Latest news with #JohnSwinney
STV News
4 hours ago
- Business
- STV News
Forbes will ‘leave no stone unturned' to help save Alexander Dennis jobs
Scotland's deputy First Minister has pledged to 'leave no stone unturned' to secure a future for the workers at risk of losing their jobs at bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis. Kate Forbes, who is also the Economy Secretary, said the Scottish Government would 'explore every avenue' to save the 400 jobs at risk of redundancy. Up to 400 jobs have been put at risk after the manufacturer announced plans to move operations in Falkirk and Larbert to a single site in Scarborough in North Yorkshire. PA Media 400 jobs at Alexander Dennis are at risk (Andrew Milligan/PA). It comes after more than 400 jobs were lost at the nearby Grangemouth refinery. Forbes said ministers at Holyrood first spoke with the firm about the proposals on May 25, and said she believed the UK Government did so at that time too. She insisted she was 'determined' to find an alternative to job cuts at the Falkirk and Larbert factories. Opposition parties accused the Scottish Government of having done nothing, despite the company warning a year ago that it may cut jobs in Scotland. Vowing to 'leave no stone unturned', Forbes said in a statement to the Scottish Parliament: 'We are determined to help the business find an alternative to that route and to find different ways to meet market challenges through investment and improved performance. 'A key part of that is the ability of Alexander Dennis to secure future orders, and that is why we are working closely with the company to identify and secure a forward pipeline of demand for high quality buses from Scottish and UK customers.' She said securing a pipeline for bus orders in Scotland was 'key' to securing the future of the sector in Scotland. She added: 'We will work in close collaboration with the company, with trade unions and the UK Government to find practical solutions. 'We are not going to play politics with the situation. 'We will continue to explore every avenue to avoid job losses.' The situation dominated Labour's questions at FMQs on Thursday, with Anas Sarwar accusing the First Minister John Swinney of doing 'nothing' to save the jobs, despite warnings they could be lost. The Scottish Labour leader pointed to a letter from last August, from Paul Soubry, president and chief executive of Alexander Dennis's parent company, NFI, who told Swinney: 'We are regretfully left with the impression through recent developments that the Scottish Government has little regard for domestic bus manufacturing jobs in Scotland and we have no choice but to reconsider our entire investment in the Scottish operations of Alexander Dennis.' Sarwar said: 'Last week, John Swinney claimed that he became aware of issues facing Alexander Dennis a few weeks ago and was doing what he could to help the company. 'But that is not true. John Swinney received a letter almost a year ago directly from the company setting out how his decision to buy buses from China, instead of from Scotland, was putting the company and jobs at risk. Scottish Secretary Ian Murray echoed that sentiment, telling the PA news agency: 'The bottom line here is that the Scottish Government have known about this for a year and done absolutely nothing. 'There's a pattern here, they knew about the Grangemouth refinery closing for three years and did nothing. 'And now what they're trying to do is pass the ball back to Westminster.' He said the UK Government is doing 'all we possibly can' to resolve the issues at the bus plant, adding: 'The big issue with Alexander Dennis in Falkirk is the Scottish Government didn't buy as many buses off them as they should have done. 'In fact they bought four times fewer as Andy Burnham in Manchester.' Speaking after Forbes' speech at Holyrood, Tory MSP Stephen Kerr said the Scottish Government could not 'conceal' the fact it 'did nothing'. He said: 'Let us be clear, I hear what the deputy First Minister says about setting politics aside, but our role here is to scrutinise the performance of the Scottish Government – and this crisis did not come out of the blue. 'This statement, however skilfully delivered, cannot conceal the truth: the SNP Government was warned repeatedly for over a year and did nothing. 'When Alexander Dennis asked for support, they were met with silence. 'When Scottish jobs were on the line, the Scottish Government were looking in another direction. PA Media Scottish Conservative MSP Stephen Kerr said the Scottish Government did 'nothing' despite warnings from the company (Fraser Bremner/Scottish Daily Mail/PA). 'When buses, orders for buses were needed, those orders went to China.' Unite union Scottish secretary Derek Thomson said: 'Unite has held positive and constructive meetings with the Deputy First Minister to explore all options which can keep the Alexander Dennis sites open in Falkirk and Larbert. 'We welcome the Scottish Government actively working with the trade unions to find solutions to the threat of 400 highly skilled jobs being lost. 'It is our firm belief that there are pathways to retaining a manufacturing presence at the sites.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Telegraph
13 hours ago
- Business
- Telegraph
SNP may delay landfill ban to stop rubbish being sent south
The SNP could delay a ban on landfill in Scotland to prevent up to 100 truckloads of rubbish a day being moved to England. John Swinney said it was 'not acceptable for a large amount of waste to be transported' south of the Border when the ban comes into force at the end of this year. The First Minister said 'several options' were being explored to avoid this in discussions with local authorities and waste management firms. Pressed directly, he refused to rule out a further delay to the ban, which was originally scheduled to come into force in 2021. It emerged earlier this week that the SNP's ban on 'black bag' waste being buried in landfill is expected to lead to 600,000 tons of rubbish being transported to England in the first year. Industry experts warned that this was the equivalent of 80 to 100 trucks of waste per day being moved south of the Border. Scotland does not have enough incinerators to handle the rubbish. BBC Scotland's Disclosure programme reported that councils and commercial waste companies have been approaching rubbish handling operators in England to negotiate 'bridging contracts'. However, most incinerators have very little spare capacity, meaning much of Scotland's excess waste is expected to be landfilled in England. Among the rubbish barred from landfill in Scotland will be non-recyclable black bag municipal waste, wood, textiles, paper and food. Some inert material, such as ash from incinerators and building rubble, will still be allowed at landfill sites. Mr Swinney told First Minister's Questions: 'I do not think that it is acceptable for a large amount of waste to be transported from Scotland to England. The landfill ban will be a significant step in reducing methane emissions in Scotland. 'Methane is a greenhouse gas that is around 28 times more potent in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide over a 100-year period. Preparations have already been made for the ban coming into force and the vast majority of councils have solutions in place.' He added: 'We are working closely with the waste sector and exploring several options to ensure that we are reducing any environmental impacts as much as possible.' Earlier this week, SNP ministers ruled out a further delay to the ban but Mr Swinney failed to repeat this when asked directly. He said 'options' were being 'explored' with councils and waste management firms to avoid the 'scenarios' of waste being moved to England. Asked a second time if the landfill ban could be delayed, he said: 'We're looking at steps that could be taken to make sure that we avoid the situation.' Maurice Golden, a Tory MSP, said the SNP Government's 2013 recycling targets 'remain unmet' and pointed out that the ban would mean £75 million of landfill tax revenue going to the UK Treasury instead of the Scottish Government. He told MSPs that the ban would also result in tens of millions of pounds in costs to small and medium-sized businesses, adding: 'It's the ultimate farce.' Liam McArthur, a Liberal Democrat MSP, challenged Mr Swinney: 'How would the Scottish Government respond if hundreds of truckloads of waste from England were dumped in Scotland daily?' The Scottish Government originally planned to impose a ban on sending biodegradable waste to landfill from January 2021 but the deadline was pushed back five years after industry leaders warned the country was not ready. A lack of waste treatment capacity at the time prompted warnings that a million tons would have to be disposed outside of Scotland, with the majority of it simply shifted across the border to England. This prompted a rush to build more incinerators but SNP ministers decided to curtail the number of developments over concerns there would be overcapacity. There are currently eight operating in Scotland.
Daily Mail
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Harvie's last hurrah? Even Frank Sinatra's farewell didn't drag on this long
Thursday was Patrick Harvie's final First Minister's Questions as Scottish Green co-leader. He's standing down to spend more time with anyone but Ross Greer. A sneer in search of a personality, Harvie has never contributed much in the way of wit but he makes up for it with pique. I'm an aficionado of parliamentary spite and Harvie has always had it in plentiful supply. Perhaps he kept some in reserve for his final showstopper, for he used his allotted two questions to spit venom at John Swinney. Harvie reckoned Swinney's anti far-Right summit was little more than a talking shop and only confirmed 'a real sense of drift from the first minister'. Moreover, Swinney lacked 'ambition and leadership', and Harvie 'genuinely struggled to think of a single signature policy that he has delivered in his year in the job'. There speaks a man who clearly missed the Short Life Working Group on Economic and Social Opportunities for Gaelic. He began rhyming off Swinney's sins, such as watering down rental controls, U-turning on a new national park, and failing to make progress on human rights. By now the little cabbage was getting so steamed he was at risk of wilting. He was banging on so much that Presiding Officer Alison Johnson finally stepped in and told him to clamp it. Even Sinatra's farewell tour didn't last this long. Aware that he no longer needed to humour the prickliest cactus this side of the Mississippi, Swinney let him have it: 'I appreciate that this is his last First Minister's question time as co-convener of the Green Party, so saying all that to me might have been his last hurrah.' The First Minister didn't fare as well up against Russell Findlay. The Scottish Tory leader gets a gold star for a splendid piece of work on thuggery in schools and the SNP's 49-page guidelines on excluding violent pupils, which he branded 'tedious, hand-wringing nonsense'. Swinney protested that he was 'listening to the teaching profession', just as he had 'throughout my time as education secretary'. We can only hope for his sake that he wasn't listening too closely. As I recall, the consensus among teachers at the time was made up mostly of words you couldn't repeat in a classroom. This allowed Findlay to have some fun, by reading aloud some highlights. When pupils become violent, the document said, teachers should give them 'a laminated paper with a set of bullet points that tell them to think about their behaviour'. When a wee toerag is engaging in 'unsafe behaviour', educators are advised to start 'a conversation to jointly problem solve with the child'. Disruptive pupils, meanwhile, 'should be allowed to leave class two minutes early'. Personally, I think classroom chairs should be replaced with ejector seats and teachers handed a remote control. The First Minister accused Findlay of 'a failure to address the mechanisms and interventions that are required to solve a difficult issue'. Another reason to consider my idea. We'd hire engineers to make sure the ejector seats had really good mechanisms. The fresh guidance, Swinney said, was intended to 'de-escalate situations' and 'address the underlying causes'. And he was against too many exclusions because those pupils would be 'out on the streets and, potentially, able to become involved in criminal activity'. That's how Ronnie Biggs got started, you know. Teacher put him out of class for talking once and next thing you know he was robbing trains. Later in the afternoon, minister Ivan McKee was sent out to announce plans to save £1billion a year in waste, in what is being nicknamed 'McDoge' after Elon Musk's venture during the early months of the second Trump administration. Given that the task of reining in government misspending proved too much for a man who puts rockets in space, I'm not holding out hope that Ivan McKee will do much better.
The National
17 hours ago
- Politics
- The National
Will a group form to take forward constitutional convention plans?
READ MORE: John Swinney to host independence debate at SNP National Council in Perth However, with the petition for decolonisation now with the United Nations, it is up to every person who has the interests of an independent Scotland at heart to meet the challenges that face us. We need to prove beyond all reasonable doubt to the UN that we want independence and above all, that we are able and willing to form a new Scotland and its institutions in our own image. To do so, we need to call for and form a Scottish constitutional convention now and not at some distant time when it is suitable to some faceless civil servants who are doing it because they have been pushed into it by their English masters. We need answers to a great number of questions before independence and not after it, and above all we need to know what sort of country are we going to be setting up so that everybody is singing from the same sheet. With such a convention we can answer fully the question about currency, fiscal needs, the institutions et al of our country. Then the English Unionists won't be able to trip us up when it comes to a referendum, which is bound to happen when the UN agrees that we are a colony of England. READ MORE: SNP now seem content to manage Scotland's decline within the Union When the convention has been called we will be one more step along the way towards independence and it will make it harder for a prime minister of England to stand in our way. It is important to have representatives from all walks of life involved with the convention. Until then we are at the mercy of Downing Street and the English establishment. As there have been a reasonable number of letters here on the topic of calling for a convention, I say it is time we put that rhetoric into action. Effectively, I would say that we need to form a group of competent people who have the acumen to take the notion of a convention to the next step and get things up and running. Until then, nothing is going to happen and we are liable to remain just another colony of England. Who amongst the readers are capable of writing reports, asking important questions and knowing how to arrange meetings with groups and associations? Alexander Potts Kilmarnock GOD knows how much 'zooming' and 'teaming' has been done in the name of the independence struggle in recent years in lieu of face-to-face, cheek-by-jowl forums. If you add to that emails, texting, twittering and blogging then is not difficult to discern the principal reason that both esprit de corps, cohesion and solidarity remain sub-optimal in the movement and in society in general, much to the satisfaction of those who are rightly frightened of 'gatherings' of enthusiasts. I had the privilege to attend the summer conference of the Independence Forum Scotland (IFS) in Perth on Saturday and the way it was convened and conducted greatly advanced my grasp of several topics, from the cultural to nuances of energy policy, mainly rendered to me by folks sitting in close proximity to me. I could ask them about matters that have perplexed me and vice-versa. READ MORE: 'Scottish cringe' persists despite evidence of our distinctive culture I received tuition augmented by a three-dimensional 'model' involving non-verbal gesturing and the vast array of the facial expressions that evolution has come up with to facilitate both communication but also bonding among homo sapiens. The whole day was 'value for time t hat the vast majority of Zoom and Teams encounters fail to provide. The promised but not-now-to-be-delivered independence convention is yet another strategic failure by the SNP leadership to engage with the wider body of the kirk despite entreaties by their own rank-and-file and nearly everyone else and their auntie. It was suggested that two brief, cheap residential independence 'academy' weekend events for activists and prospective candidates could define the core curriculum and perhaps advance the principle reconciliation between friends who collaborated for several decades. This initiative received an enthusiastic response among among many quarters but a very tepid response from the celebrated, but as yet ineffective, party 'strategists'. In short, what we need is the microcosm of the IFS transformed to the macrocosm of a convention embedded in a cultural nationwide movement open to the man in the street, young and old. I fear it is too late for that now, so blundering on will be the tactics. A patriotic SNP leadership could have made such a big difference. There may be yet time! Dr Andrew Docherty Selkirk MICHAEL Shanks thinks that Scotland will lose out on jobs if we do not support nuclear reactors (Shanks 'won't apologise' for GB Energy funding raid, Jun 16). We are better served with renewables, as nuclear requires small numbers of engineers at a single site whereas renewables can be very small and spread out, along with maintenance staff all over the place. Thus enabling rural and island communities have well-paid jobs and not having the young people of these places leaving. In the same edition of the paper, North Yell screams out at what small island and rural folk can do if the impetus is nurtured and admired (Islanders borrowed £8.3m to build own wind farm – and it's paying off big time). M Ross Aviemore
The Herald Scotland
18 hours ago
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Alexander Dennis: FM warned a year ago over firm 'reconsidering' Scotland
The First Minister was also told they had already been 'forced' to offshore certain manufacturing functions to China. The Labour MP for Falkirk, Euan Stainbank, said it was 'absolutely astonishing that John Swinney' had been informed of the risk to hundreds of Scottish jobs and 'done absolutely nothing to avert this'. Notes seen by The Herald show the First Minister intervened after learning of potential redundancies at the firm, suggesting 'further capital support' and advising Scottish Enterprise to 'exhaust all options to support the business'. Scottish Government records show ADL has received £58 million in public 'subsidy' for green vehicles since 2020 under two schemes aimed at transitioning Scotland to green buses. Some £30m in job grants for research and development over 10 years came from the Scottish Government's economic development agency, Scottish Enterprise. A delivered Alexander Dennis bus (Image: Pic supplied) Despite this, ADL said there was not enough support from government and issued a stern warning about its future in Scotland in August last year. READ MORE by Martin Williams "We are regretfully left with the impression through recent developments that the Scottish Government has little regard for domestic bus manufacturing jobs in Scotland and we have no choice but to reconsider our entire investment in the Scottish operations of Alexander Dennis," the Canada-based executive told the First Minister. "In fact, in an attempt to enhance our price competitiveness we have already been forced to offshore certain fabrication functions to China. "I would appreciate an urgent face-to-face meeting with you and key members of your Government to further discuss this critical situation." The First Minister and Deputy First Minister set out the economic case for Scottish independence in 2013 at the Alexander Dennis Falkirk plant. (Image: NQ) He said that in Canada and the United States, governments and transit agencies are 'incredibly proud' of their domestic manufacturers and support them accordingly. "Alexander Dennis operates in a market that had left them with the impression that governments do not seem to care about domestic economic importance," he added. "Indeed, this seems to fly in the face of Scotland's flagship policy plans for a Just Transition, which aims to deliver a fairer, greener future for all, delivered in partnership with those impacted by the transition to net zero. "Alexander Dennis is a key manufacturer in Scotland assisting in delivering a Just Transition through the manufacturing of zero-emission buses with their workforce. "Alexander Dennis should be considered a business of strategic economic importance to Scotland." ADL expressed frustration in May 2023 over the Scottish Government's Zero Emissions Bus Challenge Fund (ScotZEB). A Scottish Government memo to the Deputy First Minister, Kate Forbes, revealed a series of letters from ADL and NFI raising concerns about the outcome of the fund. While a Scottish Government memo said ADL received orders for 363 zero-emission buses – more than any other manufacturer – a separate briefing stated ADL was awarded only 17%, or 44 buses, from phase two. A meeting was set up between the First Minister and Mr Soubry in August last year over levels of support rooted in Scottish Government schemes launched in 2020 to accelerate zero and low emission bus manufacture and 'help drive a green recovery out of the Covid pandemic', worth £155.8m to date. The relationship between Alexander Dennis and the SNP goes back to 2013, when then First Minister Alex Salmond and then Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon used its Falkirk base to launch the economic case for Scottish independence. He said while ADL received 17% of the orders under ScotZEB2, no other UK manufacturer benefitted — despite all being part of the Scottish Bus Decarbonisation Taskforce. He expected 83% of the 252 buses ordered under ScotZEB2 to go to manufacturers based in either China or Egypt. He said there was a 'further disappointing revelation' in the final round of ScotZEB — that the winning bid would leverage £3.20 of private sector investment for every £1 from the Scottish Government for 252 vehicles. Mr Soubry said 'this was surprising to read' as the unsuccessful Alexander Dennis-led Phoenix consortium bid planned to deliver up to £3.94 of private investment per £1 of ScotZEB2 funding for a volume of 300 zero-emission buses. "With recent decisions by UK bus operators to acquire largely imported buses with no domestic economic, technology or labour requirements or benefits, we feel we have no choice but to now begin preparations to put a number of people within our team at risk of redundancy, which could decimate the communities we operate in and have important historic ties with," he said. (Image: Alexander Dennis) Mr Stainbank said the letter to the First Minister was a damning indictment of the SNP's failure to act. "It is absolutely astonishing that John Swinney was informed of the real risk to Alexander Dennis's Scottish operations close to a year ago," he said. "He appears in the interim to have done absolutely nothing to avert this. "This is a monumental failure of SNP industrial policy. Greater Manchester bought more than five times as many buses from Alexander Dennis than the SNP did - operating under the exact same legal framework. John Swinney should be embarrassed by that." A month after Mr Soubry's letter, a further call between the First Minister and NFI and ADL showed that Mr Swinney advised and asked that Scottish Enterprise 'exhaust all options to support the business'. A note of the meeting cleared by Mr Swinney stated that he requested that 'all options are exhausted before any final decision is taken by ADL'. An official note of a meeting between Mr Swinney and representatives of Alexander Dennis from 12 August says the First Minister 'noted the potential for further capital support should be explored'. By then Alexander Dennis had already benefited from taxpayer-funded grants and support from the Scottish Government worth £90m since 2005. In the same year of the 2023 ScotZEB2 launch, Scottish Enterprise sanctioned a £13.2m grant on top of a £49.7m ADL investment into the development of zero emissions technology for battery-electric and hydrogen fuel powertrains. Some £11.2m was drawn down. John Swinney (Image: PA) Last week, Mr Swinney told MSPs he was 'deeply concerned' about the proposed job losses and said the government was 'exploring all viable options' to support the workforce. He defended the government's record, stating that Alexander Dennis had received more orders than any other manufacturer under the first phase of ScotZEB and was supported with significant research and development funding. However, he acknowledged that UK-wide subsidy control rules limit what the Scottish Government can do to directly support or prefer domestic manufacturers. 'We must work within the law,' he said. 'But we are trying to find a way through the Subsidy Control Act to ensure we can support manufacturing in Scotland.' Union leaders are calling for more urgency. Unite Scotland estimates that up to 1,600 jobs could be at risk when supply chain roles are included and warned of a 'devastating' impact on communities already reeling from the Grangemouth oil refinery closure. A Scottish Government spokesperson said: 'We are exploring all viable options throughout the consultation period to allow the firm to retain their hard-working employees and manufacturing and production facilities at Falkirk and Larbert. 'Since 2020, ADL secured orders for more zero emission buses than any other single manufacturer through the Scottish Zero Emission Bus Challenge Fund and its predecessor the Scottish Ultra Low Emission Bus Scheme. "ADL has received £58m of Scottish Government subsidy for vehicles under these programmes. ADL have secured orders for more than 360 vehicles through Scottish Government zero emission bus funding programmes, compared to the 160 currently on order from Manchester. 'In response to correspondence in August 2024, the First Minister met with the company that same month, and Scottish Enterprise have been supporting the company with additional supportive measures.'
