Hansard

I congratulate Angus MacKay on his success in securing the debate. At this stage of the parliamentary session, it is increasingly difficult to get a motion on the evening's agenda.

The motion is an excellent example of grass-roots campaigning by People & Planet. I want to add my support for the work that it has already carried out in raising awareness of the power of the major institutions in our society to make a statement about their values and principles and to use their investment powers wisely. The People & Planet group has encouraged the deliberate use of such power, in a way that influences the financial sector and business.

It is appropriate that Angus MacKay has brought the issue to the Parliament. As parliamentarians, we can add our weight and our voices to the issues that have been raised at the University of Edinburgh.

The motion raises vital issues, such as the transparency of the way in which firms and major institutions conduct their business. It is appropriate for major institutions such as the University of Edinburgh to ask questions about firms' records on human rights, on the exploitation of workers and on pollution or irresponsible arms sales. If they get the wrong answers to those questions, they have the power not to invest in those companies. However, they need to obtain that information in the first place.

I hope that the debate will help to progress matters. We should encourage companies to adopt positive, proactive policies and to have a positive investment strategy. Angus MacKay highlighted the benefits that firms and companies that work towards socially responsible investment can gain. Such institutions attract investors. They have attracted the investments of individuals, as Robin Harper has said, and of major organisations that have serious financial clout.

Adopting a more ethical or socially responsible approach to the environment or to human rights can be good for business. It is good for a company's public relations and its reputation. Companies' adoption of such policies can help to shape the investment strategies of more conventional and mainstream companies.

I am particularly glad that the debate is being held tonight, as the European Committee is considering corporate social responsibility. We have looked at how we in Scotland can encourage companies and major public sector institutions to develop the concept of corporate social responsibility. Although the committee is near the end of its inquiry, I would like to make members aware of why it took up the issue in the first place. I suspect that there are similarities between our approach and what generated the interest of People & Planet.

The European Committee investigated the issue because it is highly conscious of the impact of global restructuring and the price that Scottish workers have paid for that. The inquiry was also inspired by our visit to the European Commission in Brussels last year. The Commission asked us to look at Scotland's contribution to generating employment, to consider issues such as equal opportunities, women's rights and access to the labour market for disadvantaged groups and to think about whether there was a Scottish approach to corporate social responsibility.

We started our inquiry against the backdrop of the work that was being done in Johannesburg at the world summit on sustainable development. The need for the environmental accountability of firms was highlighted, as was the need for firms to report annually on how they impacted locally and globally on the environment. We also highlighted how firms should try to say what steps they are taking to lessen the adverse impact of their company's work on the environment. One key issue that the European Committee considered is the role of major public sector organisations, such as the Scottish Executive or the University of Edinburgh, and how such organisations can lead the way.

I am glad to be able to support Angus MacKay's motion, and I am glad that he has brought the issue to the Parliament. I hope that by debating tonight's motion we can learn the lessons that have been learned at the University of Edinburgh and encourage other institutions to take a similar view. We need champions; we need people who are prepared to do their homework; and we need people who are prepared to raise the issue and campaign on it. I support Angus MacKay's motion and I hope that others will take the issue further, beyond the University of Edinburgh.

In his summation, I hope that Lewis Macdonald will give us some insight into how the Executive can further promote the debate.