Scottish Parliament e-Brief
Issue 238, 21st March 2005

SECTION 1 - BUSINESS THIS WEEK

THE CHAMBER

Wednesday 23rd March 2005

14:35 – 17:00

Executive Debate: Growing an Enterprise Culture

17:00 - 17:30

Member’s Business: The Future of Clydeside Shipyards (Trish Godman (LAB))

 

 

Thursday 24th March 2005

09:30 – 10:45

SNP Debate: Firearms Legislation

10:45 – 12:00

SNP Debate: Nuclear Weapons

12:00 – 12:30

First Minister's Question Time

14:00 – 15:00

Question Time:

* Environment and Rural Development;

* Health and Community Care; and

* General Questions

15:00 – 17:00

Executive Debate: Life Sciences

17:00 – 17:30

Member’s Business: Co-operative Education (Bill Butler (LAB))

 

IN COMMITTEE
This week’s likely highlights in the Committee Corridors include:

Monday 21st March 2005

AM

Waverley Railway (Scotland) Bill Committee
 

Another host of witnesses give evidence. This week’s topic is the adequacy of accompanying documents.
 

Tuesday 22nd March 2005

AM

Standards
 

Scottish Parliamentary Standards Commissioner, Dr Jim Dyer OBE, gives evidence on the complaints process.
 

PM

European and External Relations
 

Minister for Finance and Public Service Reform, Tom McCabe MSP and officials give evidence on Scotland’s contribution to the G8 Summit and the UK Presidency of the EU 2005.  Secretary of State for International Development, Hilary Benn MP, also gives evidence on the G8 Summit via video-link.
 

 

Health
 

Minister for Health and Community Care, Andy Kerr, gives evidence on the Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill.
 

 

Local Government and Transport
 

The Committee takes Stage 1 evidence on the Licensing (Scotland) Bill.
 

 

Justice 2
 

Justice 2 also takes evidence on the Licensing (Scotland) Bill.
 

 

SECTION 2 - NEWS

Promoting links between business and universities
A report on promoting better links between business and universities will be supported by increased funding, it was announced today.

The Deputy First Minister has published the Executive's response to the influential UK-wide Lambert Review of Business-University Collaboration. This outlines how institutions are working together to ensure a faster flow of knowledge and ideas from Scotland's science base into the business community.

The Scottish Higher Education Funding Council (SHEFC) Knowledge Transfer Grant is to rise from £12.5 million in 2005/06 to at least £15.5 million in the following two years, an increase of over 20% in real terms.  This money helps researchers at Scottish universities turn their projects into commercial realities.

The Lambert Review of Business-University Collaboration was commissioned by the Chancellor in the 2002 Pre-Budget report with a remit to examine how the links between universities and businesses in the UK could be improved. The Review was led by Richard Lambert, member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee and former editor of the Financial Times. The final report was published in December 2003.

Full Story

Water grants lead the way
Scotland is leading the way in the UK with a pioneering scheme to get freight off congested roads and onto the water, it was announced today.

The Waterborne Freight Grant (WFG) scheme will help meet shipping costs for freight currently transported by road. The grant will be available to canal, inland waterways and short sea shipping operators.

The WFG scheme has been finalised following a joint consultation exercise by the Scottish Executive and the Department for Transport with the freight and shipping industries.  Scotland is the first area in UK to introduce this scheme.  The WFG scheme will not only help with shipping routes around Scotland, but also between Scotland, the rest of the UK and mainland Europe.

The WFG complements the grant schemes already in place to take more freight off Scotland's roads.  The Freight Facilities Grant scheme helps provide facilities at ports, railheads etc and the Track Access Grant scheme is a revenue based scheme for the rail freight industry.  The total amount available for the three grant schemes over the next three years is £44m. The WFG scheme will give grants towards a ship's running costs up to a maximum of two million Euros for each project spread over three years.

The new scheme will contribute to the Executive's target of making freight grant awards each year which will remove 2 million lorry miles annually from Scottish roads.

Full Story

 

SECTION 3 - NOTES ON THIS WEEK’S CHAMBER BUSINESS

WEDNESDAY begins with an Executive debate on Growing an Enterprise Culture.

Economic growth is the top priority in the Partnership Agreement and vital to this, said Public Service Reform Minister, Tom McCabe, at a conference in Edinburgh, is encouraging and celebrating an enterprising spirit amongst Scotland's young people.

The Executive's Enterprise in Education strategy, Determined to Succeed, was therefore launched in March 2003.  The Scottish Budget 2003-2006 allocated £40 million to support Enterprise in Education. This was supplemented by £2 million from the Hunter Foundation, match funded by the Executive.

Last November also marked Enterprise Week, a UK-wide campaign to promote a culture of enterprise.  Launching the week, Mr McCabe said:

"The Executive is committed to bring about a change in culture among young people - a change that's necessary if we're to secure long-term security and prosperity in Scotland.

"We need young people to develop an enterprising spirit; that's vital on two counts - to help our young people realise their potential; and to grow our economy - now and in the future. After all, today's school children are tomorrow's employees, employers and entrepreneurs.

"I want employers in the public and voluntary sectors to join us in helping develop an attitude of 'can do - will do' among our young people. It's in all our interests that they do so.

"The Executive has already invested £40 million in our Determined to Succeed strategy. Through it, we're helping bring the business and education communities together to work closely and share experience, expertise and professional skills.

"Enterprise Week is designed to inspire young people by looking at enterprise in all it forms - business start-ups, non-profit social enterprise, and enterprising activity by employees within existing organisations, and at the same time making it clear to pupils, schools and local communities that enterprise - in its widest sense - is vital to Scotland's future."

The day concludes with a Member’s Business debate on The Future of Clydeside Shipyards from Trish Godman (LAB).

THURSDAY morning is given over to the SNP, who have chosen to debate Firearms Legislation and Nuclear Weapons. 

As is normal with opposition debates, no motions have yet been published.  As always, however, the motions will be published in Section F of the Business Bulletin in due course and a full transcript of the debates will be available in the Official Report from 08:00 on Friday.

This is followed by First Minister’s Question Time.

In the afternoon, after Question Time (for the departments featured in the themed section this week, see Section 1 above), there is an Executive debate on Life Sciences.

Last month, the Executive launched a strategy designed to make Scotland a world-renowned home for life sciences research and companies.  At the same time, it was also announced that the Executive was to consult on plans for a new investment fund to help meet funding gaps in innovative industries like life sciences.

The strategy sets out a clear route whereby Scotland can achieve critical mass in the life sciences sector by 2020 - increasing the size of the sector and, more importantly, shifting the balance towards a larger proportion of bigger companies.

The main action points which emerge from the strategy are to:

  • Attract more young people to take up courses and careers in the life sciences.

  • Bring to Scotland people and companies looking for a place to grow and succeed.

  • Strengthen the volume and type of public and private funding available for life sciences.

  • Improve the supply of affordable accommodation and enhance transport links.

  • Focus business support efforts more tightly on areas of real competitive promise.

  • Rationalise the number of initiatives and support bodies.

  • Establish a Life Sciences Alliance which includes representatives from industry, academia, NHSScotland and the public sector.

  • Improve links between the life sciences sector and Scotland's financial community.

  • Have enterprise networks and ITI Life Sciences providing the sector with intelligence on key market and technology trends.

 

The day concludes with a Member’s Business debate on Co-operative Education from Bill Butler (LAB).