Hansard

Mike Watson: Ind Committee

28 Jun 2005

Current Petitions

I support Jackie Baillie's view. However, I note that the response from Capability Scotland raises the point that she mentioned and says that the approach that funders take"makes it very difficult for innovative initiatives like Mr Clark's to emerge, unless Mr Clark was prepar...

Mike Watson: Ind Committee

28 Jun 2005

Current Petitions

Even if the board did not want to respond before the decision was made, it could have done so in the six weeks that have passed since then.

Mike Watson: Ind Committee

28 Jun 2005

Current Petitions

The petition was prompted by NHS Greater Glasgow's proposal to close the 15-bed in-patient unit at the Glasgow homoeopathic hospital. Members might or might not be aware that, about a month ago, the board decided not to proceed with the proposal.However, the petition also rais...

Mike Watson: Ind Committee

28 Jun 2005

Current Petitions

I certainly agree with that, but there is a great possibility that the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport has seen none of the correspondence. I suggest that you chase up a response by speaking to her.

Mike Watson: Ind Committee

28 Jun 2005

Current Petitions

The responses are interesting. Basically, the Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care does not accept the case—that is not an unfair way of paraphrasing what she said. The comment from the John Denmark unit in Manchester was:"This department considers the remit for menta...

Mike Watson: Ind Committee

28 Jun 2005

New Petitions

Is there a way in which the committee can make a positive response as well?

Mike Watson: Ind Committee

28 Jun 2005

New Petitions

I have little to add to what Jackie Baillie has said about keeping things in perspective in terms of what is happening on Saturday, the concerts in London and Edinburgh and, of course, events at Gleneagles—or as close to it as the protestors are able to get. I support their ri...

Mike Watson: Ind Committee

28 Jun 2005

New Petitions

It was not a criticism of you, convener.

Mike Watson: Ind Committee

28 Jun 2005

New Petitions

Are they not? I apologise. Individual members on those councils should be following those party policies. The presumption is important. Another important issue that has been drawn to our attention by Richard Baker and the petition is councils giving erroneous reasons for closi...

Mike Watson: Ind Committee

28 Jun 2005

New Petitions

I will make a general point first. This morning, we received a letter from the chairperson of the Arbirlot parents group, which expresses her concern—in fact, she says that she was astounded—at not being called to give evidence. I will not open up that issue, as the convener c...

Mike Watson: Ind Committee

28 Jun 2005

New Petitions

I agree, convener. I was with you when Duncan McAlister presented the petition. He was perfectly entitled to lodge a petition, but his timing was a bit unfortunate, given the progress of the bill through the Parliament. As you say, we will consider the bill at stage 3 in two d...

Mike Watson: Ind Committee

28 Jun 2005

New Petitions

You always say that.

Mike Watson: Ind Committee

28 Jun 2005

New Petitions

Finally, are you against bridge tolls in general or just the tolls on the Erskine bridge? Do you have a view on the tolls on the Tay and Forth bridges? Indeed, should phase 2 of the Executive's programme remove all tolls?

Mike Watson: Ind Committee

28 Jun 2005

New Petitions

You have lobbied the former Minister for Transport and Glasgow City Council, so we will see what that brings. As I live in Glasgow, I am familiar with the pressure on the Kingston bridge. I also know that, although making the Erskine bridge toll free would take some pressure o...

Mike Watson: Ind Committee

28 Jun 2005

New Petitions

You said that several local authorities have supported your case. Is Glasgow City Council one of them?

Mike Watson: Ind Committee

28 Jun 2005

New Petitions

You are saying that 100 new jobs could be created if the bridge were toll free. The issue is not that the weekly £6.20 cost of crossing the bridge means that people north of the river are not accessing jobs in Greenock or that people south of the river are not accessing jobs i...

Mike Watson (Glasgow Cathcart) (Lab): Ind Committee

28 Jun 2005

New Petitions

Good morning. I admit to being open minded about the matter—I am here to be convinced of the case for ending the tolls on the Erskine bridge in isolation. You mentioned the economic impact of the tolls. What evidence is there that people in Dumbarton, for example, who want to ...

Mike Watson: Ind Committee

28 Jun 2005

Business Growth Inquiry

We had talked about that inquiry and I had noted that it had slipped.

Mike Watson: Ind Committee

28 Jun 2005

Business Growth Inquiry

I simply wanted to make the point.

Mike Watson: Ind Committee

28 Jun 2005

Business Growth Inquiry

There is a minor point that I thought that Richard Baker might have made. I do not want to go on to another subject, but we said that the football inquiry should be wrapped up before the October recess. I see that it will not be and that it will continue until at least the mid...

Mike Watson: Ind Committee

28 Jun 2005

Business Growth Inquiry

That is right—there was indeed a formal session in Campbeltown.

Mike Watson: Ind Committee

28 Jun 2005

Business Growth Inquiry

Committees regularly meet outwith the Parliament and we could meet outwith it too. I do not think that the committee has ever met outside Edinburgh. Committees should not be entirely Edinburgh-based.

Mike Watson: Ind Committee

28 Jun 2005

Business Growth Inquiry

You are right to ask that, but if that is not possible and no committee meeting can take place in the Parliament, let us hold a committee meeting somewhere else. We could meet in the Holyrood Hotel or the Tun, for example. We should not simply accept that we cannot meet on 4 O...

Mike Watson: Ind Committee

28 Jun 2005

Business Growth Inquiry

Can the committee not meet somewhere other than in the Parliament? Why do we not meet somewhere else nearby?

Mike Watson: Ind Committee

28 Jun 2005

Business Growth Inquiry

I meant economically active.

Mike Watson: Ind Committee

28 Jun 2005

Business Growth Inquiry

Not in our lifetime.

Mike Watson: Ind Committee

28 Jun 2005

Business Growth Inquiry

I have two points to raise. Like everyone else, I think that the five priority themes are useful. I am particularly drawn to the first theme on demography, migration and so on. Wolfgang Michalski has rightly identified the fact that, although we train a lot of people, we do no...

Mike Watson: Ind Committee

28 Jun 2005

Business Growth Inquiry

But they are still growing the business.

Mike Watson: Ind Committee

28 Jun 2005

Business Growth Inquiry

I do not want to go over the ground that you covered in your presentation. However, although I understand your point that"vacancies are markedly higher among growing firms than non-growing firms",presumably because they need staff, I do not understand your point that"growing f...

Mike Watson: Ind Committee

28 Jun 2005

Business Growth Inquiry

You would expect that benefit to be apparent, so the fact that business start-up and sustainability rates are lower in Scotland than in England would not seem to be related to skills. However, we keep coming back to the point about soft skills. You showed us employers' views o...

Mike Watson: Ind Committee

28 Jun 2005

Business Growth Inquiry

That is one of the parts of your submission that I noticed. I found your concluding remarks, which you have just repeated, interesting, as I did the fact that public spending on education and skills has been 18 per cent higher in Scotland than in England over the past 30 years...

Mike Watson: Ind Committee

28 Jun 2005

Business Growth Inquiry

You also make the point that"The qualifications that small firms must undertake to comply with FSA regulation do not attract any Government Funding".Has the sector made representations to the Government to try to change that?

Mike Watson: Ind Committee

28 Jun 2005

Business Growth Inquiry

That impacts on the point that was made in one submission that if an employer provides training, it has a greater chance of retaining employees.Your submission says:"Employment in Financial Services in Scotland has grown by 22 per cent over the last 10 years compared to 1.5 pe...

Mike Watson: Ind Committee

28 Jun 2005

Business Growth Inquiry

Another customer service issue arises from the choice by several companies in the financial sector to indulge in what you describe as offshoring. If companies can do that and ship jobs to India, because they pay much less in basic salaries there, what is the incentive to train...

Mike Watson: Ind Committee

28 Jun 2005

Business Growth Inquiry

When you talk about core skills, are you talking about the skills with which young people emerge from school or even college or university?

Mike Watson: Ind Committee

28 Jun 2005

Business Growth Inquiry

Mary Greene's submission contains some interesting facts on skills shortages. You say that, largely because of skills shortages, the financial services sector"has the highest Vacancy Rate … of any sector in Scotland".Where are those skills shortages? Where are we not up to the...

Mike Watson: Ind Committee

28 Jun 2005

Business Growth Inquiry

Is there a difference between indigenous Scottish companies and those that are not headquartered in Scotland but which happen to do quite a bit of work in this country in terms of their propensity to take on apprentices or to train existing workforces to refresh and modernise ...

Mike Watson: Ind Committee

28 Jun 2005

Business Growth Inquiry

Can your sector cope with the additional training? If, as you say, you are losing 1,600 people a year, what effect will that have on business growth, particularly in the smaller companies? I think that you said that 55 per cent of workplaces have fewer than five people working...

Mike Watson (Glasgow Cathcart) (Lab): Ind Committee

28 Jun 2005

Business Growth Inquiry

I am particularly interested in the two individual sectors that we are dealing with. In his introductory remarks, Graeme Ogilvy talked about the number of modern apprenticeships in Scotland; I think he said that we have 25 per cent of the number for the whole of the UK. That i...

Mike Watson: Ind Committee

22 Jun 2005

Current Petitions

The Executive states in its response that it will discuss that.I want to raise another issue. The petition refers to walking distances sometimes being in excess of two miles. I do not know Musselburgh and I do not know what the Stoneybank area is like, but I would have thought...

Mike Watson: Ind Committee

22 Jun 2005

Current Petitions

The response is helpful and quite revealing, but I have to say that it does not deal with the main issue. It deals specifically with post offices that are in deprived urban areas, which is helpful as far as it goes, but it does not go far enough. I noticed that the fund to dev...

Mike Watson: Ind Committee

22 Jun 2005

Current Petitions

I agree. The minister in whose name that letter was signed on 15 April has now moved on, but that should not affect the issue. I believe that we should follow the matter up as you suggest.I am also concerned about the additional paperwork that we have received this morning. Mr...

Mike Watson: Ind Committee

22 Jun 2005

New Petitions

The Executive would have to become involved, as a change to the existing legislation would be required. Sportscotland and the National Playing Fields Association Scotland have a view on the loss or potential loss of sports facilities and I think that we should write to them. B...

Mike Watson: Ind Committee

22 Jun 2005

New Petitions

As members will have noticed, my motion on the subject is mentioned in the accompanying paperwork. Mr Sutherland has been very supportive of the motion and we have been in contact about the matter. However, I have not been in contact with him on the particular issue that has b...

Mike Watson: Ind Committee

22 Jun 2005

New Petitions

I agree with Sandra White. The six motions that members have lodged on the subject have been supported by a broad spread of members from most parties. Only the Conservative party's members have not supported at least one motion. A clear majority in the Parliament is for the vi...

Mike Watson: Ind Committee

22 Jun 2005

New Petitions

I suggest that we give Maureen Macmillan the chance to read the response that all members of the committee have received from Highland Council this morning, which is interesting. I am sorry—the response is from one of the councillors in the area rather than from the council it...

Mike Watson: Ind Committee

22 Jun 2005

New Petitions

If the status quo is not an option, there must be something else.

Mike Watson: Ind Committee

22 Jun 2005

New Petitions

Well—

Mike Watson: Ind Committee

22 Jun 2005

New Petitions

So is Aberdeenshire Council proposing to send the children into mainstream education?

Mike Watson: Ind Committee

22 Jun 2005

New Petitions

If St Andrew's school closes, what would be the option for the Aberdeenshire area?

Mike Watson: Ind Committee

22 Jun 2005

New Petitions

If the school were to be closed, what would be the nearest available school for the parents of those children?

Mike Watson: Ind Committee

22 Jun 2005

New Petitions

And I presume that, although the school is in Stonehaven, pupils from a much wider area attend it.

Mike Watson: Ind Committee

22 Jun 2005

New Petitions

You said that various options have been offered. Is the status quo one of those options?

Mike Watson: Ind Committee

22 Jun 2005

New Petitions

To make the case for establishing another region with a lower population level would be a more difficult matter than simply saying that one such region exists already. I would like clarification on that.

Mike Watson: Ind Committee

22 Jun 2005

New Petitions

I would like an answer to the question about population. The European Commission has an office in Edinburgh, so we should simply ask it. Christine Grahame mentioned the Highlands and Islands. Its population is less than 800,000, but it is an established region.

Mike Watson: Ind Committee

22 Jun 2005

New Petitions

I am going by the map that we have here. The NUTS II areas of south-west Scotland seem to me—although it is difficult to be precise—to include Glasgow. Glasgow alone has about 600,000 people, so you must be in the 800,000 bracket.

Mike Watson: Ind Committee

22 Jun 2005

New Petitions

I accept that. The current NUTS II area must have a population of more than 800,000.

Mike Watson: Ind Committee

22 Jun 2005

New Petitions

There would have to be a big variant, would there not? There would have to be a complete departure from that principle.

Mike Watson: Ind Committee

22 Jun 2005

New Petitions

I can see from the map how far south South Ayrshire stretches; it must be part of the south of Scotland. I wonder whether simply adopting two local authority boundaries is the best way to designate the south of Scotland area, although I understand that that has wider implicati...

Mike Watson: Ind Committee

22 Jun 2005

New Petitions

The information that we have is from our clerks, who are ultra-reliable. Given what the regulations state, it seems that the population issue to which Herr Hanreich refers is an insurmountable hurdle.Is the south of Scotland area to which you refer the area that used to be a E...