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Showing 60 of 2,354,908 contributions. Latest 30 days: 0. Coverage: 12 May 1999 — 25 Mar 2026.
Christine May (Central Fife) (Lab): Lab Committee
28 Mar 2006
Scottish Enterprise
I am grateful to you, convener, and to the clerk, for producing the paper. In the past few weeks, a fair amount has been said and written about Scottish Enterprise, which is reflected in the clerk's paper. However, as the paper also points out, many of the comments are in the ...
Christine May (Central Fife) (Lab): Lab Chamber
07 Feb 2007
Tartan
The Scottish Register of Tartans Bill came before the Enterprise and Culture Committee, and I rise as a member of that committee to discuss how we reacted to it and how our thinking evolved. Like many other members, I started by thinking that tartan is a recent addition that g...
Christine May (Central Fife) (Lab): Lab Chamber
20 Jan 2005
Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
I wonder whether that was a bid to join the Executive. I think that it was.I am a member of the Enterprise and Culture Committee and I am pleased to speak in the debate. I am also pleased to hear how widely welcomed by members the bill has been. A major consultation exercise l...
Christine May (Central Fife) (Lab): Lab Chamber
16 Mar 2006
Fresh Talent Initiative
I endorse the view that is expressed both in the European and External Relations Committee's report and in the Enterprise and Culture Committee's business growth inquiry report that the fresh talent initiative should be undertaken in addition to, but not instead of, work to ex...
Christine May: Lab Committee
28 Mar 2006
Scottish Enterprise
I do not necessarily disagree, but I wonder whether there might be merit in delaying the request for submission of the report until the first week after the recess so that we can consider it during that week and call Scottish Enterprise to give evidence the following week. We ...
Christine May (Central Fife) (Lab): Lab Committee
18 Apr 2006
Scottish Enterprise
I appreciate why Scottish Enterprise has asked for the date to be changed. However, the danger is that a number of issues might become confused.For a start, there is the question of the budget. At the previous meeting, I was careful to make it clear that I wanted to confine my...
Christine May (Central Fife) (Lab): Lab Committee
25 Apr 2006
Scottish Enterprise
Good afternoon, gentlemen, and thank you for the submissions and the opening statements that we have been given. Let me start by recognising that Scotland's economy is not a basket case but is doing well in key areas such as the clusters that were identified, which have been s...
Christine May: Lab Committee
02 May 2006
Scottish Enterprise
I put it to you that people have not been speculating: they are worried sick about the consequences of this. What consideration, if any, have you given to making a change in the allocation of responsibilities in the structural review that Scottish Enterprise is carrying out? F...
Christine May (Central Fife) (Lab): Lab Chamber
09 Oct 2003
Schools (Enterprise Culture)
I will try to stick to the subject, Presiding Officer. As others have done, I start by welcoming the initiative, and I am delighted to hear that there is genuine cross-party support for it, albeit rather grudging in some cases and a little woolly in others. Nonetheless, I thin...
Christine May: Lab Chamber
23 Mar 2005
Enterprise Culture
If the member allows me first to say what is being done, I will come to future actions.We cannot develop enterprise and entrepreneurship too early. For example, Carleton Primary School, which is one of the most successful schools in my constituency, has a good enterprise link ...
The Deputy Convener (Christine May): Lab Committee
30 May 2006
Scottish Parliament<br />Enterprise and Culture Committee<br />Tuesday 30 May 2006
Good afternoon and welcome to the 15th meeting in 2006 of the Enterprise and Culture Committee. We have received apologies from Shiona Baird, Alex Neil—that is why I am convening the meeting—and Susan Deacon. Mark Ballard is the committee substitute for Shiona Baird and Margar...
Christine May (Central Fife) (Lab): Lab Chamber
23 Mar 2005
Enterprise Culture
Oh dear, oh dear. I am reminded of a book by the writer Flann O'Brien that I had when I was a child which, in translation, is called "The Poor Mouth" and in which the main character, when asked, is always "cold, wet and drownded". I will try to bring some optimism to the debat...
Christine May: Lab Committee
01 Jun 2004
Area Tourist Boards Review
I have a question for the minister about accountability, which relates to a question that I put to Peter Lederer and Philip Riddle. I want to draw a comparison between this exercise and the most recent review of the local enterprise network. In the local enterprise network, al...
Christine May: Lab Committee
14 Dec 2004
Budget Process 2005-06
Susan Deacon has put into words the niggle that was at the back of my mind. Is that not a question for the committee to ask of Scottish Enterprise, rather than of the minister, if it is an appropriate question for the committee to ask? I think that it is, and I do not see why ...
Christine May: Lab Committee
12 Apr 2005
Business Growth Inquiry
Many of those organisations will already have submitted similar evidence to, for example, Scottish Enterprise at a national level, and maybe to their local authority or local enterprise company. Perhaps we could go back to the local authorities, the economic development people...
Christine May: Lab Committee
24 Jan 2006
Enterprise Agencies (Restructuring)
I quite accept that. Nevertheless, some issues have arisen that may or may not be dealt with in the final proposal from Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise. I am concerned that the committee should air those concerns, without necessarily suggesting that th...
Christine May: Lab Committee
24 Jan 2006
Enterprise Agencies (Restructuring)
My comments may bear little relation to the briefing, but they concern deeply felt principles that I want to be applied to whatever is eventually produced. First, the structure should follow the purpose, so what an enterprise agency will do should be clearly defined before the...
Christine May (Central Fife) (Lab): Lab Committee
31 Oct 2006
Budget Process 2007-08
Good afternoon. I seek your comments on a matter that I raised last week with the chief executive of Scottish Enterprise: the intentions with regard to Scottish Enterprise's training activities. First, do you expect that the training budget for this year and next year will rem...
Christine May (Central Fife) (Lab): Lab Chamber
01 Nov 2006
Structural Funds Programmes 2007 to 2013
I remind members of my entry in the register of members' interests, which says that I am an unremunerated board member of Community Enterprise in Strathclyde, which is one of the organisations that is mentioned in the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations briefing. I we...
Christine May: Lab Committee
11 Jun 2003
Legacy Papers
In the partnership agreement, there is a commitment to examine the development of a co-operative and mutual enterprise agency. Although consideration of that issue may begin in the Communities Committee, given the importance of community activity in local businesses the Enterp...
Christine May: Lab Committee
17 Jan 2006
Bankruptcy and Diligence etc (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
That reflects a conversation I had earlier with a couple of colleagues. For most of us, our experience of the subject ends when a constituent comes to us and we hand them over to the money advice people. Some of the things I heard about today—for example, the personal searches...
Christine May: Lab Committee
30 Nov 2004
Delegated Powers Scrutiny
As you said, there was considerable debate at the Enterprise and Culture Committee and the minister was questioned closely on top-up fees, as were a number of witnesses who raised the issue as part of their evidence. The assurance that the committee had from the minister was t...
Christine May (Central Fife) (Lab): Lab Chamber
23 Jun 2005
Financial Management 2004-05
Like Phil Gallie, I am not a member of the Finance Committee. I come to the debate from the perspective of my position on the Enterprise and Culture Committee and as a constituency MSP. I recognise that the efficient spending and management of Government finances in Scotland a...
Christine May (Central Fife) (Lab): Lab Chamber
30 Jun 2005
Economic Development<br />(Cross-cutting Expenditure Review)
Following on from the bean counting of my colleague Stewart Stevenson, I want to talk—initially, anyway—about process. My colleague Susan Deacon frequently castigates us for being obsessed with process at the expense of outcome, but this debate is about the process that is use...
Christine May: Lab Chamber
11 May 2006
Scottish Enterprise
It is not just the Tories' amendment, but also the tone of what they say, how they say it and the history of what they have said. However, I want to move away from personalities and concentrate on strategy. As a former board member of Scottish Enterprise, having served in a no...
Christine May (Central Fife) (Lab): Lab Chamber
19 Apr 2006
Supporters Direct in Scotland
Looking round the room, I notice that there is a gender imbalance. The Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport and I will more than make up for that, but I rise to speak with some trepidation as my knowledge of the game is nowhere near as comprehensive as that of many of my co...
Christine May: Lab Committee
11 Jun 2003
Legacy Papers
I will try not to repeat what others have said, but one thing that I picked up from the Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Committee legacy paper was the need for a balance between ministerial suggestions and the committee's own initiatives. At a relatively early stage, and befo...
Christine May: Lab Committee
04 Nov 2003
Renewable Energy Inquiry
Indeed. On the convener's point that the committee is responsible for examining not just the issue of renewable energy but its enterprise aspects and economic benefits, that is not stated in the remit—I apologise for not putting in that comment. Nothing in the remit sets the i...
Christine May: Lab Committee
18 Jan 2005
“A Smart, Successful Scotland”
I stayed at home in Fife. I will take members' silence as tacit support and pass that message on to the club.In 2001, I believed that "A Smart, Successful Scotland" was the right medium-term to long-term strategy for Scotland; I still believe that. I include the ITIs in that. ...
Christine May: Lab Committee
24 Jan 2006
Enterprise Agencies (Restructuring)
Yes. My third point arises from the evidence that we received when we went to Finland, Sweden and Germany and is about how the relationship between the Government, academia and the business community is facilitated.The connections between cities and their hinterlands and betwe...
Christine May: Lab Committee
28 Mar 2006
Scottish Enterprise
I would have preferred more time, but it is evident that members of the committee think that the matter should be pursued more urgently. I have no intention of pressing the matter to a vote. If members wish to ask Scottish Enterprise to appear here on 18 April, that is fine.
Christine May: Lab Committee
28 Mar 2006
Scottish Enterprise
The other message that we have to get across is that the economy of Scotland is performing well against a huge range of measures. We know that there are areas where we need significant investment, but in recent weeks we have seen reports that put Scotland in a good position co...
Christine May: Lab Committee
18 Apr 2006
Scottish Enterprise
Regardless of whether there is a report for us to read, I would still like us to extend the invitation to Scottish Enterprise to be here. That way, if we have not been given the report, we can ask why.
Christine May: Lab Committee
25 Apr 2006
Scottish Enterprise
Paragraph 3.6 of the summary conclusions in the internal audit report states that Scottish Enterprise"needs to work with the Scottish Executive and other economic development agencies to ensure that such unintended consequences do not result in an adverse impact on the Scottis...
Christine May: Lab Committee
25 Apr 2006
Scottish Enterprise
Convener, for the avoidance of doubt, I should perhaps say to the committee that I was a member of the Scottish Enterprise board until December 2002 or January 2003, which is, obviously, before the time when the resource—
Christine May (Central Fife) (Lab): Lab Committee
02 May 2006
Scottish Enterprise
Good afternoon, minister and officials. I have several questions, but I must first seek clarification on one thing. The minister mentioned that a shortfall of more than £70 million was first mooted, but Scottish Enterprise dealt with that by moving whatever could be moved from...
Christine May: Lab Committee
02 May 2006
Scottish Enterprise
But that could be said to exacerbate the budget problem for this year, given that Scottish Enterprise will now have less available to it than it would have had.
The Deputy Convener: Lab Committee
30 May 2006
Budget Process 2007-08
It is suggested that the format in which Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise have been asked to submit their budgets is particularly good and clear and that the other agencies that are coming to give evidence should be asked to do likewise so that we can m...
Christine May (Central Fife) (Lab): Lab Chamber
21 Jan 2004
Renewable Energy
I start by thanking all my colleagues in the chamber for coming to debate what I believe is a very important issue within the wider topic of renewable energy. I will outline why it is vital for the Scottish economy and for the future of the renewables sector in Scotland that w...
Christine May: Lab Committee
09 Sep 2003
Work Programme
Given that the minister will shortly announce the terms and scope of his work on the structure of arts organisations, we should leave that issue for the moment. We are in danger of trying to find something for the sake of finding it. I agree with Mike Watson, but I am concerne...
Christine May: Lab Committee
21 Sep 2004
Subordinate Legislation
The Subordinate Legislation Committee has no power to address the issue; it can only raise the matter with the lead committee, which in this case is the Enterprise and Culture Committee. I think that the convener's proposal that the matter be taken up with the Presiding Office...
Christine May: Lab Committee
05 Oct 2004
Arts in the Community Inquiry
I vividly recall that, when Scottish Arts Council cash allocations were announced each year, opprobrium would be directed at the council from all sides, which, I presume, meant that it was getting the balance more or less right and pleasing nobody. In a discussion on Radio 4 l...
Christine May: Lab Committee
23 Nov 2004
Work Programme
I agree that we should focus on employability.I am interested in the second suggestion, which is about small towns that are under threat, but given that the city-region planning areas are to come on stream either next year or in 2006, there might be more scope at that point to...
Christine May: Lab Committee
01 Mar 2005
Subordinate Legislation
I would probably be failing in my duty to the Subordinate Legislation Committee if I did not draw to the attention of the Enterprise and Culture Committee the fact that a minor problem with the drafting was identified. Rather than withdraw the draft order, ministers have agree...
Christine May (Central Fife) (Lab): Lab Committee
17 Jan 2006
Bankruptcy and Diligence etc (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
I am a member of the Scottish Parliament and deputy convener of the Enterprise and Culture Committee.
The Deputy Convener: Lab Committee
30 May 2006
Work Programme
Like Murdo Fraser, I will go through the list of inquiry options. The issues of employability and the Executive's proposed framework, and the plans to tackle the number of young people who are not in employment, education or training, are interrelated. I would not want the com...
The Deputy Convener: Lab Committee
30 May 2006
Work Programme
I did. It occurred to me that the Planning etc (Scotland) Bill is going through at the moment. I could not commit a future committee to any work, but it seems to me a future committee might want to consider the implications of that bill and the changes in planning legislation ...
The Deputy Convener: Lab Committee
30 May 2006
Subordinate Legislation
In that case, the question is, that the Enterprise and Culture Committee recommends that the draft Student Fees (Specification) (Scotland) Order 2006 be approved. Are we agreed?
The Deputy Convener (Christine May): Lab Committee
12 Sep 2006
St Andrew's Day Bank Holiday (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
Good afternoon everybody. The technological issues are now resolved, so welcome to the 20th meeting of the Enterprise and Culture Committee in 2006. We have apologies from Alex Neil, the convener.I welcome the Minister for Finance and Public Service Reform, Tom McCabe, and Den...
Christine May: Lab Committee
07 Nov 2006
Budget Process 2007-08
The clerks have done extremely well in encapsulating the major issues. My first point is on the first bullet point under the "Tourism, Culture and Sport" heading:"Scope for a ring-fenced budget for Scottishscreen within Creative Scotland".I accept that the question was raised,...
Christine May: Lab Committee
16 Jan 2007
Legacy Paper
I agree with Susan Deacon about our remit. The extent to which we have been able to do anything other than enterprise stuff is an issue. My experience of previous committees with a broad remit has been that the dominant policy occupies most of the time. We have not done justic...
Christine May: Lab Committee
13 Feb 2007
Legacy Paper
I know that—why do you think I raised the matter?To an extent, paragraphs 7 and 19 deal with the same subject—the overlap in the remits of various committees. The example that is chosen is European structural funding, which the European and External Relations Committee has dea...
Christine May (Central Fife) (Lab): Lab Committee
30 Nov 2004
Delegated Powers Scrutiny
The Enterprise and Culture Committee has had quite a lot of discussion on the bill. Although the terms of this provision did not give the committee any difficulty, I take the legal adviser's point. It is a wide use of the Henry VIII power and I think that we should say, in the...
Christine May (Central Fife) (Lab): Lab Committee
14 Dec 2004
Delegated Powers Scrutiny
I will attend this afternoon's meeting of the Enterprise and Culture Committee. If this committee agrees, I will update that committee on the basis of the note that I believe our clerk will send to the clerk to the Enterprise and Culture Committee.
Christine May: Lab Chamber
23 Mar 2005
Enterprise Culture
Stewart Stevenson said that he is not convinced that education is the bedrock of an enterprise culture. How does that square with his support for the Irish approach, which—as everybody knows—was based on long-term investment in education?
Christine May (Central Fife) (Lab): Lab Chamber
19 Apr 2006
European Commission Work Programme 2006
I welcome this opportunity to speak about a matter that I believe is very important for the Parliament's legislative programme and its committee work: the role and work of the EU institutions, the Commission and the Parliament, as well as their consultative bodies, the Committ...
Christine May (Central Fife) (Lab): Lab Chamber
30 Mar 2006
Scottish Enterprise
Does the minister appreciate the deep concern that there has been among national, as well as local, enterprise bodies and those individuals who are involved in enterprise, particularly those who have spent many years building up initiatives, block by block, which are now at th...
Christine May (Central Fife) (Lab): Lab Chamber
11 May 2006
Scottish Enterprise
Let me start with some stats. Employment in Scotland: up. Gross domestic product in Scotland: up. Growth in the private sector: up. That is all due to the strategic direction given by Scottish ministers to Scottish Enterprise national under "A Smart, Successful Scotland", and ...
Christine May: Lab Chamber
11 May 2006
Scottish Enterprise
I regret that I do not have time to deal with the population issue, although I have statistics on that. I want to concentrate, in the final minute of my speech, on taking risks, because that is what the private sector does well. Those who argue that politicians should or could...
Christine May (Central Fife) (Lab): Lab Committee
11 Jun 2003
Interests
I am a member of the Transport and General Workers Union and the Co-operative Party, and a trustee of the Fife Historic Buildings Trust. I also continue to be a member, for the present, of the European Union Committee of the Regions.On former activities that might be relevant,...
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Committee

Enterprise and Culture Committee, 28 Mar 2006

28 Mar 2006 · S2 · Enterprise and Culture Committee
Item of business
Scottish Enterprise
May, Christine Lab Central Fife Watch on SPTV
I am grateful to you, convener, and to the clerk, for producing the paper. In the past few weeks, a fair amount has been said and written about Scottish Enterprise, which is reflected in the clerk's paper. However, as the paper also points out, many of the comments are in the realm of speculation and have generated rather a lot of heat but not a great deal of light. For that reason, I am anxious for the committee to consider the current issues that surround Scottish Enterprise. It is within the committee's remit to examine Scottish Enterprise's role and interaction with other agencies in helping to deliver a successful economy for Scotland. Three issues arise. The first is Scottish Enterprise's budget, or the amount of money that it has to fulfil its role. The second is the structure of the network and the extent to which the final decision on that will assist the body to carry out its role. Thirdly, there are other business matters, such as the retendering of the business gateway, which has implications for Scottish Enterprise's work and how it delivers.Scottish Enterprise has twin roles. The first is to grow Scotland's economy, focusing on, as the committee's business growth inquiry found, the key sectors and industries in which Scotland has, or potentially has, an edge; and building Government, public sector and, much more important, private sector investment to grow industries and to allow us to take our place on the world economic stage. The second role, which I have highlighted frequently and which balances the national strategic role, is the delivery of local enterprise, local growth and productivity improvements in key local businesses, whether they be world-shattering exporting businesses or plain ordinary businesses that have persisted in a locality for a long time and want to do better but need assistance to do that.The committee's next opportunity to discuss with Scottish Enterprise how it can fulfil those roles will be during the consideration of the budget that we undertake around the end of April and beginning of May as part of the budget cycle. Given what has been happening in the structure of Scottish Enterprise and funding for enterprise in general, which we highlighted in our report on business growth, the committee might want Scottish Enterprise to provide a paper to inform our deliberations on the budget. My view is well reflected under the heading "Action" in the clerk's paper, which suggests that the committee consider the information that it wants the agency to provide before we discuss the matter. I am interested in hearing what other members think about that.It is important that we concentrate on matters that are within the remit of the Enterprise and Culture Committee and do not rehash press speculation. To be fair, no witnesses from Scottish Enterprise are here today to comment on the speculation. I am not keen for people's jobs and livelihoods and the future of Scottish businesses to be reduced to a conversation about whether reports are true and Scottish Enterprise is in dire straits.

In the same item of business

The Convener (Alex Neil): SNP
I welcome everybody to the Enterprise and Culture Committee's ninth meeting in 2006. I have a few housekeeping points. I apologise to members for the lack of...
Christine May (Central Fife) (Lab): Lab
I am grateful to you, convener, and to the clerk, for producing the paper. In the past few weeks, a fair amount has been said and written about Scottish Ente...
Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): Con
I support Christine May's proposal. During the past few weeks, there has been a steady drip of information about Scottish Enterprise, much of which has been ...
Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): SNP
I endorse what Christine May and Murdo Fraser said. For several weeks, stories have been appearing in the press, in particular about Scottish Enterprise's fi...
Karen Gillon (Clydesdale) (Lab): Lab
I, too, think that we need to establish the difference between fact and fiction and to put the facts on record. If any of the reports that I have read turns ...
Susan Deacon (Edinburgh East and Musselburgh) (Lab): Lab
I generally concur with the views that have been expressed and support Christine May's proposal. I have a few brief comments on process and timing.I cannot u...
The Convener: SNP
The First Minister himself might well have provided the committee with a rough guideline when he said the other day that ministers would not make any final d...
Christine May: Lab
I do not necessarily disagree, but I wonder whether there might be merit in delaying the request for submission of the report until the first week after the ...
Karen Gillon: Lab
I understand Christine May's point, which is one with which I would usually concur. However, I am just not convinced that Scottish Enterprise has not already...
Michael Matheson: SNP
I agree with Karen Gillon. It is reasonable to expect the report to be ready for when we come back after the Easter recess. If the senior officials of Scotti...
Susan Deacon: Lab
I might have missed something, but I thought that we were broadly agreed on the need to ask for the report within that timescale. The question is what we the...
The Convener: SNP
It is always advantageous to give people plenty of notice. It would be unfair of the committee to wait to receive the report on 18 April and then decide to i...
Susan Deacon: Lab
It is important to state for the record that we have not requested such a briefing to date. We are doing that now.
The Convener: SNP
We have not requested one, although, in my role as an MSP, I have asked for a ministerial statement before now.
Susan Deacon: Lab
That is separate from the work of the committee.
The Convener: SNP
Yes, although in such situations the committee would usually be offered a briefing. Let us not argue about it. The key point is that we have agreed that we w...
Christine May: Lab
I would have preferred more time, but it is evident that members of the committee think that the matter should be pursued more urgently. I have no intention ...
Mr Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): LD
The reason why I have not spoken so far is that Scottish Enterprise does not cover my area. Whether or not a small business gets assistance or a grant can me...
The Convener: SNP
Absolutely.
Christine May: Lab
The other message that we have to get across is that the economy of Scotland is performing well against a huge range of measures. We know that there are area...
The Convener: SNP
I am not sure that there is universal agreement with all that.
Christine May: Lab
Perhaps not, but that is my take on the situation.
The Convener: SNP
We will ask Scottish Enterprise to provide us with a detailed report on the facts and figures and invite the chairman, chief executive and director of financ...
Karen Gillon: Lab
For the briefing to be meaningful to the committee it will have to be in the hands of the clerks the Wednesday before we return from the recess, so that it c...
The Convener: SNP
Absolutely. As Susan Deacon—or someone else—said, it will have to be an in-depth and thorough report, so that we can get the facts and figures and put an end...