Support for Working People

Elaine Stewart, the Labour MP for Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock, asked the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland, Kirsty McNeill, what steps the government plans to take to support working people in Scotland. In her response, Kirsty McNeill expressed pride in being part of a UK government that will oversee the biggest upgrade of workers' rights in a generation, with over 75 reforms to deliver on the government's mission to raise living standards. She noted that up to 7,800 workers across Ayrshire could benefit from Labour's plans to make work pay. Elaine Stewart followed up, highlighting the importance of ensuring a fair deal for those who powered the country in the past, such as the mineworkers. She asked the Secretary of State for an update on proposals to end the injustice of the mineworkers' pension scheme. Kirsty McNeill acknowledged the vital contribution of mineworkers from her own constituency and Elaine Stewart's, and stated that the Labour manifesto had committed to conducting a review of the unfair surplus arrangements and transferring the investment reserve fund back to members. Dave Doogan, the SNP MP for Angus and Perthshire Glens, welcomed the Secretary of State and noted that the Scottish Government has its own tax-raising powers. He highlighted that the Scottish Government's use of these powers has generated £1.5 billion in extra revenue, allowing them to tax those who earn more slightly more and those who earn slightly less even less than in the rest of the UK. Doogan asked for the Secretary of State's advice to the Chancellor on mirroring these efforts to create a more progressive and fair tax system for workers in Scotland. In response, Kirsty McNeill stated that the Institute for Fiscal Studies had said the Scottish Government's tax policies had actually cost Scotland money rather than raised it. She also noted that the UK government has had to undertake a comprehensive audit of spending to address the £22 billion black hole and the Treasury reserves being spent more than three times over, and that the Chancellor's focus is on fixing the foundations and getting the economy back on track.