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Friday, 10 February 2012 09:43
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Minister meets with Chamber members

An update on business activity and the North-east economy were on the agenda when Energy, Enterprise and Tourism Minister Fergus Ewing met with members of Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce yesterday at their offices in Bridge of Don.

The Chamber team, which represented a wide cross section of industry sectors also highlighted some of the regulations which are seen as particular barriers to business growth and discussed how changes might be introduced to enable business to help grow the national economy. In particular they talked about skills issues and the need for greater interaction between business, education and government, the importance of tourism to the North-east and the need to invest in the region’s transport and digital infrastructure to support continued business growth and to further enhance the quality of life in the city and shire for its residents.

Mr Ewing, who was in Aberdeen for a series of engagements, outlined the Scottish Government’s plans for supporting businesses. He said: “The Scottish Government is committed to supporting business and retaining Scotland’s position as the most competitive environment for business in the UK.

“This week we set out a Budget for economic recovery that boosts public sector capital investment, takes direct action to tackle unemployment and enhances economic security across Scotland’s economy.

"Scotland offers businesses the most generous package of reliefs for anywhere in the UK, worth more than £500m in this financial year. The Small Business Bonus Scheme has been hugely successful in helping businesses, with over 85,000 properties - two out of every five commercial premises in Scotland - benefiting from tax breaks worth £131 million through the Small Business Bonus Scheme.

“This Government will continue to work closely with businesses and organisations, including the Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce, to ensure businesses get support they need to realise their ambitions and contribute to Scotland’s economic success.”

He also updated the meeting on initiatives within the Government’s new National Planning Policy which for the first time ever will require local authorities to ensure that every area of Scotland has enough hotels and other accommodation to support growth in the tourism industry.

Chamber President George Yule said the meeting had provided a valuable opportunity for the business community to brief the Minister on some of the current issues.

“It is clear that we will continue to face challenges for some considerable time yet, so it is extremely important that business and Government can work together to identify and implement ways to ensure our future economic growth.

“In many cases, it’s regulation and red tape which are the real barriers to that growth so being able to talk to the Minister directly about this was very encouraging. We covered a wide range of topics and look forward to keeping this dialogue going in the future.”

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