Hansard

John Pentland also sits on the task force, which is a non-political body, and we have all been working together. I am not sure that I accept his characterisation of the position—for example, several of the key workers who are necessary to restart the plant are currently undertaking a skills course, and their skills are being preserved precisely because there are not many people who know how to operate a steel plate mill. If we had not instituted that pioneering scheme to preserve the key skills that are required to operate a plate mill, it would simply not be practical to reopen the plant. That has been done at the Scottish Government’s behest and at the taxpayers’ expense.

Secondly, our objective remains absolutely resolute: to find an alternative operator to take over the plant and resume steel operations in Scotland. As the First Minister undertook to do, we have left no stone unturned. We continue to do that work, and I am sure that I will engage further next Wednesday with Mr Pentland at the last meeting of the task force prior to purdah.