Speeches by Grady.

“No, I will not. Time is marching on, and many people wish to speak. The SNP cannot be trusted with public money—remember that this is the public’s money. People in Glasgow East face much higher income tax rates than their counterparts in England because of the SNP Government’s mistakes. As my friend, the Scottish Labou…”

“Q7. Recent data shows that almost 11,000 Scots have been waiting more than two years for hospital treatment since their referral. The equivalent number in England is around 113. Does the Prime Minister agree that that shows the catastrophic damage the SNP Government have done to the Scottish NHS?”

“Like many on the Government Benches, I have spent many years of my career in business—in my case, as a lawyer. I have worked with some of the largest companies investing in the United Kingdom and some of the smallest companies in the country, such as charities, third sector organisations and others. What they value mos…”

“There is a paradox there, is there not? With larger transactions with your credit card you get consumer protections, and you lose those if you pay directly with your bank. That is for another day, perhaps. Another interesting point in your written evidence is that you talk about active management of a transition away f…”

“I am taking from that that you are not seeing a pattern among your members where, as a group—say, 60%—they are saying, “We want to actively move away from cash”? It is a mixed bag.”

“I want to pick up on what Mr Borkett said about the lack of certainty about the future of cash in the longer term, which means people will not necessarily invest in the cash mechanisms. But cash is a competitor to the card systems, is it not? Is there a risk that, with the lack of certainty about cash, unlike in other …”

“Are you seeing groups of retailers, or shall we say a reasonable body of retailers, actively managing their operations away from cash?”

“That makes sense to me. In your evidence you also say that cash usage is gradually declining, but it is expected to remain a significant payment method for at least five years. What happens at the end of five years?”

“I am mindful of time, so that is enough from me.”

“In your written evidence, you say that payment methods are diversifying. Could you just talk us through a bit what you mean by that?”

“Do you have a feel for when you think this would hit the smaller stores that you look after?”

“Is there a point at which the cost of accepting cash overrides the wish of your members to serve their customers by accepting cash? Is there a point at which your members would say, “We just can’t afford to accept cash; relatively, it is better to accept card”?”

“Mr Lowman, are the operational costs of accepting cash for your members increasing, decreasing or staying the same?”

“In 2022, your survey found that half of market operators no longer carried out cash collection from stalls. What is the trend? Is it still reducing? Are these markets going cashless, or are traders making their own cash handling arrangements?”

“I should first mention that I am a member of USDAW, and of course, Ms Aspin works for USDAW. I should also mention that my first job was on a market stall, when I was 14, and it was a brilliant job; I would still say it is the best job I have ever had until this one. Mr Wilson, just a few quick-fire questions: in 2020 …”

“I wish to make some progress if I may; I have been waiting a long time to speak. Our plans will not see additional taxes coming out of a worker’s payslip. We are supporting small businesses by doubling the employment allowance before companies and charities have to pay national insurance, which will protect hundreds of…”

“But just for today, not for ever.”

“With your indulgence, Chair, a final question from me. You have expressed some enthusiasm for devolution within England to metro mayors and the like. In Glasgow there is a real concern about the state of Glasgow, and whether it has enough support from central Government, and whether things are over-centralised in Scotl…”

“Moving on to the Council for the Nations and Regions: how will that interact with the existing structures?”

“On the reset of relations with Scotland, Sir Keir was in Scotland on the Sunday afternoon having been elected as Prime Minister with effect from the Friday morning. We have heard a lot over the last few years about things that Westminster is stopping Scotland doing, but of course what the Scottish Government do can hav…”