Alison Taylor MP: speeches 2025

Speeches

• 22 Apr 2025 · Coalfields Regeneration Trust · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is making an excellent speech. The Coalfields Regeneration Trust has an innovative approach to its financial model. It develops new industrial units for small and medium-sized enterprises and start-up businesses. This, importantly, creates new business communities, which fuel local economies. Moreover, it provides the Coalfields Regeneration Trust with income-producing investments, helping to underwrite its financial stability.

• 28 Mar 2025 · Water Bill · Hansard source

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  I am grateful to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Norwich South (Clive Lewis) for bringing this important debate to the House. I could definitely hear him on the Back Benches, so I thank him for that. In Scotland, thanks to a Labour Scottish Executive, water was retained in public hands. While that does not mean that everything is perfect in Scotland, it does provide a good comparison with England and Wales. Since privatisation, water bills in Scotland have been consistently lower than in England, and customer satisfaction is consistently highest for Scottish Water; all other water companies trail behind. My hon. Friend is right that it is time for a national conversation on the future of water management in the United Kingdom. The experience in Scotland and Scottish Water have much to offer in that conversation. Water companies need to provide clean drinking water and remove and treat our waste at a reasonable cost over a sustained period. Those should be the measures that we use to determine whether a water company is delivering or failing. So much of our water infrastructure was established generations ago, and our demands and expectations have changed over time. It is staggering to think that so much of what we rely on today has largely remained unchanged since it was first laid down. There needs to be sustained investment in replacement and renewal. I wonder whether the regulation in place has been sufficient to ensure that investment is made. Perhaps the previous Government were less concerned about the right balance between dividends for shareholders and investment in infrastructure, but this Government will need to take action to ensure that the mistakes of the past are not allowed to jeopardise the water system we need now and in the future. Scotland is endowed with significant water resources, which contribute greatly to the national character and beauty of Scotland. My constituency of Paisley and Renfrewshire North sits on the banks of the River Clyde, which has seen significant improvement in water quality over the past 20 years. That is thanks in no small part to collaboration between the public water company and other agencies. They have co-ordinated their actions and invested in the long-term future of the Clyde catchment, all without the constraints of shareholder funds. I do not want to pretend that everything in Scotland is always perfect. We have had issues with leakage and some notable uncontrolled discharges in my constituency, particularly in Inchinnan, but managing the water and, importantly, sewage is a complex business that requires long-term planning and investment. Scotland seems to have avoided some of the worst experiences of coastal communities in England, where untreated sewage has been released into water bodies almost daily. The small number of activists have been joined by many thousands more who regularly enjoy our coastal and freshwater environment. In my role as a member of the Environmental Audit Committee, I was reminded of the source-pathway-receptor model for assessing environmental pollution. Even if the discharge remains the same, if the number of people exposed to it increases, the impact of the discharge increases, so the urgency of remediation increases. That is one factor at play in uncontrolled discharges from treatment works, and it is one reason why some of the practices that might have been appropriate in the past are no longer acceptable. Like my hon. Friend the Member for Norwich South, I want the water industry to do better and be better. I welcome this debate. It poses many of the important questions that our water companies need to address, and I am sure that the Government will want to make substantial progress in this area in the years ahead. I thank my hon. Friend again for presenting his proposals to the House.

• 26 Mar 2025 · Resettlement of Ukrainians: Coatbridge · Hansard source

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  I congratulate my hon. Friend on bringing forward this important debate. In my constituency, like his, we have a number of Ukrainian families, who are most welcome, contributing to both the community and the economy. I commend all the organisations that have employed refugees, and I take this opportunity to thank Glasgow airport, which in 2022 invited those arriving in Paisley to a jobs fair, resulting in a number of refugees securing employment in the airport industry. Does my hon. Friend agree that the future of these Ukrainian refugees should be supported?

• 4 Mar 2025 · Church of Scotland (Lord High Commissioner) Bill · Hansard source

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  Like so many in my constituency and across Scotland, I have a lifelong association with the Church of Scotland. For so many of us in Scotland, the stories of our families are intertwined with local Church of Scotland parishes, not just through attendance at church on a Sunday, but through our marking of important life events. That link is evidenced in so many ordinary aspects of community life—at local badminton club meetings in the church hall, and at summer fêtes, jumble sales and coffee mornings. The Church belongs to all our communities. It assists the elderly and frail in the community, supports young mothers, runs youth clubs, and makes commitments to international aid. My great aunt was an organist in the church in Bishopton, and in Paisley in my constituency. My two children were baptised in the Church of Scotland in Paisley, and my husband and I were married in Drumclog memorial kirk in the constituency of my hon. Friend the Member for East Kilbride and Strathaven (Joani Reid). My sense of belonging to the Church of Scotland is no barrier to my appreciation of other faiths and other Christian communities. Indeed, the Church of Scotland has demonstrated a sincere commitment to ecumenical dialogue. The Catholic Church has been a willing and active participant in that effort. For more than 40 years, that has led to a shared commitment to people from all faiths and none working together, notably in food banks and many other community support services. I know that my life is enriched by friendship with people of other faiths; the Church of Scotland has been similarly enriched. Today, for historical reasons that may seem odd to those following the debate, there is a legislative restriction on a person of the Roman Catholic faith being appointed Lord High Commissioner by the sovereign to act as an observer on the sovereign’s behalf. Such restrictions do not apply to people of others faiths, or indeed to those of no faith. A change in the legislation is long overdue. I am pleased to support the Government in removing this unnecessary and unwelcome impediment to a Roman Catholic serving as the representative of His Majesty the King at the upcoming General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.

• 3 Mar 2025 · Independent Schools: VAT and Business Rates Relief · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Vickers. I thank the hon. Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (John Lamont) for his introduction to the petition today. I have considerable sympathy with the petitioners. I know that families make the choice to send their children to a private school for many reasons. I have been contacted by constituents who felt that their children’s needs were not being met in local state schools, and that they had no choice but to go private. I know, too, that families make sacrifices to be able to afford fees. I have been contacted by families who send their children to St Columba’s junior and senior schools in Kilmacolm in the neighbouring constituency to mine. I know that the new VAT measures, combined with other costs, have led to a 20% increase in school fees from the beginning of 2025, and that is difficult for the families and for the school. I also appreciate that for some families, and not just the 50 or so signatories to the petition in my constituency, the speed with which this measure was introduced has been difficult. I am encouraged by the extent to which schools have been able to offset VAT on capital charges against input VAT, to make the effective increase lower than the 20%, but it is clear that other pressures have made the increase in school fees necessary. I am aware that school fees have been increasing year on year in any event, so not all of the increase is down to VAT. Ultimately, government is about making choices. This Government were elected on a clear manifesto commitment to introduce VAT on private school fees. The express intention was to use the revenue raised to improve funding for schools in the state sector. In England, the Government have been setting out plans for school rebuilding, introducing breakfast clubs, supporting school attendance and recruiting new teachers, all of which will help to build up the state sector and give pupils in England the best chance of a foundational education that has the capacity fundamentally to change the trajectory of children’s lives.

• 3 Mar 2025 · Independent Schools: VAT and Business Rates Relief · Hansard source

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  I think my point refers to the timing point that the hon. Gentleman has been making. I will carry on. In Scotland, it is up to the national Scottish Government to decide how to use the significant additional funds that they receive through the block grant. As expenditure on education in England increases, so do the resources available to the Scottish Government, but despite Scottish families being taxed more than families in any other part of the UK and despite Scotland receiving the largest increase in the block grant since the Scottish Parliament was formed, there is little to show for those things in state schools in Scotland. In spite of the incredible hard work of teachers and support staff in schools in Scotland, the attainment gap continues to increase, and standards and results continue to fall.

• 3 Mar 2025 · Independent Schools: VAT and Business Rates Relief · Hansard source

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  As is well documented, this policy will raise £1.8 billion for the state sector. I will carry on. This Government have made the hard decisions, including introducing VAT on private school fees, that are necessary to improve education for all children. That is already starting to make a difference in England. I sincerely hope that the Scottish Government will take a short break from stirring up grievance within the UK and instead will focus their attention on meeting the real needs of families in Scotland. In the past, I and other members of my family have spent all or part of our education in the independent sector, but currently I have no family members in the independent sector. Given how much time has passed, I honestly do not know whether the increase in fees would have resulted in my family making different choices. My comments today are informed by what I have been told by parents in my constituency who have been impacted.

• 3 Mar 2025 · Independent Schools: VAT and Business Rates Relief · Hansard source

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  Does the hon. Gentleman agree that the policy was well documented in the 2017, 2019 and 2024 Labour manifestos? People voting in the 2024 election were well aware of Labour’s policy.

• 3 Mar 2025 · Independent Schools: VAT and Business Rates Relief · Hansard source

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  So it is not 20%, then—it is closer, probably, to 15%.

• 3 Mar 2025 · Independent Schools: VAT and Business Rates Relief · Hansard source

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  I simply do not agree. I refer to my earlier point that this policy was in Labour’s manifesto in 2017, 2019 and 2024. It is a long-standing policy of the Labour party.

• 3 Mar 2025 · Independent Schools: VAT and Business Rates Relief · Hansard source

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  Does the right hon. Gentleman agree that schools can offset some of the VAT?

• 13 Feb 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  Does the Minister agree that achieving economic growth requires sustained investment in our transport infra- structure? Would she be willing to visit Glasgow International airport to learn more about how transport infrastructure can assist with the further development of the proposed investment zone in my constituency?

• 13 Feb 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Corseford college in my constituency is Scotland’s only further education college for people with complex and additional needs. After an anxious few months, that college has learned that funding has been secured for the next two years. Does the Leader of the House agree that colleges such as Corseford need long-term security of funding to plan and build their support for people with complex needs in Scotland, and would she be willing to have a debate on long-term support for college services for young adults with complex and additional needs?

• 12 Feb 2025 · Support for the Scotch Whisky Industry · Hansard source

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  Thank you for calling me to speak under your chairmanship, Dame Siobhain. I thank the hon. Member for Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey (Graham Leadbitter) for calling this debate on Government support for the whisky industry, a measure that I warmly support. I have the good fortune to represent some important whisky names located in my constituency of Paisley and Renfrewshire North. Diageo has a major distribution centre, and at Hillington we have a fine example of a modern distillery established by the Glasgow Distillery in 2012, which is going from strength to strength. We have a well-respected and established independent bottler in Douglas Laing & Co, which has more than 70 years in the industry, Russell’s bonded warehouse and, I suspect, more than a few customers of the Scotch whisky industry. So my constituency, like many others in Scotland, has a significant association with whisky, which is a good source of quality employment, a driver of innovation and a source of pleasure. Whisky is a craft, an industry and an important export; it is symbolic of Scotland’s landscape and beauty. I welcome the recognition that this debate brings, and I pledge to support this vital Scottish industry.

• 10 Feb 2025 · Community and Third Sector Organisations: Employment · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend for bringing the debate to the House. Does she agree that the third sector has to be taken into account when we are developing economic strategies? For example, in Scotland, 135,000 people are employed in the third sector in comparison to life sciences, which employs only 40,000 people. However, life sciences get a lot of public sector and university funding. In my own seat, the Aberlour children’s charity employs 94 people directly, but supports a much larger voluntary network.

• 4 Feb 2025 · Apprenticeships · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms Jardine. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Peterborough (Andrew Pakes) for introducing this topic. I draw attention to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. I have had personal experience of the value of apprenticeships during my career and within my own family. My father, who became a fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, completed an apprenticeship in the surveying department of a local authority rating department in the early 1960s. He came from a working-class family in Glasgow. That opportunity was the making of him, and he went on to have a successful and enjoyable career. By the time I started the same career, the route to qualifying as a chartered surveyor began at university. Today, firms such as global real-estate advisers Avison Young, where I worked, offer a range of apprenticeships: for town planners, surveyors and project managers; and across support functions, such as marketing, IT and human resources. I have come to understand the value of apprenticeships as a way to improve productivity. Apprentices who join the workforce from the age of 16 onwards in Scotland are able to earn and contribute while learning on the job and combining with study at college or university on day release. Apprenticeships improve staff retention and loyalty. From an employer’s point of view, they introduce fresh talent and promote diversity in the workplace. From an employee’s point of view, apprenticeships present opportunities for some who otherwise may not have had the chance to combine on-the-job training with a degree-level qualification. Today, apprenticeships are available in a much wider range of career paths than ever before. I strongly encourage employers and young people in my constituency of Paisley and Renfrewshire North to consider the apprenticeship route to work. If they do, they will find that West College Scotland does an outstanding job of supporting learners and employers across my constituency to develop the skills that they need. I doubt that we can overstate the importance of apprenticeships, and I am pleased to be able to support National Apprenticeship Week.