All Official Reports of public meetings of committees.
Displaying 612 contributions
Economy and Fair Work Committee [Draft]
Meeting date: 15 January 2025
Murdo Fraser
Thanks. I have one more question. Secretary of state, you mentioned the towns fund. In the area that I represent, the city of Perth was due to get some funding for three quite important cultural heritage projects. Has that money gone now, or is there still some prospect of it coming back?
Economy and Fair Work Committee [Draft]
Meeting date: 15 January 2025
Murdo Fraser
Not if there was an underspend in the budget.
Economy and Fair Work Committee [Draft]
Meeting date: 15 January 2025
Murdo Fraser
Okay, thanks. I have a broader question about city deal funding. Since the change of Government, has there been any change in the approach to the drawdown of funding or the checks and balances that are put in at a Government level, or is it just the same model that was followed by the previous Administration?
Economy and Fair Work Committee [Draft]
Meeting date: 15 January 2025
Murdo Fraser
Good morning, secretary of state. I was very taken with the Prime Minister’s speech on Monday when he set out the Government’s ambitions for AI, which is a great opportunity. Of course, as we have heard, the Edinburgh and south-east Scotland deal includes the very successful data-driven innovation programme.
On the question of the supercomputer, I heard what you had to say about the funding issue. Is it not the case that at the time of the general election, the budget of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology was substantially underspent?
09:45Economy and Fair Work Committee [Draft]
Meeting date: 15 January 2025
Murdo Fraser
Okay. As you probably know, at the time that the announcement about that project was made in August, it was hammered by people in the industry. Chris van der Kuyl, the businessman and games entrepreneur, said that it was an idiotic decision to cancel that project. What confidence can people have that it will come back and that we will see that development, which is so important to the University of Edinburgh and the wider economy?
Economy and Fair Work Committee [Draft]
Meeting date: 8 January 2025
Murdo Fraser
You have talked about enterprise agencies and VisitScotland not putting money into staff but putting it out the front door, which I am sure is an approach that many of us would agree with. However, is that not handicapped by a policy of no compulsory redundancies in the public sector? It means that those organisations cannot downsize their staff to accommodate the different approach.
Economy and Fair Work Committee [Draft]
Meeting date: 8 January 2025
Murdo Fraser
The tourism budget is down. The convener raised the question of hospitality, which is in crisis and is not getting support that is equivalent to the support south of the border.
I am sure that you are familiar with Sir Tom Hunter. I read a very interesting comment from him just a couple of weeks ago, when he was quoted in The Times as saying that Scotland’s economy has been mismanaged for more than a decade under the Scottish National Party. Is there anything in this budget that is going to persuade Sir Tom Hunter that you are on a different track?
Economy and Fair Work Committee [Draft]
Meeting date: 8 January 2025
Murdo Fraser
Okay, but you have some way to go to persuade Sir Tom.
Economy and Fair Work Committee [Draft]
Meeting date: 8 January 2025
Murdo Fraser
If I can interrupt, cabinet secretary, even on the basis of those figures that you gave me, there are still reductions in the budget that you have set for the coming year.
Economy and Fair Work Committee [Draft]
Meeting date: 8 January 2025
Murdo Fraser
I absolutely agree, as I am sure the committee would. Clearly, if the enterprise agencies are spending that money on more staff, that should concern you and your colleagues in the Government.