– in the Scottish Parliament at on 22 November 2023.
Bill Kidd
Scottish National Party
6. To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with the United Kingdom Government regarding any impact of the autumn statement on Scotland’s public finances. (S6O-02762)
Shona Robison
Scottish National Party
As I outlined to Parliament yesterday, I wrote to the Chancellor of the exchequer ahead of the autumn statement to set out the Scottish Government’s priorities for action. I also spoke to the new Chief Secretary to the Treasury this morning, when I again emphasised the need for investment in public services and net zero, and the need to support people with the cost of living. The Welsh finance Minister and I previously discussed the need for additional investment in devolved Government budgets with the previous Chief Secretary to the Treasury at the most recent meeting of the finance interministerial Standing Committee.
It is very disappointing that, today, the Chancellor has failed to provide the funding that devolved Governments need, which increases the challenges for our budget next year.
Bill Kidd
Scottish National Party
As we heard earlier, hospitality businesses particularly suffered throughout the pandemic and they have faced rising costs as a result of inflation and increased energy prices. Have any discussions taken place to ensure that specific support is provided for the hospitality sector?
Shona Robison
Scottish National Party
My ministerial colleagues and I regularly meet representatives of the hospitality industry. The Minister for Community Wealth and Public Finance chairs the new deal for business non-domestic rates sub-group, which includes representatives of the hospitality industry.
We responded to business’s biggest ask on non-domestic rates and froze the poundage in 2023-24, thereby ensuring that Scotland had the lowest non-domestic rates poundage in the UK for the fifth year in a row. Our rates package is estimated to be worth £749 million. As a result of our providing the most generous small business bonus scheme relief in the UK, around half of properties in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors in Scotland will pay no rates.
Going forward, we will set out our decisions on non-domestic rates in the budget that will be set out on 19 December.
Kate Forbes
Scottish National Party
According to the Office for Budget Responsibility, the outlook for the United Kingdom is pretty subdued, and inflation, as well as interest rates, will be higher for longer. Much has been made already of the impact of Tory decisions on the consequential funding that Scotland will receive, but does the Cabinet secretary accept that it is a double whammy, because not only will we receive less, but our costs will remain higher due to Tory incompetence?
Shona Robison
Scottish National Party
Kate Forbes’s summation—she describes it as “a double whammy”—is absolutely on the button. The question for us is how we reconcile a reduction in our budget and a real-terms cut in capital. In fact, the additional capital departmental expenditure limit is a total of £10 million for next year’s capital allocation from the UK Government. That puts in context some of the questions that we heard earlier about infrastructure investment priorities.
I look forward to hearing what the Tories’ priorities are in the face of the Chancellor’s decisions today. When each and every one of them comes here asking for more money, I will be reminding them of the chancellor’s priorities today—[
Interruption
.]
Shona Robison
Scottish National Party
— which will have an impact on every single one of their constituencies and the public services in them.
The chancellor of the exchequer is the government's chief financial minister and as such is responsible for raising government revenue through taxation or borrowing and for controlling overall government spending.
The chancellor's plans for the economy are delivered to the House of Commons every year in the Budget speech.
The chancellor is the most senior figure at the Treasury, even though the prime minister holds an additional title of 'First Lord of the Treasury'. He normally resides at Number 11 Downing Street.
In a normal session there are up to ten standing committees on bills. Each has a chair and from 16 to 50 members. Standing committee members on bills are appointed afresh for each new bill by the Committee of Selection which is required to take account of the composition of the House of Commons (ie. party proportions) as well as the qualification of members to be nominated. The committees are chaired by a member of the Chairmen's Panel (whose members are appointed by the Speaker). In standing committees the Chairman has much the same function as the Speaker in the House of Commons. Like the Speaker, a chairman votes only in the event of a tie, and then usually in accordance with precedent. The committees consider each bill clause by clause and may make amendments. There are no standing committees in the House of Lords.
The Chancellor - also known as "Chancellor of the Exchequer" is responsible as a Minister for the treasury, and for the country's economy. For Example, the Chancellor set taxes and tax rates. The Chancellor is the only MP allowed to drink Alcohol in the House of Commons; s/he is permitted an alcoholic drink while delivering the budget.
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.
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.
The cabinet is the group of twenty or so (and no more than 22) senior government ministers who are responsible for running the departments of state and deciding government policy.
It is chaired by the prime minister.
The cabinet is bound by collective responsibility, which means that all its members must abide by and defend the decisions it takes, despite any private doubts that they might have.
Cabinet ministers are appointed by the prime minister and chosen from MPs or peers of the governing party.
However, during periods of national emergency, or when no single party gains a large enough majority to govern alone, coalition governments have been formed with cabinets containing members from more than one political party.
War cabinets have sometimes been formed with a much smaller membership than the full cabinet.
From time to time the prime minister will reorganise the cabinet in order to bring in new members, or to move existing members around. This reorganisation is known as a cabinet re-shuffle.
The cabinet normally meets once a week in the cabinet room at Downing Street.
The political party system in the English-speaking world evolved in the 17th century, during the fight over the ascension of James the Second to the Throne. James was a Catholic and a Stuart. Those who argued for Parliamentary supremacy were called Whigs, after a Scottish word whiggamore, meaning "horse-driver," applied to Protestant rebels. It was meant as an insult.
They were opposed by Tories, from the Irish word toraidhe (literally, "pursuer," but commonly applied to highwaymen and cow thieves). It was used — obviously derisively — to refer to those who supported the Crown.
By the mid 1700s, the words Tory and Whig were commonly used to describe two political groupings. Tories supported the Church of England, the Crown, and the country gentry, while Whigs supported the rights of religious dissent and the rising industrial bourgeoisie. In the 19th century, Whigs became Liberals; Tories became Conservatives.
