into how adequate provision was made for local specialised services to participate meaningfully in the procurement process in their own right?
Gordon Lindhurst: Last spring, the Economy, Jobs and Fair Work Committee undertook an inquiry into the economic impact of the gender pay gap in Scotland. We heard from a large range of witnesses, and I thank everyone who gave us their views during the inquiry. Whether they did so in written evidence, in Twitter stories, in case studies, at formal meetings or during committee visits, all their views helped to...
Gordon Lindhurst: C lose and intimate personal relationships are an integral part of our lives. Sharing life with a husband or wife, for example, learning more about each other and experiencing life together can give some of the most precious times in life. However, when relationships break down, whether momentarily, temporarily or permanently, such moments can be the worst that any of us face. Worse still is...
Gordon Lindhurst: Yes, of course. It is always the judgment of the individual whether to pick up the phone and call the police. I do not demur from that, at all.
Gordon Lindhurst: No. We can contrast this Scottish bill’s classification of behaviour as being coercive or controlling even when it has happened on only two occasions with the definition in the Serious Crime Act 2015 for England and Wales. That 2015 act refers to someone who “repeatedly or continuously engages in behaviour towards another person”. Home Office guidance on the 2015 act makes it clear that...
Gordon Lindhurst: I echo the thanks of my colleague Graham Simpson to our colleague John Scott, who was the convener of the DPLR Committee when the bill was introduced to Parliament, for his sterling work on the bill and in that committee. He did not shy away from dealing with issues of detail in their occasional horror. No doubt we are all agreed that simplification and clarification of the law is a good...
Gordon Lindhurst: 5. To ask the Scottish Government what role sport has in attracting tourism to Scotland. (S5O-01269)
Gordon Lindhurst: I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer and I would like to focus on one aspect of it. The Barclay review of business rates has called for rates relief to be removed from some of Scotland’s golf courses that currently receive it, including ones that attract tourists to Scotland. The Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Constitution is currently considering that option. Is the Cabinet...
Gordon Lindhurst: I welcome the commitment to a system that works with communities to reduce and, ultimately, prevent further offending. I also recognise the comments about those who are on short-term sentences. However, we have something like 1,000-plus prisoners in Scottish prisons who are not engaged in what the guidelines refer to as “purposeful activity”. What specific measures are being looked at to...
Gordon Lindhurst: The chief constable has taken a temporary leave of absence, so he is not currently acting as chief constable. Deputy Chief Constable Livingstone was to retire, but he is now, I presume, temporarily acting in place of the chief constable. Andrew Flanagan is about to leave as SPA chair and I think that John Foley, who is the chief executive officer of the SPA, has just announced his retirement....
Gordon Lindhurst: The First Minister will be aware of reports about a constituent I have been assisting in Edinburgh, Lydia Reid, who recently discovered that her son’s coffin was buried in 1975 with no body in it. That revelation comes after 42 years of her seeking to discover what happened to the remains of her child and leading the campaign that exposed how hospitals had unlawfully kept deceased...
Gordon Lindhurst: 5. To ask the Scottish Government how the performance of the economy is affected by the property market. (S5O-01209)
Gordon Lindhurst: This summer, the Scottish housing market was in a serious slowdown and was reportedly stagnating in July. Government policies such as land and buildings transaction tax are stifling investment in the middle of and at the higher end of the market, which is resulting in a lack of mobility to allow people to purchase lower-priced homes. Does the cabinet secretary agree that, to improve the...
Gordon Lindhurst: The Economy, Jobs and Fair Work Committee also heard evidence that, in some areas, men suffer from a gender pay gap in relation to women. While that may be less of a problem than that affecting women, what steps is the Scottish Government taking to ensure a balanced approach that addresses the issue where it affects men?
Gordon Lindhurst: Let me begin by thanking Gillian Martin for bringing the debate to the chamber. She has expressed very eloquently something that is a difficult topic for any of us to speak about at all—let alone to do so in any detail. I also want to thank the International Justice Mission for the good work that it does worldwide in protecting vulnerable people and bringing criminals to justice. The not on...