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Question Time
SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE
Enterprise, Lifelong Learning and Transport
Redundancies (Support)
To ask the Scottish
Executive what support it would expect Scottish
Enterprise to offer local employers and employees when redundancy
notices are issued. (S2O-7129)
Mrs Mary
Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what support it
would expect Scottish Enterprise to offer local employers and employees when
redundancy notices are issued. (S2O-7129)
The Deputy Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning (Allan Wilson): In
responding to large-scale redundancies, the Scottish Executive expects
Scottish Enterprise to work with other local partners as part of the PACE —
partnership action for continuing employment — framework. The support that
is offered is tailored to the particular situation but includes advice to
companies on improving business performance, and advice, support and
guidance to employees on retraining and alternative employment
opportunities. In smaller-scale redundancies it is for local partners to
determine how best to deploy the support that they can offer.
Mrs Mulligan: The minister will be aware that ABP slaughterhouse in Bathgate
closed recently. My previous experience of Scottish Enterprise, during the
Motorola closure, was excellent. However, on this occasion, we were told
that Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothian could not become involved as
too few employees were affected. Can the minister reassure my constituents
that their future employment prospects will be assisted whether they are one
of 3,000 or one of 50?
Allan Wilson: I would like to give Mrs Mulligan that assurance. Her
constituents should not have been given the advice that they were given at
the time.
PACE was set up to address large-scale redundancies and the economic impact
where such redundancies occur. However, I feel strongly that if a person is
made unemployed, whether or not the rate of unemployment is at 3 per cent or
less, that person is 100 per cent unemployed and should get the same
treatment from the public agencies as anyone made unemployed by a large
enterprise. I will certainly look into the matter for the member and, if we
require to review or revise the guidance that we provide to our partners in
PACE in that regard, we will be pleased to do so.
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