Meeting of the Parliament 19 June 2024
Up to seven minutes—that is very kind, Deputy Presiding Officer. I do not know what I have done to deserve that, but I will take it.
Critically, we need to have much greater focus and clarity. That is why we have set out three key focuses in our document “Building a business case for Scotland” around brand Scotland, net zero, and technology and financial services. I note that the Deputy First Minister might have highlighted the same three focuses in her recent column in, I think, The Herald. I am very grateful and flattered by that compliment.
We also need to focus on the how, because it is not enough just to have those focuses. I share many of the ambitions, but what needs to change? What elements in our enterprise agencies and policy approaches are holding back those things? We need greater clarity across our enterprise agencies. We often talk about there being a cluttered landscape. Tackling that is not just about reducing their number but about ensuring that they have clear focus and functions and that they are working together.
We need much better focus on how wider policies impact on those things. We have already talked about planning, but other points of regulation and points of contact between the private sector and Government are impeding things. We need a greater ability to carry out regional economic delivery. That goes far beyond what regional economic partnerships seek to deliver. We need a genuine regional approach to government.
I think that my seven minutes is up. Critically, this is about how we improve the life chances of people across Scotland. That is why growth matters. It is about tackling poverty and inequality and increasing people’s life chances.
I move amendment S6M-13679.3, to insert at end:
“; acknowledges that the gap in GDP per capita between Scotland and the rest of the UK has widened since 2007 and that EY’s Scottish spring forecast predicts that Scotland’s growth will continue to lag the UK’s in 2025; notes that Scotland’s early-stage entrepreneurial activity rate of 8.8% is lower than the UK’s rate of 11%; believes that businesses must be successful to build a strong economy and create the jobs that the country needs, and calls on the Scottish Government to work in partnership with business, listening to industry and workers, to deliver economic growth and the revenue needed to improve lives across Scotland.”
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