Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 03 March 2011
03 Mar 2011 · S3 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
First Minister’s Question Time
Enterprise Network
Iain Smith’s criticisms are a bit unworthy. I notice that the committee recommended no structural change. I also notice that, in the submissions to the committee, there was unity between the Confederation of British Industry and the Scottish Trades Union Congress. The CBI said that its members
“on the whole are of the view that the publicly-funded support currently on offer from the enterprise networks is of genuine assistance”
at reasonable cost, and the STUC said that it
“does not share the view that economic development agencies are unnecessary; that economic development should be left to the market and that the funding of economic development should be ‘returned to businesses’ through tax cuts”.
It also says:
“The networks are engaged in much valuable activity which would never have been pursued and/or funded by the private sector alone”.
Among business and the trade unions, there is an assent to the idea that our enterprise network is successfully pursuing a range of activities.
I caution Iain Smith and advise him to reflect on the statistics that I quoted to Tavish Scott. Skills Development Scotland is about to deliver a record level of skills training across Scottish society and 25,000 modern apprentices. This is not the time to go down the road of abolition and structural change. This is the time to get behind our enterprise agencies and Skills Development Scotland to give them the political support that their level of performance merits and deserves.
“on the whole are of the view that the publicly-funded support currently on offer from the enterprise networks is of genuine assistance”
at reasonable cost, and the STUC said that it
“does not share the view that economic development agencies are unnecessary; that economic development should be left to the market and that the funding of economic development should be ‘returned to businesses’ through tax cuts”.
It also says:
“The networks are engaged in much valuable activity which would never have been pursued and/or funded by the private sector alone”.
Among business and the trade unions, there is an assent to the idea that our enterprise network is successfully pursuing a range of activities.
I caution Iain Smith and advise him to reflect on the statistics that I quoted to Tavish Scott. Skills Development Scotland is about to deliver a record level of skills training across Scottish society and 25,000 modern apprentices. This is not the time to go down the road of abolition and structural change. This is the time to get behind our enterprise agencies and Skills Development Scotland to give them the political support that their level of performance merits and deserves.
In the same item of business
Iain Smith (North East Fife) (LD)
LD
6. To ask the First Minister whether the Scottish Government considers that Scotland’s enterprise network is meeting its economic growth objectives and repre...
The First Minister (Alex Salmond)
SNP
Yes, I do. The efforts of the enterprise agencies are benefiting the Scottish economy and helping Scotland out of a recession that was difficult but shorter ...
Iain Smith
LD
The Government’s reforms of the enterprise and skills agencies were meant to declutter the landscape. However, the Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee’s in...
Alex Salmond
SNP
Iain Smith’s criticisms are a bit unworthy. I notice that the committee recommended no structural change. I also notice that, in the submissions to the commi...