Here is a summary of the Scottish National Party’s 2015 General Election manifesto. You can read the document in full here and read the other parties’ manifestos here. Click on one of the links below to go to the relevant section.
- Economy and Tax
- Health and Education
- Pensions and Care
- Equality
- Environment, Energy and Agriculture
- Culture and Immigration
- Defence and Foreign Policy
- Democracy and Constitution
Economy and Tax
- we propose responsible increases in public spending
- support increases in infrastructure investment as part of our plans to generate new jobs and support higher levels of growth, and we will work to open access to finances for businesses looking to expand.
- secure a fair deal for all with those on the very highest incomes contributing a little bit more to ensure that we can continue to deliver universal, free public services and protect the most vulnerable from the impacts of poverty.
- Seek to enshrine in law key principles of future financial management, including elimination of the deficit and balanced ‘current account’ spending by stimulating growth in the economy, as part of a medium term strategy to ensure prudent levels of debt are achieved
- Support the creation of a sovereign wealth fund so that we create a financial buffer for the future, protecting public finances in times of crisis
- increase the minimum wage to £8.70 by 2020
- boost Scotland’s tourism and hospitality sectors with plans for a reduction in Air Passenger Duty
- increase minimum wage and lower National Insurance costs for companies to help create jobs
- Increase investment in infrastructure as part of our alternative to the failed UK austerity agenda
- vote for the immediate abolition of the unfair Bedroom Tax
- support increases in the personal tax allowance but will also back an increase in the Work Allowance
- support tough action to end exploitative zero hours contracts
- back plans for an annual UK target of 100,000 affordable homes and use additional capital investment to deliver a further expansion of house-building in Scotland, including affordable homes for purchase or rent.
Health and Education
- back the planned expansion of childcare with 30-hours a week of free nursery education for all 3 and 4 year olds and eligible 2 year olds
- support a big increase in NHS spending in Scotland, and across the UK, to enable the Scottish government to continue improving our health service. Our plans will mean £2 billion more for our NHS by 2020-21
- use our votes at Westminster to protect the health service in all parts of the UK from privatisation.
- maximise opportunities for our young people and support an increase to 30,000 Modern Apprenticeships and the expansion of the Education Maintenance Allowance to an extra 22,000 school pupils and students.
- guarantee the continuation of free university education in Scotland and support the reduction of tuition fees across the UK.
Pensions and Care
- support a single-tier pension of £160 per week and vote to continue the triple lock, guaranteeing that pensions will always rise by inflation, earnings or 2.5 per cent -whichever is the highest.
- block plans to cut Disability Living Allowance by £3 billion across the UK by 2017-18
Equality
- support the tightening of the law on maternity discrimination
- demand early action on equal pay audits for big companies to increase the pressure to deliver equal pay for women across the UK
- support the abolition of VAT on sanitary products
Environment, Energy and Agriculture
- look to secure a fair share of the UK’s CAP convergence uplift, which comes to the UK as a result of Scotland’s low hectare rates.
- keep the pressure on the UK Treasury to do all it can to protect jobs and investment in the oil and gas industry in light of lower global oil prices and will work to increase internationalisation opportunities for Scotland’s oil and gas industry
- use our influence at Westminster to ensure the UK matches, and supports, Scotland’s ambitious commitments to carbon reduction.
Culture and Immigration
- £100 million investment in jobs in the creative sector with BBC Scotland receiving a fairer share of the licence fee.
- support sensible immigration policies that meet our economic needs and, as a priority, we will seek the reintroduction of the post study work visa, so that those we have helped educate are able, if they so choose, to make a contribution to our economy
Defence and Foreign Policy
- continue in our principled opposition to nuclear weapons and believe that the UK should abandon plans to renew the Trident nuclear missile system
- believe that those who have been injured in the service of our country should get the full value of any war disablement pension and we will work to ensure that it is not treated as income in the assessment of entitlement to other benefits.
Democracy and Constitution
- secure specific new economic and social powers for Scotland, over and above those set out in the Smith Commission proposals.
- seek agreement that the Scottish Parliament should move to full financial responsibility.
- support the Single Transferable Vote, a system that makes sure every vote and every part of the country counts.
- believes the House of Lords should be scrapped and replaced with a fully elected second chamber.
- 16 and 17 year olds should be given the vote in UK general and European elections
- oppose a referendum on membership of the EU
- If an in/out EU referendum does go ahead, we will seek to amend the legislation to ensure that no constituent part of the UK can be taken out of the EU against its will. We will propose a ‘double majority’ rule – meaning that unless England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each vote to leave the EU, the UK would remain a member state.
- believe that City Deals should be made available to all Scotland’s cities, in addition to Glasgow, bringing substantial new investment to places that are key drivers of growth in Scotland
- if there are more anti-Tory MPs than Tory MPs in the House of Commons the only way the Conservatives get back in to government is if the Labour party let them. The SNP will work with others to lock the Tories out of government