Portfolio Question Time – in the Scottish Parliament at on 22 May 2024.
Bill Kidd
Scottish National Party
To ask the Scottish Government what impact the reduction in Scotland’s revenue budget as a result of changes to the block grant has had on funding allocations to local authorities in the current financial year. (S6O-03467)
Shona Robison
Scottish National Party
The United Kingdom Government has failed to deliver for Scotland at successive fiscal events. When more support is desperately needed for public services, Scotland’s block grant from the UK Government is less in real terms in 2024-25 than it was in 2022-23.
Despite sustained UK Government cuts, the Scottish Government has increased local government’s share of the budget and the 2024-25 budget delivered record funding of more than £14 billion to councils, which the independent Accounts Commission has recently confirmed represents a real-terms increase and follows real-terms increases in both 2022-23 and 2023-24.
Bill Kidd
Scottish National Party
The UK Government has cut Scotland’s capital grant by 16.1 per cent. That is the reality that we have to live with. As Labour’s Wes Streeting recently said,
“All roads lead back to Westminster.”
Does the Cabinet secretary agree that it is imperative that all parties in this Parliament accept that reality and come together to speak as one in calling for an end to public service cuts, given the impact that those have on the money allocated to Scotland?
Shona Robison
Scottish National Party
I am pleased that Labour’s Wes Streeting has recognised the reality of the situation. I am sure that his Labour colleagues here will recognise that, whether it comes to health funding or funding for local government, as it impacts the Welsh Labour Government, so it impacts the Scottish Government.
I am sure that, from now on, we will hear a lot in the chamber about Wes Streeting’s realisation of the reality that all roads lead back to Westminster.
Paul Sweeney
Labour
I have a practical suggestion. Glasgow City Council has almost £0.5 billion in lender option borrower option—LOBO—loans, which run at rates of about 7 to 9 per cent, which is far higher than the Public Works Loan Board rate. A similar debt renegotiation to that done by Newham London Borough Council could save Glasgow City Council £450 million, or £11 million per year. Could that be an option for the Scottish Government to help broker debt renegotiation, cancellation and amnesties across Scottish local government?
Shona Robison
Scottish National Party
The lending policies and the debt that local authorities have need to be responsible, affordable and sustainable. We engage regularly with councils and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities to ensure that that is the case.
The fiscal framework that we are taking forward with COSLA will look at all matters that relate to the affordability and sustainability of local government’s finances.
Liam McArthur
Liberal Democrat
That concludes portfolio questions on finance, Deputy First Minister responsibilities and parliamentary business. There will be a brief pause before we move to the next item of business to allow speakers on the front benches to change.
Question Time is an opportunity for MPs and Members of the House of Lords to ask Government Ministers questions. These questions are asked in the Chamber itself and are known as Oral Questions. Members may also put down Written Questions. In the House of Commons, Question Time takes place for an hour on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays after Prayers. The different Government Departments answer questions according to a rota and the questions asked must relate to the responsibilities of the Government Department concerned. In the House of Lords up to four questions may be asked of the Government at the beginning of each day's business. They are known as 'starred questions' because they are marked with a star on the Order Paper. Questions may also be asked at the end of each day's business and these may include a short debate. They are known as 'unstarred questions' and are less frequent. Questions in both Houses must be written down in advance and put on the agenda and both Houses have methods for selecting the questions that will be asked. Further information can be obtained from factsheet P1 at the UK Parliament site.
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.
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War cabinets have sometimes been formed with a much smaller membership than the full cabinet.
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The cabinet normally meets once a week in the cabinet room at Downing Street.
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