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Chamber and committees

Official Report: search what was said in Parliament

The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.  

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Dates of parliamentary sessions
  1. Session 1: 12 May 1999 to 31 March 2003
  2. Session 2: 7 May 2003 to 2 April 2007
  3. Session 3: 9 May 2007 to 22 March 2011
  4. Session 4: 11 May 2011 to 23 March 2016
  5. Session 5: 12 May 2016 to 5 May 2021
  6. Current session: 12 May 2021 to 11 August 2025
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Displaying 1696 contributions

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Economy and Fair Work Committee

Decision on Taking Business in Private

Meeting date: 26 January 2022

Claire Baker

Good morning, and welcome to the third meeting in 2022 of the Economy and Fair Work Committee. Today’s meeting is being held virtually.

Our first item of business is a decision on whether to take items 6 and 7 in private. Are members content to do so?

Members indicated agreement.

Economy and Fair Work Committee

Subordinate Legislation

Meeting date: 26 January 2022

Claire Baker

The committee will now take evidence on the Registers of Scotland (Digital Registration, etc) Regulations 2022. I welcome Tom Arthur, who is the Minister for Public Finance, Planning and Community Wealth. He is joined by Graham Fisher, who is deputy director of the Scottish Government legal directorate, and Harry Murray, who is policy lead at Registers of Scotland.

I invite the minister to make a short opening statement.

Economy and Fair Work Committee

Scotland’s Supply Chains

Meeting date: 26 January 2022

Claire Baker

I appreciate that you are not the lead minister for the skills portfolio, and that the report talks more to that agenda.

There were some concerns about the sector’s ability to deliver for people who need it and to co-ordinate that with what businesses need. There is a need for an improved working relationship between Skills Development Scotland and Colleges Scotland.

Economy and Fair Work Committee

Scotland’s Supply Chains

Meeting date: 26 January 2022

Claire Baker

The committee is looking forward to the publication of the 10-year strategy. We had hoped to see it before Christmas, but I appreciate that it has been delayed. You are suggesting that the Logan review will be integral to the new strategy once it arrives, which is welcome.

I will hand over to Maggie Chapman, who has questions on a similar topic.

Economy and Fair Work Committee

Scotland’s Supply Chains

Meeting date: 26 January 2022

Claire Baker

We also took evidence on the Logan review on the digital skills gap. As you are speaking to businesses, you will know that that is one of the big issues. It is not just about those people who are far away from the labour market and need the skills to enter it; there are also those who are in the labour market and need to improve their skills and access the digital skills that we need in the modern age. Is there a timeline for the implementation of the Logan review’s recommendations?

Economy and Fair Work Committee

Scotland’s Supply Chains

Meeting date: 26 January 2022

Claire Baker

Thank you. We need to make some progress, so I call Michelle Thomson, to be followed by Fiona Hyslop.

Economy and Fair Work Committee

Scotland’s Supply Chains

Meeting date: 26 January 2022

Claire Baker

Thank you for your time this morning, minister. I should say that the inquiry arose from concerns that we were hearing from the construction and food and drink sectors about certain pressures, particularly before Christmas. There seems to be less media reporting of concerns about shortages, but that might be because other things are occupying the media at the moment. At the very end of the note on the construction supply chain that you sent the committee, you say:

“The general expectation in the marketplace is that the situation will now begin to settle at least in terms of supply”.

I realise that that applies to construction, but are you seeing the same thing across the Scottish economy? I suppose that it relates more to commodities than to people and places, but we are looking for some assurance that, although things might be starting to settle after the pressure that we saw before Christmas, this is still a priority for Government and that, no matter whether we are having to deal with Brexit, the pandemic or any other factor, there is a recognition that we have an opportunity to change the way in which we do business in Scotland. Having to do so might be partly a result of the pressures that we are experiencing, but there might also be an opportunity to look at aspects that members have highlighted such as shorter and more resilient supply chains.

I know that you have expressed as much this morning, but I wonder whether you can give us a commitment that these issues are still important to the Government and that the 10-year economic strategy will reflect and recognise the importance of looking at supply chains in future.

Economy and Fair Work Committee

Subordinate Legislation

Meeting date: 26 January 2022

Claire Baker

Is the minister happy for Harry Murray to answer the question?

Economy and Fair Work Committee

Subordinate Legislation

Meeting date: 26 January 2022

Claire Baker

Mr Fisher, would you like to respond? I want to understand why the regulations come into force only if the new primary legislation successfully replaces the emergency acts. Is it expected that the bill will replace them? I am wondering why the Scottish Parliament information centre paper says that that will happen only “if” the bill replaces those pieces of legislation.

Economy and Fair Work Committee

Scotland’s Supply Chains

Meeting date: 26 January 2022

Claire Baker

Thank you. I remind members that the subject of the session is supply chains, which is the inquiry that we have been working on for the past few months. The minister is here to answer questions on that. I appreciate that members might want to extend the debate to other areas, but we have limited time, so I ask you to focus on the issue at hand.