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Scottish issues to the fore

Members of Westminster’s Scottish Affairs Committee met with a delegation representing all sectors of the business community today (April 4) at a lunchtime briefing session organised by Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce (AGCC).

The Committee was in Aberdeen to meet with a number of agencies and organisations including the Health & Safety Executive and the city’s universities to discuss a range of issues relating to Scotland’s economy.

The Chamber team raised a number of points relevant to its members and to the wider North East including the implications on the economy of the Chancellor’s new North Sea tax, the transport infrastructure, support to help companies move into new export markets, offshore HSE and issues facing SMEs.

Chamber Chief Executive Bob Collier said the meeting, which was held at the AGCC office at Bridge of Don, had provided a valuable opportunity for the Committee to hear about key local priorities.

“This briefing session, which was attended by some of our Board and Council members as well as representatives of Nestrans and Oil & Gas UK, gave us the chance to update the members of the committee on some of the most pressing issues affecting business growth in the region and its impact on the wider UK economy.

“We got a good hearing from the Westminster-based politicians who showed good understanding of how some of the political decisions and actions taken by Government in recent weeks and months have alternatively helped and hindered the region’s future prosperity. They not only took note of the points we raised today but asked for additional information on some of the concerns highlighted, including SME interaction with the banks and the impact which increases in Air Passenger Duty might have on route provision and passenger numbers at Aberdeen.”

The Chamber has held a number of briefing sessions with senior level politicians and party leaders over the course of the past few months as part of its lobbying activity on behalf on the North-east business community.

Earlier in the day, the Chamber held its Holyrood Hustings Business Breakfast when delegates got the chance to quiz candidates from the five main parties about the policies they are promoting in the lead up to the election on May 5.