Chamber and committees

Earlier, you gave the example that your business has to deal with different councils with different rules. On the other hand, people would say that the situation in the Highlands is different from the situations in Edinburgh and Aberdeen.

I do not want to go on too long on the topic. Some people have said that they had a good experience during the Covid pandemic because things happened more quickly and the public sector worked better, although other people have said that too many decisions were made without consultation. Did you have a good or bad experience through the pandemic?

It was bad. Thank you.

Ms Cook, I will go back to the previous question. Is the public sector too cluttered?

Rates going up is much more to do with inflation.

I will move on. Mr Begbie suggested that higher taxes are perhaps discouraging younger people from coming here. You also said that infrastructure here could be improved, by which I assume you mean trams, trains and things like that. How do we square that circle? The obvious way to improve infrastructure is to put more tax into it, but that puts people off. What is your thinking?

Let us take that example. What is preventing Edinburgh airport from expanding?

Yes.

Okay. That is very pessimistic.

Is the idea of longer-term and multiyear budgeting possible under the present fiscal framework when we do not know what we are going to get year by year?

We have not really mentioned the fiscal framework, and the fact that it was agreed very rapidly, which was somewhat to the committee’s surprise because we expected a long, drawn-out battle. Was it agreed too hastily, Professor Bell?

Professor Heald, do you want to comment on that? Furthermore, does the Scottish Government have too many priorities? That has been suggested to us.