Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 18 January 2017
18 Jan 2017 · S5 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Highlands and Islands Enterprise
First, I make it clear that, where possible, I fully intend to listen to the points that have been made. I would like to engage and it might have helped in that regard had Donald Cameron accepted my intervention.
I want to work closely with MSPs from across the chamber to explore constructive ideas about how we can support and maintain sustainable and inclusive economic growth and protect—as we have guaranteed to do—local decision making, management and delivery.
I would have made the point that it seems impossible to reconcile the fact that we are about to be the first Government to establish a south of Scotland agency and our work on regional partnerships as part of the review with the idea of centralisation; indeed, what we are doing is the very reverse of centralisation.
However, my determination to deliver better economic and social outcomes for all Scotland means that I cannot support the Conservative motion. I will briefly explain the rationale for change and the actions that will ensure that HIE continues to deliver for the Highlands and Islands and for Scotland. HIE is not being abolished.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Linda Fabiani)
SNP
The next item of business is a debate on motion S5M-03438, in the name of Donald Cameron, on retaining the Highlands and Islands Enterprise board. I call Mr...
Donald Cameron (Highlands and Islands) (Con)
Con
At the outset of the debate, it is worth casting our minds back some 50 or so years to 1965, when Highlands and Islands Enterprise’s predecessor, the Highlan...
Kate Forbes (Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch) (SNP)
SNP
Will the member take an intervention?
Donald Cameron
Con
I do not have time, I am afraid. I defy anyone to find an organisation that supports the proposal. Keith Brown revealed last month at the Economy, Jobs and ...
The Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Jobs and Fair Work (Keith Brown)
SNP
Will the member take an intervention?
Donald Cameron
Con
I do not have time. The minister will have time to respond in his speech. The narrative of centralisation is fixed and unrelenting. A Convention of Scottish...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
I call Keith Brown to speak to and move amendment S5M-03438.2. You have up to six minutes, please, cabinet secretary. 15:23
The Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Jobs and Fair Work (Keith Brown)
SNP
First, I make it clear that, where possible, I fully intend to listen to the points that have been made. I would like to engage and it might have helped in t...
Liz Smith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con)
Con
Will the minister take an intervention?
Keith Brown
SNP
I am sorry, but are we not in the pattern of not taking interventions? I recognise Liz Smith’s interest, though, so I will take her intervention.
Liz Smith
Con
I thank the cabinet secretary for doing so. On the rationale for change, will he spell out whether he has had any communications from the four boards that he...
Keith Brown
SNP
It would take me some time to recite all the information that is contained in the letters, but I have had various correspondence from the boards. As you woul...
Gail Ross (Caithness, Sutherland and Ross) (SNP)
SNP
SNP Highlands and Islands members met the cabinet secretary several months ago to discuss this very topic. Will he now commit to being open minded about reta...
Keith Brown
SNP
In addition to the points that Gail Ross, Kate Forbes, Richard Lochhead and others have made to me about what the structure beneath the strategic board shoul...
Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab)
Lab
I welcome the debate and I support the motion. The Highlands and Islands Development Board and Highlands and Islands Enterprise have, between them, more than...
Kate Forbes
SNP
Will the member take an intervention?
Rhoda Grant
Lab
Let me make some progress. In response, Keith Brown tried to appease by saying that he expects there to be strong Highland representation on the new single ...
Kate Forbes
SNP
Does the member accept that only phase 1 of the review has been published and that the reason why we do not have all the details is that we await phase 2? Do...
Rhoda Grant
Lab
We know now that the board of HIE is going to be dismantled, which we did not know at the time of that vote. The announcement of that proposal was sneaked ou...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
We now move to the open speeches. We are extremely tight for time. In order not to jeopardise the next debate, I ask all speakers to aim for three and a half...
Edward Mountain (Highlands and Islands) (Con)
Con
I will try to cut down my time to meet your deadline, Presiding Officer. When I started working in Inverness in 1995, I had little knowledge of HIE. In fac...
Kate Forbes
SNP
Will the member take an intervention?
Edward Mountain
Con
I am sorry, but I am very pushed for time, and I know that the member has intervened already. As a Tory, I am putting myself in a dangerous position by quot...
Kate Forbes (Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch) (SNP)
SNP
Words are so devalued in our political discourse that they are hurled about until the air is so thick with exaggeration, hyperbole and superlatives that it i...
Rhoda Grant
Lab
Will the member take an intervention?
Kate Forbes
SNP
With pleasure.
Rhoda Grant
Lab
Is the member actually saying that the board has no purpose at all? Why are we setting up an overreaching board if that is the case?
Kate Forbes
SNP
That is a good point, and a fair one. I think that the board has an important role to play. Over the past few years we have seen that our economy is changing...
David Stewart (Highlands and Islands) (Lab)
Lab
Presiding Officer, “It has never been more important than today that all the country’s resources should be fully exploited, and the Highlands” and Islands ...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Christine Grahame)
SNP
Time is tight. I ask for speeches of up to three and a half minutes, please, or members at the end will lose their speaking time. 15:47