Scottish Parliament e-Brief
Issue 127, 19th August 2002
SECTION 1 - BUSINESS THIS WEEK
Parliament is in recess.
SECTION 2 - NEWS
CHAIR FOR MANUFACTURING
STEERING GROUP
Dr Chris Masters, former Executive Chairman of Aggreko, is to
chair the re-constituted Scottish Manufacturing Steering Group.
Enterprise Minister, Iain Gray, announced the re-establishment of the group earlier this month following the publication of the latest set of GDP and Inward Investment figures.
The group is charged with finding what can be done to assist Scottish manufacturing in light of continuing difficulties in the sector.
Manufacturing contributes a fifth of GDP in Scotland. There are almost 290,000 employee jobs (13% of the workforce), with an estimated further 150,000 indirect employee jobs in manufacturing.
Until recently, manufacturing focused on the process of production. Today, it is more about creating than making. Manufacturing integrates R&D, design, supply, production, software, services, distribution, delivery and aftercare. Successful Scottish manufacturers concentrate on those parts of the process which add real value.
The Scottish Manufacturing Steering Group was set up in 1999 to advise the Executive on how best to support Scottish manufacturing. The 27 members included manufacturers, business organisations, trade unions and representatives from the higher education sector. It last met in 2000 to launch its report, Created in Scotland.
Created in Scotland lists over 50 initiatives covering: business environment; knowledge and technology; science base and its commercialisation; skills and people; and images and attitudes. Good progress has already been made on almost all of these initiatives, with some already having been achieved or completed.
The Scottish Manufacturing Steering Group is likely to meet in September to:
The Executive’s Enterprise Strategy: Doing It Differently aims to build a stable economic future by:
THIRD SPONSOR JOINS EURO 2008
TEAM
British Airports Authority (BAA) has joined the team hoping to
bring the 2008 European championships to Scotland and Ireland by
announcing it is to sponsor the bid campaign.
BAA, which owns and operates airports at Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow, is the latest corporate supporter of the bid, following recent announcements by international drinks company Diageo and BT Scotland.
Rival bids to host the championships, the world's third largest sporting event, have been received from Austria and Switzerland, Greece and Turkey, and Bosnia and Croatia. Russia and Hungary have submitted sole bids. The four Scandanavaina countries - Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Finland - are also competing.
A short list will be drawn up in September and a final decision taken in December.
SECTION 3 - NOTES ON THIS WEEK’S CHAMBER BUSINESS
Parliament is in recess.
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