Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 09 March 2011
09 Mar 2011 · S3 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Employment Services (Edinburgh)
I thank Sarah Boyack for bringing the topic to the chamber for debate.
I ask the Government to think carefully about what will happen about four years down the line. The young people who are already at college and university will, year on year, begin to benefit—I hope—from the economic upturn. However, the young people whose opportunities will be further reduced by a reduction in access to the groups and aid agencies that can help them to become more employable will increase in number over those four years and many of them will not find jobs over that time as a result of decisions that are taken in these weeks.
It is distinctly unfair that we will increase the divide between, on the one hand, the rich and those with opportunities and, on the other, those who started off with problems in finding jobs for a number of reasons, and who were going to get help but will now not be able to find it and may, therefore, be condemned to many years of unemployment. It is not that they will simply not find a job this year; they will face many years of unemployment. We do not want to go back to the 1970s. This is a new century and we should think more creatively.
Previous speakers have mentioned unemployment figures in Edinburgh. Figures from the labour force survey with which we have been furnished today show that the claimant count massively underrepresents the scale of unemployment in Edinburgh, which is reported to be about 6.7 per cent. Economic inactivity, which counts those who are not actively looking for work, has swollen to 24.6 per cent, compared with 23 per cent throughout Scotland so, overall, the city is in trouble. That makes the employment rate for the city lower than that for the country as a whole. The number of people in Edinburgh who claim jobseekers allowance is about 10,000 or 3 per cent of the workforce. Edinburgh is in a threatening employment situation.
I commend all the groups that have been mentioned, but it is fair to mention them again. The connected programme, Community Renewal, the Prince’s Trust, North Edinburgh Childcare, Fairbridge, Barnardo’s NETworks, Edinburgh Cyrenians, Craigmillar youthbuild, Move On, Impact Arts, the Action Group’s real jobs service and the support@work project are among groups and projects that may suffer if the cut goes ahead.
My plea to the Government is to think extremely carefully about the cut and take action to find what is, after all, not a huge amount of money in the great scheme of things.
13:48
I ask the Government to think carefully about what will happen about four years down the line. The young people who are already at college and university will, year on year, begin to benefit—I hope—from the economic upturn. However, the young people whose opportunities will be further reduced by a reduction in access to the groups and aid agencies that can help them to become more employable will increase in number over those four years and many of them will not find jobs over that time as a result of decisions that are taken in these weeks.
It is distinctly unfair that we will increase the divide between, on the one hand, the rich and those with opportunities and, on the other, those who started off with problems in finding jobs for a number of reasons, and who were going to get help but will now not be able to find it and may, therefore, be condemned to many years of unemployment. It is not that they will simply not find a job this year; they will face many years of unemployment. We do not want to go back to the 1970s. This is a new century and we should think more creatively.
Previous speakers have mentioned unemployment figures in Edinburgh. Figures from the labour force survey with which we have been furnished today show that the claimant count massively underrepresents the scale of unemployment in Edinburgh, which is reported to be about 6.7 per cent. Economic inactivity, which counts those who are not actively looking for work, has swollen to 24.6 per cent, compared with 23 per cent throughout Scotland so, overall, the city is in trouble. That makes the employment rate for the city lower than that for the country as a whole. The number of people in Edinburgh who claim jobseekers allowance is about 10,000 or 3 per cent of the workforce. Edinburgh is in a threatening employment situation.
I commend all the groups that have been mentioned, but it is fair to mention them again. The connected programme, Community Renewal, the Prince’s Trust, North Edinburgh Childcare, Fairbridge, Barnardo’s NETworks, Edinburgh Cyrenians, Craigmillar youthbuild, Move On, Impact Arts, the Action Group’s real jobs service and the support@work project are among groups and projects that may suffer if the cut goes ahead.
My plea to the Government is to think extremely carefully about the cut and take action to find what is, after all, not a huge amount of money in the great scheme of things.
13:48
In the same item of business
The Presiding Officer (Alex Fergusson)
NPA
We come to a members’ business debate on motion S3M-7806, in the name of Sarah Boyack, on Edinburgh employment services facing a funding cut. The debate will...
Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab)
Lab
I thank colleagues for supporting my motion and for ensuring that the issue is raised properly in Parliament.We are in the middle of a recession, and the sit...
The Presiding Officer
NPA
The debate must conclude by 5 minutes past 2.13:29
Shirley-Anne Somerville (Lothians) (SNP)
SNP
I congratulate Sarah Boyack on lodging her motion and allowing MSPs to discuss this important issue for Edinburgh. However, we need to put the debate into so...
Malcolm Chisholm (Edinburgh North and Leith) (Lab)
Lab
One of my favourite quotes from the economist Keynes is:“Take care of employment and the budget will take care of itself.”That is an oversimplification, but ...
Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD)
LD
I add my thanks to Sarah Boyack for securing this important debate. I also thank the unions, the partnership workforce, the people from the connected service...
Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green)
Green
I thank Sarah Boyack for bringing the topic to the chamber for debate.I ask the Government to think carefully about what will happen about four years down th...
Ian McKee (Lothians) (SNP)
SNP
I, too, very much welcome the debate and congratulate Sarah Boyack on securing it. She was my political opponent in the first Scottish parliamentary election...
The Presiding Officer
NPA
I call Margo MacDonald, after which I will ask the minister to wind up the debate.13:52
Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (Ind)
Ind
I will take as short a time as possible, Presiding Officer.
The Presiding Officer
NPA
You can take just about as long as you like.
Margo MacDonald
Ind
Are you feeling well, Presiding Officer? Gosh, things have changed—and I thought it was all the same.
The Presiding Officer
NPA
You have up to five minutes, Ms MacDonald.
Margo MacDonald
Ind
I want to support most of what has been said by my Edinburgh colleagues, in particular Dr McKee and Malcolm Chisholm, and Robin Harper—och, I may as well chu...
The Minister for Housing and Communities (Alex Neil)
SNP
I congratulate Sarah Boyack on securing the debate and on the tone that she adopted in introducing it, and I pay tribute to the work of Tom Buchanan, the cha...
Margo MacDonald
Ind
I greatly appreciate the effort that has been made on apprenticeships, but many of the schemes that the motion refers to are ones that are needed to prepare ...
Alex Neil
SNP
I am coming to that. The apprenticeships are extremely important because, no matter how much preparation young people do, if the apprenticeships and jobs are...
Robin Harper
Green
Will the minister take an intervention?
Alex Neil
SNP
I do not have time.I recognise the importance of the Edinburgh Capital City Partnership. Edinburgh will benefit substantially from the additional measures th...
Margaret Smith
LD
Will the minister give way?
Alex Neil
SNP
I do not have time.The Government recognises the importance of the Capital City Partnership and I and John Swinney have been working closely with the City of...