Latest news with #ShonaRobison
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Ministers trying to drum up interest in Alexander Dennis orders, says Robison
Scottish ministers are working with bus operators to drum up interest for much-needed orders from Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL), the Finance Secretary has said. The bus manufacturer is currently consulting on proposals to close operations in Scotland and move to a single site in Yorkshire due to financial concerns, with 400 jobs potentially at risk. Appearing before MSPs last month, Alexander Dennis managing director Paul Davies said the decision was not a 'done deal', but the company would need to see a significant rise in bus orders – between 70 and 100 by the end of the year and 300-400 next year – to remain open. In a letter to Colin Smyth, the convener of Holyrood's Economy and Fair Work Committee, Finance Secretary Shona Robison said the Government is committed to looking at 'all viable options' and ministers are working with private bus companies. 'I agree about the importance of securing a short-term pipeline of orders,' she said. 'Please be assured that we are therefore liaising with commercial bus operators and local transport authorities to establish the current demand for double-deck buses in Scotland and are working alongside UK Government to identify demand in other parts of the UK. 'I am in full agreement with you about the importance of Alexander Dennis to Scotland and of retaining the jobs of the highly-skilled workers. 'That is why we are continuing to work at pace with Scottish Enterprise and UK Government, and alongside the company and trade unions, to explore all viable options to support ADL to retain bus manufacturing in Scotland.' Ms Robison also suggested ADL could be forced to pay back money it has been given by the Government's commercial arm Scottish Enterprise for skills and technological development, though it would be for the agency to decide how to proceed. The Finance Secretary also stressed the issues the Government faces due to UK-wide state aid regulations, which govern the level to which ministers can intervene in private businesses. She said the Subsidy Control Act does not allow for subsidies which enforce the use of domestically-made goods and services, which would hamper the Scottish Government's efforts to force bus firms to use Alexander Dennis. 'Scottish ministers and officials consistently make representation on the development of the subsidy control regime for the benefit of Scottish businesses,' she said. 'However, as this is a reserved matter, it is ultimately for UK Government to make the final decision on any changes to the regime.'
The Independent
3 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Ministers trying to drum up interest in Alexander Dennis orders, says Robison
Scottish ministers are working with bus operators to drum up interest for much-needed orders from Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL), the Finance Secretary has said. The bus manufacturer is currently consulting on proposals to close operations in Scotland and move to a single site in Yorkshire due to financial concerns, with 400 jobs potentially at risk. Appearing before MSPs last month, Alexander Dennis managing director Paul Davies said the decision was not a 'done deal', but the company would need to see a significant rise in bus orders – between 70 and 100 by the end of the year and 300-400 next year – to remain open. In a letter to Colin Smyth, the convener of Holyrood's Economy and Fair Work Committee, Finance Secretary Shona Robison said the Government is committed to looking at 'all viable options' and ministers are working with private bus companies. 'I agree about the importance of securing a short-term pipeline of orders,' she said. 'Please be assured that we are therefore liaising with commercial bus operators and local transport authorities to establish the current demand for double-deck buses in Scotland and are working alongside UK Government to identify demand in other parts of the UK. 'I am in full agreement with you about the importance of Alexander Dennis to Scotland and of retaining the jobs of the highly-skilled workers. 'That is why we are continuing to work at pace with Scottish Enterprise and UK Government, and alongside the company and trade unions, to explore all viable options to support ADL to retain bus manufacturing in Scotland.' Ms Robison also suggested ADL could be forced to pay back money it has been given by the Government's commercial arm Scottish Enterprise for skills and technological development, though it would be for the agency to decide how to proceed. The Finance Secretary also stressed the issues the Government faces due to UK-wide state aid regulations, which govern the level to which ministers can intervene in private businesses. She said the Subsidy Control Act does not allow for subsidies which enforce the use of domestically-made goods and services, which would hamper the Scottish Government's efforts to force bus firms to use Alexander Dennis. 'Scottish ministers and officials consistently make representation on the development of the subsidy control regime for the benefit of Scottish businesses,' she said. 'However, as this is a reserved matter, it is ultimately for UK Government to make the final decision on any changes to the regime.'
The Herald Scotland
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
We shouldn't have to ask for Trump police costs help. Sadly we must
The Scottish Government has to be delighted that what is by any measure a personal trip by the man who just happens to be the 47th President of the United States has a meeting with Keir Starmer baked into the schedule. This gives rise to the ludicrous claim this golf trip is in fact a working visit – but it is that label which will allow for to-ing and fro-ing with the Treasury over which government foots the bill, and arguably helps avoid a financial headache for Shona Robison. Policing in Scotland is fully devolved, and in the ordinary run of events you would expect the burden of policing costs to fall entirely on Holyrood. But whenever an event carries any form of UK badge, the expectation for the Treasury to put its hands in its pockets to pay for it is not entirely unreasonable. That basic premise, however, rarely runs seamlessly and is often a source of political tension and institutional headaches. Despite the façade, the 2012 Olympics were by any stretch of casual observation a London-based Games. The tokenistic events in the other home nations – principally to avoid shelling out approximately half a billion pounds of Barnett consequentials to Holyrood, Stormont, and the Senedd – were shown to be just that the moment sudden and unforeseen costs were encountered. Read more by Calum Steele The failure of private security contractor G4S to provide the promised security for the football in Glasgow was catastrophic. A flagship event at the biggest sporting event in the world was in jeopardy. The reputation of the Games, and the nation as a whole, required some decisive leadership – which came in the shape of the then Chief Constable of Strathclyde Police, Sir Stephen House, who didn't hesitate to take over the security at enormous and unbudgeted cost to his force. That invariably led to a political tug of war over who should meet those costs. Treasury was resolute that it would not be doing so, as in its view it had already provided additional funding for the Games to Scotland. The Scottish Government argued that as these were meant to be UK Games (despite the less-than-subtle Games logo and marketing), the additional costs should come from the Treasury, leaving only one loser – Strathclyde Police. Ultimately, only dogged perseverance by the force itself saw the costs of fixing G4S's failures being eventually reimbursed by G4S and the Home Office, delivering a moral and financial victory for Sir Stephen and the Scottish Government. Whilst these kinds of technical spats are bread and butter for political geeks and policy wonks, they should be of much wider interest to us all. The nature of devolved politics will always throw up disputes of this kind, and when they do, they actually tell us so much about the way in which the critical infrastructure in the country is formed and functions; and crucially, just how fragile the trust upon which it is built can be. Policing in the UK spans three distinct legal systems. Baked into the structure is a 'mutual aid' system – where any police force in the UK can call upon others for help. The UK's mutual aid system allows police forces to share the load in times of sudden demand or extreme emergency. It's a model found nowhere else in the world. Arguments can be made both ways over which makes most sense, but self-sufficiency signals a national confidence and competence in a way that the perceived pragmatism of sharing capacity doesn't. The truth of it is £5m ought to be chicken-feed when looking at the costs of guaranteeing the safety and security of the President of the United States. Arguments over who pays, or the fact there is a question of anyone other than the Scottish Government picking up the costs, miss the wider point altogether – and that is that despite a police service of some 16,000 officers, our national police service has to call on mutual aid at all. Stephen House agreed to take over the security of the 2012 Olympic football in Glasgow at enormous and unbudgeted cost to his force (Image: Danny Lawson) There is no doubt the Police Scotland of 2025 is a much weaker beast than that of 2018 and is more reliant on mutual aid now than then. Some will argue that's what the system allows for and we should be proud to call on assistance from elsewhere. I don't buy that. Calling for help in times of extreme emergencies is one thing, but calling for help for what should be a fundamental capability of the police service of our nation is not something we should boast about. The simple fact is Donald Trump is the first American President since Ronald Reagan to legitimately claim direct Scottish lineage. Whether he's the first or last of a Trump dynasty in the White House remains to be seen – but his ties to Scotland are indisputable. Any US President with clear links to Scotland should be acknowledged – strategically, if not personally – for the potential soft-power benefits of claiming the world's most powerful leader as a son of the nation are inescapable. Whether we like it or not, Trump will almost certainly continue to visit his mother's homeland long after leaving office – and wherever he goes, the scale of security required to accommodate him will far exceed that of any predecessor. It ought not to be a controversial matter for any nation's police service to be able to say unequivocally that they could keep him safe, nor, for that matter, for any government to easily be able to pay for it. One thing is for sure – the 'working visit' label will cease to apply once he leaves office, leaving only one budget to pay for it – the Scottish one. If we can't manage now – how on earth will we manage then? Calum Steele is a former General Secretary of the Scottish Police Federation, and former general secretary of the International Council of Police Representative Associations. He remains an advisor to both.
The Herald Scotland
4 days ago
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Westminster urged to increase ScotGov borrowing limits by MPs
Currently, the Government is limited to borrowing £600 million for day-to-day spending and £450 million for capital projects. A committee of MPs has told the UK Government to look at increasing the Scottish Government 's capital borrowing limits. But in a report from the Scottish Affairs Committee at Westminster on the fiscal arrangements north of the border, MPs pushed for the limits to be increased. The report said: 'At present, the Scottish Government's limited borrowing powers constrain its ability to manage fiscal shocks, as it is only able to borrow for resource purposes to cover forecast errors. 'Capital borrowing limits are currently linked to, and grow in line with, inflation, which may not necessarily be the highest metric of growth.' It added: 'We agree with the Secretary of State that borrowing limits should be linked to the measure which offers the Scottish Government the highest level of flexibility but, crucially, we note that which metric delivers this remains undetermined. 'The UK Government should therefore publish a transparent analysis of what borrowing limits would look like based on the different metrics advised in the evidence for this inquiry. 'At the next fiscal framework review, we encourage the UK Government to consider reforming the Scottish Government's capital borrowing powers, by automatically coupling borrowing to the metric which offers the highest limit.' Read More The report comes at the end of an inquiry by the committee which sought to gauge the effectiveness of the Barnett Formula – the measure which dictates the level of funding the UK Government sends to Scotland every year. The MPs found the measure was 'fit for purpose', although it is 'imperfect'. The committee also rejected calls for the formula to shift and provide funding to Scotland based on need. Scotland, the report said, already receives more funding per head than any other country in the UK and a change in the framework could see funding cut. In written evidence to the committee, Scottish Finance Secretary Shona Robison reiterated the Scottish Government's support for full fiscal autonomy – an arrangement which would see powers over tax and spending devolved. But the committee dismissed such a move as not being a 'realistic prospect'. 'Fundamental questions remain about how full fiscal autonomy would work in practice, and whether it would be operable within the constraints of the UK's current devolution settlement,' the report said. 'Practicality aside, we do not believe that a compelling case has been made that such a change would automatically result in Scotland receiving a higher level of funding.' Ms Robison declined an invitation to appear before the committee, leading the MPs to say 'do not see how we can consider this a serious proposition, and we remain to be convinced that this proposal is desirable in principle, let alone workable in practice'. Responding to the report, Ms Robison said: 'This report rightly recognises that Scotland's finances remain largely dictated by the UK Government's spending decisions, irrespective of the impact on Scottish public services. 'That has meant Scotland has been left with a shortfall of £400 million to pay for the Chancellor's national insurance increase, and saw Scotland short-changed by more than a billion pounds over the next three years at the recent spending review. 'The decisions we have taken to ask higher earners to pay a little bit more – while most income tax payers pay less than in the rest of the UK – mean that we can support vital public services and provide free tuition, prescriptions and the Scottish child payment to help tackle child poverty.' Scottish Secretary Ian Murray said: 'The spending review provided the Scottish Government with an extra £9.1 billion, giving them a record settlement. 'People will expect that to deliver better outcomes for Scots – lower NHS waiting lists and better attainment in our schools. 'Spending per head in Scotland is around 20% higher than the rest of the UK thanks to the Barnett formula. This report confirms that it appears to be the position of the Scottish Government to scrap that formula that delivers higher funding – they should explain why they want less money for public services in Scotland. 'Their plans for full fiscal autonomy would mean a £12 billion cut in public spending for Scotland.'
The National
4 days ago
- Business
- The National
UK ministers told to increase Scottish Government borrowing limits
Currently, the Government is limited to borrowing £600 million for day-to-day spending and £450m for capital projects. But in a report from the Scottish Affairs Committee at Westminster on the fiscal arrangements north of the Border, MPs pushed for the limits to be increased. READ MORE: I've known Corbyn for decades. I believe he could help us to independence The report said: 'At present, the Scottish Government's limited borrowing powers constrain its ability to manage fiscal shocks, as it is only able to borrow for resource purposes to cover forecast errors. 'Capital borrowing limits are currently linked to, and grow in line with, inflation, which may not necessarily be the highest metric of growth.' It added: 'We agree with the Secretary of State that borrowing limits should be linked to the measure which offers the Scottish Government the highest level of flexibility but, crucially, we note that which metric delivers this remains undetermined. 'The UK Government should therefore publish a transparent analysis of what borrowing limits would look like based on the different metrics advised in the evidence for this inquiry. 'At the next fiscal framework review, we encourage the UK Government to consider reforming the Scottish Government's capital borrowing powers, by automatically coupling borrowing to the metric which offers the highest limit.' The report comes at the end of an inquiry by the committee which sought to gauge the effectiveness of the Barnett Formula – the measure which dictates the level of funding the UK Government sends to Scotland every year. The MPs found the measure was 'fit for purpose', although it is 'imperfect'. The committee also rejected calls for the formula to shift and provide funding to Scotland based on need. Scotland, the report said, already receives more funding per head than any other country in the UK and a change in the framework could see funding cut. In written evidence to the committee, Scottish Finance Secretary Shona Robison reiterated the Scottish Government's support for full fiscal autonomy – an arrangement which would see powers over tax and spending devolved. Shona Robison (Image: PA) But the committee dismissed such a move as not being a 'realistic prospect'. 'Fundamental questions remain about how full fiscal autonomy would work in practice, and whether it would be operable within the constraints of the UK's current devolution settlement,' the report said. 'Practicality aside, we do not believe that a compelling case has been made that such a change would automatically result in Scotland receiving a higher level of funding.' READ MORE: Activists 'to defy Labour with illegal pro-Palestine T-shirts' at Edinburgh protest Robison declined an invitation to appear before the committee, leading the MPs to say they 'do not see how we can consider this a serious proposition, and we remain to be convinced that this proposal is desirable in principle, let alone workable in practice'. Responding to the report, Robison said: 'This report rightly recognises that Scotland's finances remain largely dictated by the UK Government's spending decisions, irrespective of the impact on Scottish public services. 'That has meant Scotland has been left with a shortfall of £400m to pay for the Chancellor's national insurance increase, and saw Scotland short-changed by more than a billion pounds over the next three years at the recent spending review. 'The decisions we have taken to ask higher earners to pay a little bit more – while most income tax payers pay less than in the rest of the UK – mean that we can support vital public services and provide free tuition, prescriptions and the Scottish child payment to help tackle child poverty.' Ian Murray (Image: PA) Scottish Secretary Ian Murray said: 'The spending review provided the Scottish Government with an extra £9.1bn, giving them a record settlement. 'People will expect that to deliver better outcomes for Scots – lower NHS waiting lists and better attainment in our schools. 'Spending per head in Scotland is around 20% higher than the rest of the UK thanks to the Barnett formula. This report confirms that it appears to be the position of the Scottish Government to scrap that formula that delivers higher funding – they should explain why they want less money for public services in Scotland. 'Their plans for full fiscal autonomy would mean a £12bn cut in public spending for Scotland.'
