This Week at the Scottish Parliament: Holyrood Joins Welsh Assembly In Opposing No Deal

by the SNP
Posted on
5 years ago
2 min read

HOLYROOD JOINS WELSH ASSEMBLY TO DEMAND NO-DEAL IS RULED OUT

In a historic move, politicians at the Welsh Assembly joined forces with Holyrood to simultaneously debate a motion calling for the threat of No-Deal to be taken off the table.

Speaking in the chamber during a Scottish Government debate on EU withdrawal negotiations SNP MSPs spoke against Theresa May’s proposed Brexit deal, highlighting the growing support across Scotland for an extension to the Article 50 process to avoid a No-Deal scenario on 29th March.

Scottish Brexit Secretary Mike Russell said the unprecedented event sent a “strong message to the UK government that it must stop pursuing such a disastrous course of action”.

There is currently virtually no prospect of the Prime Minister’s Brexit deal being passed by MPs at Westminster at the second attempt scheduled for 12th March – just days before the UK is set to crash out of the EU.

 

DEBATE ON “ABHORRENT” EU SETTLED STATUS SCHEME

This week, MSPs praised the significant economic, social and cultural contributions made by EU citizens in communities across Scotland during a debate on the Tory government’s EU Settled Status Scheme.

Some 223,000 EU Citizens have made Scotland their home – contributing to the economy and the wider social fabric of our country.

This scheme is forcing individual citizens who have legally acquired rights further to international Treaty to make an application to the UK government to register in order to stay in the UK – forcing EU citizens to apply for rights they already have.

Leading the debate, SNP MSP Annabelle Ewing said “the UK government’s approach to EU nationals is abhorrent”.

 

WIN FOR SNP MSP CAMPAIGN FOR FAIR PARCEL DELIVERY CHARGES

SNP MSP Richard Lochhead has secured another win for his Fair Delivery Charges campaign, after homeware and furniture giant Wayfair agreed that they would now offer free delivery to customers in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The Moray MSP contacted Wayfair last month, asking for a review to their delivery charges policy for customers in Scotland.

According to the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe), additional parcel delivery surcharges cost Scotland an extra £38m a year compared to the rest of the UK.

The SNP MSP said, “Hopefully other retailers who slap unfair, discriminatory charges on Scots consumers will follow suit. Free delivery should mean free delivery – anything else is completely unfair.”

 

SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT PRAISED FOR “BRAVE PUBLIC HEALTH INITIATIVES”

Devolution has been good for Scotland’s health, according to independent analysis by the Scottish Parliament’s Information Centre (SPICe).

Since devolution the prevalence of smoking and harmful drinking has fallen dramatically in Scotland.

The report found that improved public health could be attributed to key legislation passed by the Scottish Parliament, much of it ahead of its time in comparison to the rest of the UK.

“Making decisions about Scotland, in Scotland, has been good for us – with public health just one example” said SNP MSP Emma Harper.

“Devolution has been good for the country – but independence would be even better”.

NHS spending over the period has also steadily risen from 6% of GDP in 1998/99 to 8% under this SNP Scottish Government.

However, the research warns that the UK government’s policies of austerity and welfare reform may have a detrimental effect on wider public health.