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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 22 November 2024
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Displaying 1694 contributions

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Economy and Fair Work Committee

Economic Recovery

Meeting date: 22 September 2021

Claire Baker

Thank you, Mr Reid. Other members will want to pick up on some of the issues that you have identified.

I have a specific question for Ewan MacDonald-Russell. You have made recommendations for the 2022-23 Scottish budget on how to support the retail sector. What are the key challenges that you face at the moment? What are the key measures that you would look for in the budget to ease some of them?

Economy and Fair Work Committee

Economic Recovery

Meeting date: 22 September 2021

Claire Baker

We seem to have lost the connection. You can move on to another panellist, Ms Hyslop.

Economy and Fair Work Committee

Economic Recovery

Meeting date: 22 September 2021

Claire Baker

I will bring Mr Burnett back in.

Economy and Fair Work Committee

Decision on Taking Business in Private

Meeting date: 22 September 2021

Claire Baker

Good morning, and welcome to the fifth meeting in 2021 of the Economy and Fair Work Committee. Our first item of business is a decision on whether to take in private agenda item 3, which is consideration of evidence. Are members content to take item 3 in private?

Members indicated agreement.

Economy and Fair Work Committee

Economic Recovery

Meeting date: 22 September 2021

Claire Baker

Our main item of business this morning is an evidence session on support for economic recovery. I welcome our witnesses, who are Charles Hammond, chief executive of Forth Ports; Ewan MacDonald-Russell, head of policy and external affairs with the Scottish Retail Consortium; Martin Reid, director for Scotland and Northern Ireland with the Road Haulage Association; and Andrew Richards, who is a member of the Construction Scotland industry leadership group.

The purpose of today’s evidence session is to consider what policies and actions are needed to promote economic recovery as we come through a very difficult period. The evidence will also help to inform our consideration of the Scottish Government’s budget for 2022-23.

My first question is for Martin Reid and is on road haulage. At the moment, it is impossible to read the news or open a newspaper without reading about the difficulties with haulage and supply. The matter has significant coverage, and we are all familiar with the debates on the shortage of drivers and other issues. To what extent is the issue particularly sharp in the United Kingdom and Scotland, or is the pressure being felt across the European Union, too?

Economy and Fair Work Committee

Economic Recovery

Meeting date: 22 September 2021

Claire Baker

In the previous session of Parliament, I was on the Culture, Tourism, Europe and External Affairs Committee, where we heard the concerns that the road haulage sector had about what the rules would be after leaving the EU and about there being be a negative impact. Since then, Covid has added to the pressures, and you have described how everything has come to a head at once. The first question is, when do you think that that can be resolved? Is it going to get worse before it gets better?

Economy and Fair Work Committee

Economic Recovery

Meeting date: 22 September 2021

Claire Baker

We can hear you now. We missed the last few sentences of what you were saying; perhaps you could return to Gordon MacDonald’s question.

Economy and Fair Work Committee

Economic Recovery

Meeting date: 22 September 2021

Claire Baker

We have a problem with your connection at the moment, Mr Hammond. We will try to resolve it.

Economy and Fair Work Committee

Economic Recovery

Meeting date: 22 September 2021

Claire Baker

I am afraid that we must make progress. We will hear from the Scottish Retail Consortium, but then we must move on to questions from Colin Beattie.

Economy and Fair Work Committee

Economic Recovery

Meeting date: 22 September 2021

Claire Baker

Sorry, Mr Burnett—I am going to bring in Maggie Chapman for a supplementary on that question, and then you can ask your question of Ewan MacDonald-Russell.

11:15