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Official Report: search what was said in Parliament

The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.  

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Dates of parliamentary sessions
  1. Session 1: 12 May 1999 to 31 March 2003
  2. Session 2: 7 May 2003 to 2 April 2007
  3. Session 3: 9 May 2007 to 22 March 2011
  4. Session 4: 11 May 2011 to 23 March 2016
  5. Session 5: 12 May 2016 to 5 May 2021
  6. Current session: 12 May 2021 to 26 December 2024
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Displaying 2338 contributions

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Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Committee Priorities

Meeting date: 7 September 2021

Mark Ruskell

Should the use of gross domestic product as a measure of progress simply be stopped outright, or should a more transitional approach be taken?

Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid)

Topical Question Time

Meeting date: 7 September 2021

Mark Ruskell

It appears that we are now in a perfect storm, with COP26 and disputes and timetable changes that are rocking the confidence of workers and the travelling public, but next year ScotRail will pass into public sector ownership. What best practice from the public sector—in terms of industrial relations, fair work, patient negotiation and consultation—can be brought to the new franchise?

Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid)

Programme for Government 2021-22

Meeting date: 7 September 2021

Mark Ruskell

The member needs to recognise that as I, too, live in a rural area, I know that some roads will be absolutely necessary for the reasons that I have already pointed out: safety issues, climate adaptation and connectivity. However, the days of unlimited growth of public roads are over—it is just a waste of public money. There are better priorities for us to invest in now.

We expect that investment to come through the strategic projects transport review, which is a step change: £5 billion investment in rail with a public operator running rail services in the public interest, new funding for councils to deliver models of public bus ownership and the delivery of free bus travel for under-22s. There will be a strong future for those public services.

Under the agreement, our debt to the natural world will start to be repaid. Legally binding nature targets will be set to restore nature and drive the reform of planning, agriculture and fisheries policies that have led to catastrophic collapses in biodiversity in the past. The nature restoration fund, established by the Greens under the last budget, will be dramatically increased to drive action. Nature networks of Atlantic woodland and rainforest, pollinator superhighways and kelp forests can now be planned, paid for and protected.

Our connection with the natural world will be strengthened with a third national park in Scotland. Our human right to a healthy environment, the need for environmental courts to deliver justice and a future generations commission will all be advanced while we work with the Government to reform driven grouse moors, crack down on wildlife crime and even bring back the beaver properly.

In this Parliament, we must not hold back on the rights of the most vulnerable groups. No one should be made destitute because of their immigration status. Trans and non-binary people deserve as much dignity, equality and inclusion as the rest of us. We need to double down to eradicate hatred and misogyny wherever it rears its ugly head.

Covid has brought into sharp relief the need for action to address the mental health crisis, the staffing issues in our schools and the need to provide care as a basic human right. Our agreement will give Parliament the foundations for change in those areas. There will be more availability in mental health services in our communities, 5,000 new teachers, with a stronger additional support needs workforce, and the first step next year to establish that pivotal, national care service.

The Scottish Greens are a party in a hurry. We will stretch the powers of the Scottish Parliament to their limits and then we will ask the people whether they want to complete the journey to independence. We look forward to working with all those who share our vision.

16:07  

Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid)

Programme for Government 2021-22

Meeting date: 7 September 2021

Mark Ruskell

If I can get the time back, I will take a brief intervention.

Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid)

Programme for Government 2021-22

Meeting date: 7 September 2021

Mark Ruskell

Green MSPs warmly welcome the programme, which comes on the back of our truly historic agreement with the Scottish Government. From its very first day, the Parliament was designed for sharing power across the chamber and with the people.

Since 1999, every major political party except one has entered government at Holyrood. Now, more than ever, is the right time for the Scottish Greens to step up. Although we are the first generation to witness the catastrophe of climate change, we are also the last generation that can address it. Those who deny the need for stronger action on the climate when our world—our home—is literally burning down are betraying future generations.

The transition that we have to make must be just and leave no one behind. For sectors such as oil and gas, there must be more than a vague hope that the new jobs will appear soon. That is why I am delighted that we have Lorna Slater’s drive and expertise at the heart of the Government. She understands the industry from the inside out, and she knows how to use the toolbox to deliver that transition.

A new deal to double the capacity of onshore wind energy, support for marine and offshore renewables, a £500 million transition fund for the north-east and the requirement for just transition plans for sites such as Mossmorran are really just the beginning. The deal will deliver transformative change.

Housing is a basic human right, but it is a disgrace that many tenants and their families now pay more each month in rent than it would cost to pay a mortgage on the same property. We urgently need a new deal for tenants and I am delighted that Patrick Harvie, as the first ever minister for tenants’ rights, will be leading on the delivery of new rights, rent controls and regulation.

Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid)

Programme for Government 2021-22

Meeting date: 7 September 2021

Mark Ruskell

I will if I can get the time back.

Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid)

Programme for Government 2021-22

Meeting date: 7 September 2021

Mark Ruskell

There is international experience that shows that we can learn and move forward. The green deal and the commitment to tackle the issue—due to the poverty in our society, as has already been pointed out in the debate—mean that we will come forward with a package that will work and deal with the crisis.

Our agreement commits to building new, better homes, and retrofitting existing homes, at a pace and scale that have never been seen before. There will be more than £2 billion of investment in warm homes, with standards that will keep the bar high. It is a green new deal for housing through which public investment levers in private investment, creating new jobs in the supply chain and tackling climate change and fuel poverty.

We need more homes, but they need to be affordable and future proof. They must form neighbourhoods that are designed for people to safely get around by foot, wheel or cycle and are connected to local services and green space. Our reforms to planning and road safety will start to deliver that vision, while a trebling of investment in active travel will allow the biggest reprioritisation of road space that has been seen in generations. To put it simply, places will need to put people, rather than cars, first.

Investing in the links between our places will continue to be important but, first and foremost, such investments need to deliver on traffic reduction, safety, community benefits and climate adaptation. The days of simply investing in roads that lock in car dependency are over. We expect a strategic transport projects review to deliver a step change—

Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid)

Portfolio Question Time

Meeting date: 2 September 2021

Mark Ruskell

One of the many areas that I am particularly proud of in the Green-Scottish Government agreement is the targets to expand organic food and farming, which will restore the environment and support rural economies. Does the cabinet secretary see those targets as helping to drive the demand for organic food in our schools and other public kitchens? Will it provide greater certainty for farmers that they can convert to organic food and farming, knowing that there is a stable market?

Meeting of the Commission

Interests

Meeting date: 1 September 2021

Mark Ruskell

I have nothing to declare.

Meeting of the Commission

Audit Scotland Annual Report and Accounts for the Year Ended 31 March 2021 and Auditor’s Report on the Accounts

Meeting date: 1 September 2021

Mark Ruskell

My question has been partially answered. The reduction in travel and subsistence expenditure was significant—more than half a million pounds. On your way of working, how much do you expect you will bounce back and be doing much more travel and overnight work to engage with the public bodies that you audit? Will some of the beneficial practices that you have developed be sticky? Can you forecast how you intend to work in relation to Covid? Will the extent of in-person auditing that you were doing previously be suitable as you move forward, and how much money you will need for that work?