Tag: Holyrood

One Block Too Many? MSPs take on Scotland’s Tumbling Policy Tower at Tourism and Hospitality Event

The ASSC and SHG host parliamentary reception to introduce MSPs to the visitor economy for the new parliamentary session, inviting politicians to test how much regulatory pressure the sector can take before it all comes tumbling down

The Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers (ASSC) and the Scottish Hospitality Group (SHG) hosted a drop-in reception at the Scottish Parliament to introduce MSPs to Scotland’s vital tourism and hospitality industry as the new parliamentary session gets under way.

The event, hosted by Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Economy & Tourism Daniel Johnson MSP, was attended by politicians from the SNP, Labour, Reform Scotland, Conservative and Liberal Dem benches, alongside self-caterers and hospitality operators from across the country.

Amongst the MSPs in attendance was Scottish Government Minister for Innovation Alyn Smith MSP and Scottish Labour leadership hopeful Joe Fagan MSP. Speeches were provided by ASSC and SHG leads, Fiona Campbell MBE and Stephen Montgomery.

To bring the sector’s message to life, guests were invited to try their hand at a giant tumbling tower, built from blocks representing the many regulatory and fiscal pressures facing tourism and hospitality businesses. As with any such tower, removing a single block rarely brings it down but each one removed brings the whole structure closer to collapse. MSPs and industry figures took turns testing exactly that.

The exercise also illustrated the argument behind a new infographic released by the two leading industry bodies: that businesses do not experience government policy one intervention at a time, but absorb the combined cost and administrative burden of everything introduced across government at once.

For self-caterers, that ranges from short-term let licensing and planning controls; and for hospitality businesses, from alcohol advertising restrictions, the deposit return scheme to Low Emission Zones. Moreover, that’s on top of shared pressures including visitor levies and rising business rates.

Tourism and hospitality are among Scotland’s greatest economic strengths, supporting jobs, businesses and communities in every constituency. But behind those numbers are people: the owners, operators, employees and entrepreneurs who welcome visitors, create jobs, invest locally and help make Scotland one of the world’s most welcoming destinations.

The ASSC and SHG hope the reception gave MSPs the chance to hear directly from some of those people, and to understand both the contribution they make and the challenges they are currently facing.

With all that in mind, the ASSC and SHG are now calling on national and local government to embed cumulative impact assessment into policymaking, so that any new measure affecting the visitor economy is considered not just on its own terms, but alongside the pressures businesses are already carrying.

With visitor spend reaching £11.4bn, the organisations argue that protecting the sector’s ability to invest, employ and grow is a matter of national economic importance, not just an industry concern.

Fiona Campbell MBE, Chief Executive of the ASSC, said: “Businesses do not experience government policies one at a time, they experience them all at once. Each new measure adds yet another block to an already growing burden.

When the regulatory burden keeps stacking up, businesses have less capacity to invest, employ and grow. We were therefore delighted to see MSPs get involved with our tumbling tower but while it was a fun visual, but there was serious thought behind it.

“Namely, that good policymaking must consider how various interventions interact and what the cumulative impact means for business. The reception was a valuable chance to start that conversation with cross-party MSPs and we look forward to building on that engagement throughout this parliamentary session and beyond.”

Stephen Montgomery, Director of the SHG, said: “Hospitality businesses are being asked to carry an ever-growing stack of taxation, regulation and additional costs, without the cumulative impact always being properly assessed.

“Every new block has to be paid for somewhere and government must look at the whole structure rather than adding measures one by one. What we now need, is government to speak to and include us in all the discussions, and take our factual evidence into account, before any policy is determined or implemented.

“Nevertheless, it was fantastic to welcome MSPs from across the political spectrum and we were greatly encouraged by the appetite for genuine engagement with our sector. We want to build on those conversations so that the industry and parliament are working together in partnership in the years ahead.

“After all, when hospitality and self-catering thrive, our communities thrive, our economy grows, and Scotland succeeds.”

Greens hail support for Data Centre halt

TIME TO HALT AI DATA CENTRES?

The Scottish Greens have hailed Outlander star Sam Heughan’s support for a moratorium on hyperscale AI data centres ahead of a crunch vote in the Scottish Parliament today brought by the Green MSPs.

The Outlander star has urged politicians to “listen to what communities and environmental organisations are saying” and halt climate-wrecking data centre applications until a national strategy is in place. 

The Scottish Greens have called for all applications for data centres above 50MW to be paused until a clear national strategy is in place, but the Scottish Government has fallen short of committing to a moratorium.

Scottish Green MSP Patrick Harvie said: “Sam Heughan is right that the Scottish Government should listen to communities and campaigners who are calling for a moratorium.

“We need an immediate pause on these applications until we can assess the impact on our energy systems and local environments. The current approach from the Scottish Government is unsustainable. 

“MSPs can show support for local communities by backing our calls for a proper national strategy and demanding the halt that is needed.”

You can ask MSPs to vote for a moratorium with a quick e-action from Friends of the Earth Scotland.

Stop Climate Chaos Scotland is calling for a moratorium ‘because of our profound concerns about the environmental impacts of these mega data centres’. 

The campaigners say data centre proposals that are already known about would require more electricity than Scotland’s total peak winter demand.

And the number of applications could triple under projections from the National Energy System Operator (NESO).

That would divert far too much renewable energy from heating our homes, charging our EVs and powering our public transport, and decarbonising our industry – all of which is needed to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, and tackle the climate crisis. 

Burnham: NO to referendum

PRIME MINISTER CLARIFIES HIS REFERENDUM STATEMENT

PRIME Minister Andy Burnham has responded to John Swinney’s request for a meeting to discuss comments he made at Westminster this week.

In a letter to Scotland’s First Minister, Burnham explained: ‘I was simply highlighting that there is no consensus for an independence referendum in Scotland’ and goes on ‘As I made clear to you personally when we met recently in Glasgow, independence and a referendum are off limits as it would take our focus away from growing the economy and helping families with the cost of living.’

The Scottish Government has not formally responded but Scottish Green co-leader Gillian Mackay said on X: “We have already endured far too many years of obstruction, hurdles and political games from UK governments.

“It has gone on for far too long.

“The Scottish Parliament should have the power to trigger that referendum!”

Scottish Parliament is not working, IPPR Scotland says in new report

Former high profile MSPs told the think tank in a series of “exit interviews” that the parliament is not living up to its consensus-building potential, contributing to key targets being missed.

It is not just the public who are deeply frustrated and disillusioned with the way politics and policymaking are working in Holyrood, new research from IPPR Scotland has found.

MSPs themselves have been feeling the same malaise, with a record number of them having chosen not to stand for re-election at this year’s Scottish parliamentary election.

In a series of detailed “exit interviews”, MSPs from across the political spectrum – including former backbenchers and senior cabinet figures – told researchers that the parliament has been underperforming. The findings come at a time of declining trust in politics and growing frustration with the way democratic institutions function. Voter turnout fell dramatically at the 2026 election and various polls showed voters felt Scotland was headed in the wrong direction.  

The Scottish parliament was designed to bring competing ideas together to find productive compromise. But interviewees described a shift towards shallow partisanship, with MSPs increasingly falling back on party lines and formulaic debates where politicians speak past each other.

This disconnect between the parliament’s consensus-building design and adversarial politics undermines the quality of scrutiny and legislation.

The problems show up in the way parliamentary committees operate. When the parliament was set up in 1999, committees were imagined as spaces for sustained, collaborative discussions, allowing MSPs the time to develop subject expertise and contribute meaningfully to policy matters.  

But interviewees said members pay little attention to one another, and serious engagement with the substance of issues is all too rare.

Researchers found that:

  • Short committee tenures are limiting the development of expertise. The median time MSPs serve on committees has hovered around one-and-a-half to two years, compared with five-year parliamentary terms. This restricts their ability to develop the kind of subject expertise that longer tenure would provide.  
  • Instead of interactive discussions, MSPs increasingly resort to monologues. In the first parliamentary session, a committee member spoke an average of 117 words before another member spoke. By the sixth session, this had doubled to 232 words.  

This affects the process of legislation making. Committees were intended to scrutinise legislation in detail, drawing on members’ expertise, expert witnesses and detailed evidence. But MSPs said debate has shifted to the final stages of legislation with poorly thought through amendments introduced at the last minute.

The researchers’ analysis of parliamentary data backs this up. In the first session (1999-2003), final-stage debates were about half as long as committee discussions. By the sixth, (2021-2026) the pattern had reversed, with final debates longer than committee stages.

IPPR Scotland has argued that the parliament needs to strengthen its consensus-building mechanisms, both to build trust with the electorate and because the challenges the country faces need long-term policies with widespread buy-in.  

The think tank recommends that reforms to parliament be designed by a new Citizens’ Commission on Scotland’s Democracy, giving citizens a formal role in reviewing and reporting on the functioning of Scottish democracy through citizens’ assemblies and juries.

Dave Hawkey, senior research fellow at IPPR Scotland, said: “Scotland faces formidable challenges, from cutting emissions and mitigating the impacts of climate crisis to managing the ageing population and reducing inequality.

“Solving each of these will need bold and far-reaching policy, including ideas from every corner of Scottish society.

“Low trust in politics is a major barrier to building the consensus we need to successfully guide Scotland through these changing times. Concretely, if citizens lack trust in politics, they will not agree to pay the taxes we need to fix our shared problems.”

Anonymous MSP1 said: “If you go as a minister to be interrogated by the opposition or backbenchers, the greatest disappointment is always how rubbish their questions are because they’re all sitting on their phones, you get to their shot, they ask a pre-prepared question.

“It’s either political or general most of the time. And then they go back to scrolling on Twitter.”  

Anonymous MSP2 said: “You have legislation that grows arms and bells and whistles. [During recent debates] I was thinking: I cannot believe we’re actually accepting or agreeing to this amendment that, in one line, will give somebody a headline but will cause a huge tail end of policy issues.”  

Rebuilding-Scotlands-New-Politics-IPPR-Scotland-2026-1Download

NSPCC calls for relationships education for every child in Scotland

  • NSPCC’s Read, Write, Relationships campaign says children in Scotland are missing out on vital learning which could protect them from abuse
  • MSP has lodged a parliamentary motion to call for all children and young people across Scotland to have guaranteed access to consistent and relevant Relationships, Sexual Health and Parenthood (RSHP) education.

The NSPCC, young people and partner organisations gathered outside Scottish Parliament on Thursday to urge the Government to act now to ensure every child receives the relationships education they need to stay safe.

This move was part of the charity’s ‘Read, Write, Relationships’ campaign, which it launched due to the patchy delivery of Relationship, Sexual Health and Parenthood (RSHP) education across Scotland.

This week Scottish Green Party MSP, Laura Moodie, lodged a parliamentary motion, with cross party support, calling on ministers to guarantee all children and young people in Scotland have access to high-quality healthy relationships education. And on Tuesday, First Minister John Swinney made a commitment in the Programme for Government to tackling violence against women and girls.

On Thursday, campaigners outside Holyrood held a giant school timetable with a glaring gap to highlight that this crucial learning was still not guaranteed for every child in Scotland.

The charity also delivered Back to School packs to MSPs explaining why action is urgently needed and outlining the campaign’s calls for change.

The NSPCC launched the campaign last December following extensive engagement with young people across Scotland through its local campaigns work with a variety of partners including Young Women Know and the Scottish Youth Parliament. [WA1] 

Many young people told the charity that the RSHP education they received was inconsistent, outdated and failed to reflect the realities of growing up today.

Ruth (15) a member of the NSPCC Young People’s Board for Change, said: “All children and young people should have access to education about healthy relationships because, without it, they may enter abusive or unhealthy relationships and not realise that this behaviour is unacceptable or harmful.”

Carla Malseed, NSPCC Influencing Campaigns Manager, said:  “Every child deserves the knowledge and skills to recognise healthy relationships, spot harmful behaviour and stay safe, both online and offline. Yet right now, whether a young person receives that education can depend on which school they attend.

“Young people have told us clearly that what they’re being taught is, too often, inconsistent, out of date and disconnected from the challenges they face today. That simply isn’t good enough.

“While ministers delay, children are missing out on learning that could help protect them from abuse and navigate relationships safely.

“Healthy relationships education should be treated with the same importance as reading and writing. We’d like to see the Scottish Government act now to make high-quality RSHP education a right for every child, regardless of where they live or go to school.”

A YouGov poll commissioned by the NSPCC found that over two-thirds (67 per cent) of adults in Scotland believe that RSHP education should be made compulsory, while one in four believe it does not currently help children understand online abuse.

Scotland is now the only nation in the UK where this crucial area of education is not underpinned by a legal requirement.  Although RSHP sits within Curriculum for Excellence, schools have discretion over what is taught and when, resulting in significant variation in children’s experiences.   

NSPCC Scotland wants to see a stronger recognition of children and young people’s right to this education in line with the UN Conventions of the Rights of the Child and is calling on the Scottish Government to legislate to make it a guaranteed entitlement.

The charity is also calling for the introduction of clear national practice-based guidance, dedicated funding, professional training, time and resources for teachers, and robust monitoring by Education Scotland to ensure consistent delivery across the country.

People can sign a petition to support Read, Write, Relationships, by visiting: NSPCC

Young people looking for support on any of the issues mentioned, can contact Childline on 0800 1111 or visit Childline.org.uk. Childline is available to all young people until their 19th birthday.   

Adults who are concerned about a child or young person can contact the NSPCC Helpline by calling  0808 800 5000, or email:  help@NSPCC.org.uk.  

Alyn Smith joins Government

Alyn Smith has been announced as the new Minister for Innovation, Technology & Tertiary Education.

Subject to parliamentary agreement and the approval of His Majesty the King, Mr Smith will succeed Ben Macpherson, who stepped down last week.

The First Minister made the appointment via video call as Mr Smith is currently suffering a minor illness.

The First Minister said: “I am very pleased to appoint Alyn Smith as Minister-designate for Innovation, Technology & Tertiary Education. 

“Alyn is one of the most experienced parliamentarians in the UK, having served in both the European and UK Parliaments before being elected as an MSP. He has broad international experience and has shown long-term interest in skills, universities and colleges.

“Scotland’s future prosperity will be built on the talent of our people, the strength of our universities and colleges, and our ability to turn world-class ideas into jobs, investment and opportunity.

“My new Programme for Government sets out an ambitious agenda for post-school learning and development – from protecting free university tuition, expanding apprenticeships and delivering a new national skills plan, to supporting university research and spin-outs, and connecting business with academic institutions to drive innovation and growth.

“Alyn will work closely with Màiri McAllan to drive that agenda, working across government with other ministers and in partnership with industry and the education and skills sectors to deliver for Scotland’s people, communities and businesses.”

Mr Smith studied Law and European Law at the University of Leeds and completed a Masters degree in European Studies at the College of Europe in Warsaw. After teaching English in India and working with Scotland Europa in Brussels, he qualified as a lawyer and practised commercial law in London and Edinburgh.

In 2002, Mr Smith joined the office of Richard Lochhead MSP before becoming an adviser to the SNP Group in the Scottish Parliament on European, justice and business policy. He was elected as a Member of the European Parliament for Scotland in 2004 and was re-elected in 2009, 2014 and 2019.

Mr Smith served as Member of Parliament for Stirling from 2019 to 2024 before being elected as the MSP for Stirling in May 2026.

See First Minister’s Questions

First Minister’s Questions now takes place on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Scottish Parliament in Holyrood.

During Tuesday’s FMQs, the First Minister answers questions from backbench MSPs.

  • On Tuesdays, tickets are valid from 2pm and allow access to Time for Reflection, General Questions and First Minister’s Questions (Backbench Members).

During Thursday’s FMQs, the First Minister answers questions from party leaders.

  • On Thursdays, tickets are valid from 1.30pm and allow access to General Questions and First Minister’s Questions (Party Leaders)

You can book free tickets to watch these #FMQs sessions from the public gallery one week in advance, from the Scottish Parliament website:

https://ow.ly/MyWZ50ZG4mv

Ben Macpherson leaves government

STAYS ON AS EDINBURGH NORTH EASTERN & LEITH MSP

Minister for Innovation, Technology & Tertiary Education Ben Macpherson has tendered his resignation from the Scottish Government for health-related reasons.

Accepting his resignation, the First Minister thanked Mr Macpherson for his contribution to government.

EXCHANGE OF LETTERS

Dear First Minister,

As discussed, I write formally to tender my resignation as a Junior Scottish Minister. As you know, I admire and respect you very much – personally and as First Minister. I also appreciate and acknowledge the sacrifices you make to serve as First Minister. I have, however, reflected very deeply in recent months about my position and priorities in my life, and feel I need more time to be able to attend to other important pressures, people and purposes, including my mental and physical well-being.

Without the constraints and demands of a Ministerial role, I also want to have more time and scope to serve my constituency of Edinburgh North Eastern and Leith, and to pursue various political passions outwith government. Therefore, I have come to the very difficult decision that holding Ministerial office is not right for me at this time, and I wish to pass it on. I will do all that I can to support a handover to my successor.

I was very proud re-join the government in September 2025, and to serve you and Scotland again, using my experience to pick up the role quickly and get meaningful things done. I have worked hard and carried the responsibility carefully, to make a real impact and achieve positive progress. Thank you for this remarkable honour.

There is much still to progress and complete but the portfolio is in a stronger place, with the necessary strategic workstreams up and running, and actions in process. Stakeholder / key partner relationships are positive, working with us on shared aims. A collegiate spirit and approach has been created to confronting shared challenges.

I want to express my gratitude for all the support I have received in the last year from my private secretaries and all the Scottish Government officials I have worked with. We have done good work together and I am proud of the difference we have made

Moreover, it has been a pleasure to work collaboratively with all stakeholders, including the Scottish Funding Council (SFC), Skills Development Scotland (SDS), Universities Scotland (and all universities), Colleges Scotland (and all colleges), the Scottish Training Federation (and their members), the Careers Collaborative, Developing the Young Workforce (DYW), the business community and our enterprise agencies, YouthLink Scotland and Youth Scotland, and many others too.

My apologies to you and all involved for the inconvenience of this resignation, and thank you for kindly understanding my reasoning. Again, this has been a very difficult decision for me, and I reiterate strongly my support for both you and the government.

With my very best wishes and much gratitude,

Ben Macpherson

:: Letter from the First Minister

Dear Ben

Thank you for your letter. I appreciate that this will not have been an easy decision and that you have reflected carefully before you have reached your conclusion.

You have made a significant contribution in government not least as Minister for Innovation, Technology and Tertiary Education where the Education and Training (Funding and Governance) (Scotland) Act 2026 was passed under your leadership. I know you have been closely involved in work to co-design and co-deliver the future of Scotland’s college and university sectors – work that has cross-party support.

And, I know that during your time in post you gave a fresh impetus to our support for youth work and made great strides in improving our apprenticeship system and strategic skills planning, in close cooperation with the business community.

In previous ministerial roles, during your time in social security, you were closely involved with the expansion of the Scottish Child Payment and launching the Adult Disability payment. And, your work in international development remains relevant to the programme we take forward in this area to this day.

These are but a few examples of your contribution from your time in a wide range of portfolios – including finance, external affairs, rural affairs and climate, as well as in education most recently.

I know the diligence in which you serve the people of Edinburgh North Eastern and Leith as an SNP MSP, and I look forward to you continuing to do so in the SNP parliamentary group.

I hope that the time away from government you are now taking can lead you a stronger, more resilient place. You have my very best wishes in doing so.

Yours, for Scotland,

JOHN SWINNEY

Ben Macpherson won the redrawn Edinburgh North Eastern and Leith seat in May with a majority of over 3000 votes from the Scottish Greens.

Ben Macpherson told followers on Facebook yesterday: ‘After reflecting deeply over recent months about my position and priorities in my life, including my mental and physical well-being, I have today stepped away from my additional role as a Minister in The Scottish Government (continuing as an MSP, for clarity).

‘This was a very difficult decision, but it is the right one for me just now. I need more time to be able to attend to other important aspects of my life, and will also now have even more scope to serve my constituency of Edinburgh North Eastern and Leith, which I care so very much about.

‘I’m proud of my achievements in the role and, to be clear, John Swinney and the government will continue to have my strong support, as will my successor. I’m looking forward to this new chapter!’

Changes to the Scottish Government ministerial team will be announced in due course.

Cole-Hamilton calls for more respite care and holiday hubs in Edinburgh after a tough summer for families

This week, Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh North Western, visited Oaklands School in Edinburgh with Edinburgh Northern MSP, Sanne Dijkstra-Downie where they received a warm welcome from both staff and pupils.

Oaklands provides a supportive and significantly adapted learning environment for those with profound learning disabilities and associated health care needs.

The main topic of conversation centred on respite care throughout the school holidays, as many pupils and families from the school struggled to secure some, if any. This pressure on families, often unpaid carers, can be difficult to sustain.

Alex is now calling for the Scottish Government to support the City of Edinburgh Council in providing a higher level of provision for families, especially in the school holidays.

Speaking after the visit, Alex said: “Visiting Oaklands School always brings me so much joy. The staff and pupils are a delight and welcome you into their space with such kindness.

It is so hard to see these pupils struggle outside of term time, as well as their families, by not having access to appropriate levels of respite care and holiday hubs.

“Many families are also going without Section 23 assessments. The awareness amongst families of their right to a Section 23 assessment is not nearly high enough. The Scottish Government needs to act on this to ensure families have the support they need.

 “Councils need support from the Scottish Government as to how we up the ante for those who need it most during the summer months and other school holidays. We need to get it right for them and their families.”

Local MSP calls for urgent action to tackle youth knife crime in schools

ALMOST FIFTY KNIFE INCIDENTS IN EDINBURGH SCHOOLS IN FIVE YEARS

Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP for Edinburgh Northern Sanne Dijkstra-Downie MSP has today urged the SNP government to step up efforts to tackle youth knife crime as she revealed that there have been almost 50 such crimes in Edinburgh schools since 2021.

New figures uncovered by the party show that since 2021 there have been:

  • 37 crimes of possession of an article with a blade or point in Edinburgh schools.  
  • 10 crimes of these articles being used in some other kind of criminal activity in Edinburgh schools.

Scottish Liberal Democrats previously revealed that the police have recorded almost 700 crimes of possessing an article with a blade or point in schools across Scotland over the last five years.

Sanne Dijkstra-Downie MSP said: “Each one of these crimes will have been hugely distressing for the staff and pupils involved.

“These figures do not sit in isolation, and we need to understand the part played by events like the pandemic, which had a severe and longer-lasting impact on young people.

“That impact hasn’t been helped by the Scottish Government’s failure to recognise the importance of interventions like youth work.

“Youth work can stop this kind of violence from happening in the first place by offering young people valuable support and guidance, often from someone who is neither a parent nor a teacher.

“Scottish Liberal Democrats will fight for a proper investment in youth work so that we can give young people the choices and the futures they deserve.”