Part of the debate – in the Scottish Parliament at on 2 November 2023.
John Mason
Scottish National Party
Thank you, Presiding Officer. I will try to be closer than Liam Kerr managed to be.
As well as the A77 and the A75, the Conservatives are demanding road improvements on the A9, the A96 and the A82, yet the Conservatives at Westminster have cut our capital budget by some 7 per cent. Can the Minister explain to the Conservatives that the finances have to add up and that we have to set priorities, or does she think that they do not understand the finance?
The Conservatives are a centre-right political party in the UK, founded in the 1830s. They are also known as the Tory party.
With a lower-case ‘c’, ‘conservative’ is an adjective which implies a dislike of change, and a preference for traditional values.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
