The Labour Government is rightly proud of its many achievements since 1997. Great progress has been made in improving education and health standards, and spreading social justice – and all the while presiding over one of the most stable, prosperous periods in the history of the modern British economy.
I believe it is already clear that one of the most important legacies the Blair Government will hand down to future generations is the creation of the Scottish Parliament. Along with the establishment of assemblies in Wales and Northern Ireland, this has made our promises on devolution a reality.
Our Parliament in Edinburgh has already changed the face of democracy in Scotland and Britain, not least through our partnership in government with the Scottish Liberal Democrats. Working in coalition is a direct consequence of Labour’s decision to employ proportional representation in the voting system of the new Parliament and, as a result, there are four Liberal Democrat ministers working with eighteen Labour colleagues in the executive.
The work of Parliament itself is done in a different style to the House of Commons. Members address one another by name, for one thing. But it is at the heart of government that we have made most changes – through our policies in the devolved areas of responsibility, especially in health, education, crime, rural affairs and transport.
For example, I am proud to lead an administration that is spending £1/2 billion extra on the Scottish health service this year – a record level of investment which is delivering improved care to those in need. We have also worked with unions and the 32 Scottish local authorities to provide a teaching profession which is equipped for the 21st century and, thanks to a pay deal finalised in February, properly paid for the important work it does.
Because of our education policies, one hundred schools are being built or substantially renovated, while our policies on children, including the new £70 million Children’s Change fund, will take 100,000 Scottish youngsters out of poverty.
We have given Scottish police forces the money to recruit record numbers of police officers, making our streets safer and really tackling the types of crime that can make life most difficult for ordinary people – especially the scourge of drugs. It is a triumph of the principles of devolution that we have been able to target our resources to address particular Scottish needs.
We are investing £350 million to help install free central heating for all pensioners and council and housing association tenants. We are increasing transport funding by 45 percent over the next three years to turn around the shameful neglect of the last Government.
Moreover, we have replaced tuition fees with a fairer system of student finance which requires graduates to pay back the costs of their study only when their income reaches a suitable limit, and we have agreed to the principle of paying for the personal and nursing care of our elderly.
Some of the decisions behind these policies have been tough, but the end result has been a programme for government that uniquely caters for Scottish need within the context of the union with Britain – a union that has helped bring about the lowest level of unemployment in Scotland in a generation.
As Minister for Devolution, I was privileged to help take the Scotland Act through the House of Commons, which created the Parliament in Edinburgh. It was the first words of that act – ‘There shall be a Scottish Parliament’ – which made my sorely missed friend and colleague Donald Dewar remark: ‘I like that.’
No-one should forget that devolution was delivered by the Labour Party. Like Donald, I am determined that the party’s guiding principles will continue to steer the Scottish Parliament. The priority, therefore, is social justice and the attack on poverty. The aim is a Scotland that is compassionate as well as competitive, and which has the confidence to be both.