Supporting Scotland's Economy

23rd December 2010

Scottish Affairs Committee Announces New Inquiry

The Scottish Affairs Committee has agreed to conduct an inquiry on:
Supporting Scotland's Economy

This inquiry will examine the current economic situation in Scotland and the role of the UK Government, Scottish Government, other agencies and the banks in supporting Scotland's economy.

Terms of reference

The Committee will be looking at:

* The current economic situation in Scotland, including: current levels of employment in both the public and private sectors, and predictions for future employment patterns;

* the role of the UK Government in supporting small business, creating jobs and promoting growth in the private sector in Scotland;

* the current levels of inward investment and exports;

* the role and effectiveness of Government agencies in promoting Scotland as a location for overseas investors;

* the role and effectiveness of Government agencies in supporting businesses in Scotland to increase their exports;

* co-operation between the UK Government and the Scottish Government in supporting the economy in Scotland;

* co-ordination between the Scotland Office and UK Government departments in supporting the economy in Scotland;

* the role of UK banks in providing finance and support for businesses in Scotland.

The Committee welcomes written evidence from interested parties on any, or all, aspects of the inquiry by Monday 31 January 2011.

The Committee will be arranging public oral evidence sessions, and details of these will be announced in due course.

Submissions should be in Word or rich text format and sent by e-mail to scotaffcom[AT]parliament.uk scotaffcom[AT]parliament.uk Do not send in pdf format. The body of the e-mail must include a contact name, telephone number and postal address. The e-mail should also make clear who the submission is from.

Submissions must address the terms of the inquiry and should not, as a rule, exceed 2,000 words. Paragraphs should be numbered for ease of reference, and the document should include an executive summary.

FURTHER INFORMATION:

1. Committee Membership is as follows: Mr Ian Davidson MP (Lab/Co-op, Glasgow South West) (Chair), Fiona Bruce MP (Con, Congleton), Mike Freer MP (Con, Finchley and Golders Green), Cathy Jamieson MP (Lab/Co-op, Kilmarnock and Loudoun), Jim McGovern MP (Lab, Dundee West), David Mowat MP (Con, Warrington South), Fiona O'Donnell MP (Lab, East Lothian), Mr Alan Reid MP (LD, Argyll and Bute), Simon Reevell MP (Con, Dewsbury), Lindsay Roy MP (Lab, Glenrothes), and Dr Eilidh Whiteford MP (SNP, Banff and Buchan)