Political Comparison Made Easy

GROWING THE ECONOMY AND CREATING JOBS

With an economy heavily dependent on the financial services and public sectors, Scotland more than anywhere else has suffered from, and is experiencing the lasting effects of, the failure of the financial regulatory regime created by the last Labour Government at Westminster and the problems stored up by its overspending. Worse, Scottish businesses and jobs have been hit severely by the recession, which owing to Labour's failure to support business and address welfare dependency, lasted longer in the UK than anywhere else in the G20.

The outgoing SNP Government at Holyrood has taken some positive steps, following Scottish Conservative pressure, to encourage growth and jobs. However, it has not delivered fully on its pro-business rhetoric and it has failed to see the need to take some tough, "big picture" decisions, such as the need to call time on unsustainable borrowing and rebalance our economy from the public to the private sector.

With the help of the Conservatives in coalition at Westminster, we are confident that Scotland can make these necessary adjustments successfully, and will emerge as a more prosperous nation as a result, with a people whose talents are used more fully, and an entrepreneurial heritage that is brought to life once again.

The new UK Government has done its part to help turn the Scottish economy around. Scottish businesses will save around £280m from the changes we are introducing to National Insurance and up to 59,000 Scottish businesses will benefit from our NI payment holiday for new businesses. We are cutting corporation tax to the lowest rate of any major Western economy, one of the lowest rates in the G20, and the lowest rate Scotland has ever known. While Labour left half a million Scots stuck on out-of-work benefits, we are reforming welfare and are making work pay.

We have also shown our potential to deliver at Holyrood. We have consistently prioritised the promotion of private sector growth in our contributions to the Budget process. In successive Budgets, we have used our position holding the balance of power to force and then consolidate accelerated cuts in businesses rates for tens of thousands of small and medium-sized businesses. And in the most recent Budget, we secured £26m of stimulus for business, comprising £16m of help for first time buyers and getting the housing market moving, leading to 5,500 jobs for Scotland's construction industry and £10m for business start ups, job creation and exporting which will create up to 5,000 jobs.

Please see pages 2 of the Scottish Conservative Party manifesto for this policy.

Please also see the Scottish Conservative Party spending plans and the Scottish Conservative Party summary budget which relate to their manifesto.

The party had no previous policy stated on its website for this topic for comparison.

Retrieved on 11/04/11 (5:28pm) from: 2011 Party Manifesto

Creating the conditions for 100,000 new jobs of every kind, in every part of Scotland

Growth and jobs for Scotland

The priority of the next Scottish Government must be to support the creation of new businesses and jobs, and equip every person with the skills and ambition to reach their potential.

Unemployment in Scotland remains higher than the rest of the UK. Scotland is still way down the list of countries with a strong spirit of enterprise, even though we have a proud history of innovation. We know we can't rely on the public sector alone in Scotland to create growth and jobs.

We have ambitious plans to bring new jobs and a new prosperity to Scotland, focusing every strand of government on boosting economic growth.

The potential prizes are enormous. The Federation of Small Businesses shows how 10,000 new jobs can follow if we help sole traders recruit and manage staff. Scottish Renewables and environmental organisations show that the right action taken now could create over 28,000 jobs in offshore wind power, 5,000 in wave and tidal power and 10,000 from carbon capture and storage technology. Super-fast broadband can produce 20,000 jobs, installing the system and making good use of it to build businesses. The CBI and SCDI's suggested stretching export targets could create at least 8,000 new jobs. And we expect our proposed Regional Development Banks to help create 10,000 jobs. Add in our plans to support energy conservation, adding 10,000 jobs, science, the creative industries and transport infrastructure, and this adds up to more than 100,000 new jobs for Scotland.

The major hurdle is still the lack of support that businesses get from their commercial banks. The legacy of the banking collapse is that Scottish business is left short, even though profits, pay and bonuses at the banks are now rising again. In every part of Scotland, companies, traders and entrepreneurs struggle to get finance and, when they do, the terms and the conditions can be eye-wateringly tough.

The new Scottish Government elected in May, within the first 30 days, should prepare a Growth and Jobs Strategy at ministerial level including:
• Radical reforms of the enterprise network, replacing Scottish Enterprise and Skills Development Scotland with dynamic Regional Development Banks. These will provide more accessible and personalised support for 1,000 businesses, working with colleges, universities and local authorities to deliver business lending, skills and training and tourism functions shaped around the needs of the area. A white paper will set this in train.
• Reforms to business rates to keep the Small Business Bonus, help more businesses access its benefits, examine rates holidays for seasonal tourist businesses to keep Scotland open all year round, and give local councils a real stake in growing the prosperity of their area by giving them a share of business rate growth.
• Making transitional relief statutory for the 2015 rates revaluation. make transitional relief statutory for the 2015 revaluation
• The delivery of Enterprise Zones in Scotland, encouraging economic growth through a package of business support measures. Combined with Regional Development Banks these will provide a real boost to local economies.
• A new Science Nation Fund to drive an ambitious jobs and wealth agenda through science, engineering and restoring Scotland's ability to invent and innovate, including an annual Scottish Enlightenment Prize for a world leading example of science research or industrial development taking place in Scotland.
• Plans that make Scotland the most digitally connected region in Europe, ensuring every part of Scotland has the opportunity to contribute to the growing economy and to maximise the benefits from 21st century technology, with a Digital Economy Task Force, bringing together government ministers, service providers, local agencies and business organisations to make it happen. We will use a share of the Investing in Scotland's Future Fund to make the capital investment and secure a long term revenue stream back to government.
• An ambitious Scottish work programme, offering work experience, internships, apprenticeships or substantial volunteering opportunities for young people struggling to break into the jobs market, helped by convening a group of twenty leading employers in Scotland to seek their support.
• The reform of business regulation, freeing businesses to grow and create jobs by bringing together the business community and government to develop the most appropriate balance between protection of the public, employees and the environment with sustainable economic growth.
• Measures to help more Scottish businesses access public sector contracts, supporting small businesses and growing the local economy. A draft Reform Bill will start the process.
• An ambitious Exports Action Plan to create the conditions to help grow Scotland's exports by 50 per cent and double the number of Scottish companies who trade overseas, including mentoring support for businesses who want to innovate and break into new markets and exploring with the UK Government the benefits of establishing a Scottish export credit scheme.
• New action to drive forward Scotland as a world leader in the renewable energy sector, maximising the benefits of Scotland's natural assets and skilled workforce to create thousands of new green jobs, cut emissions and put us on course towards our goal of a zero-carbon Scotland, and recognise Aberdeen as a global energy hub.

Please see pages 10-11 of the Scottish Liberal Democrat Party manifesto for this policy.

The party had no previous policy stated on its website for this topic for comparison.

Retrieved on 16/04/11 (9:38pm) from: 2011 Party Manifesto

More Jobs and Faster Economic Growth

Over the next five years we will take forward our Scottish Growth Strategy, focusing our efforts on growth companies, growth sectors and growth markets so we can grow jobs and wealth here in Scotland.

Growth Companies: we will direct our efforts and resources to create the right environment for growth companies here in Scotland. By enhancing the underlying strengths and opportunities of our economy we will help Scottish companies to expand and enhance our nation's reputation as an attractive place for international investment.

Growth Sectors: we will continue to support the sectors of our economy which have the potential to drive future growth. We are working hard to make Scotland Europe's green energy powerhouse, so we can make the most of our vast green energy potential and create new jobs. We also have comparative advantages in our creative industries, financial services, food and drink, sustainable tourism and life-sciences, among others.

Growth Markets: over the next five years we will be stepping up efforts to align our investment towards new international growth markets. The global recovery is being led by emerging economies, and improved access to these markets will open up Scottish exports to new consumers - 2.5 billion in India and China alone. This provides important opportunities in what is an increasingly global and competitive marketplace - opportunities we are determined Scottish companies will be well placed to seize.

And, to provide the necessary foundations for these three strands of our strategy we will continue to build Scotland's skills, infrastructure and competitive base. We are committed to ensuring Scotland's business rates package remains the most competitive in the UK, including a commitment to continue to match the English business rates poundage.

We will not make use of the Scottish Variable Rate in the term of the next parliament.

Helping Small Businesses Create Jobs

At the heart of our plans to create more jobs and deliver faster economic growth will be our Small Business Jobs Plan. We will make it easier for small businesses to take on an apprentice and also allow small businesses to share an apprentice, enabling many more businesses to offer apprenticeship opportunities to young Scots. As part of our expansion of apprenticeship places, we will put particular effort into opening up opportunities for training in our small and medium-sized enterprises.

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) tell us that if just one in five of the self-employed in Scotland moved to take on a single member of staff, there would be an extra 40,000 jobs in the Scottish economy. We recognise this potential and so will introduce specific support for small businesses looking to take on their first member of staff, in particular assistance with drafting contracts and setting up payroll and PAYE systems. In the year ahead we will provide specific financial support to encourage small businesses to take on new staff with £7.5 million of employment assistance. This alone can help 7,000 Scots back in to a job.

Small businesses across the country have told us the difference our Small Business Bonus has made during the downturn. So, we will keep the Small Business Bonus – an initiative that is now helping 80,000 local companies, with 60,000 paying no rates at all. The Small Business Bonus has protected jobs in the recession and will create jobs as our economy recovers. It will be a direct investment in our local entrepreneurs, providing a welcome boost to local economies.

We will introduce an online One-Stop Finance Information Service - a single point of information for businesses on government financial support that is available and an advice point for small businesses looking for commercial loans or finance. And because we know access to finance is crucial for job creation and business growth, we will look to expand initiatives, such as the East of Scotland Investment Fund, to widen availability of affordable lending and continue with the Scottish Loan Fund. We will look for new ways to increase the size of this fund beyond the current £95 million investment.

The Scottish Loan Fund is just one part of the Scottish Investment Bank and over the next five years we will take forward this important initiative, building on the £250 million already in place to widen support and loan funding for high-growth Scottish companies, big and small.

Community Jobs Scotland

Improving the employment prospects for young people is an important task in the years ahead, as we work to build on the record 86.8% of young Scots leaving school to move into employment, training or Higher and Further Education. Community Jobs Scotland will provide 2000 new work opportunities in Scotland's third sector, a £10 million investment in young people's futures as part of our wider youth employment and training support. Scotland's charitable and voluntary organisations are superbly placed to provide opportunities for young people to develop skills across a wide range of occupations and this initiative will also provide significant benefits for communities across Scotland.

Export Support Package

We will support growing businesses with a new Export Support Package so that Scotland can sell more to the world, creating jobs here at home. In the year ahead we will provide £2.5 million for a new Export Support initiative. This will deliver bespoke advice and support for 100 Scottish companies looking to enter new markets overseas. Alongside this, we will look to the Scottish Investment Bank to prioritise lending to support the internationalisation of SMEs and we will continue our enthusiastic support and funding for the new Smart Exporter initiative. This collaboration between Scottish Development International and Scottish Chambers International will provide assistance to around 8,000 Scottish businesses over the next three years to help them maximize exporting opportunities.

We are ambitious for Scotland's exporters and confident in their ability to contribute to higher levels of sustainable economic growth. We will set a target to increase exports across all sectors of our economy. We believe Scottish business can deliver a 50% increase in exports over the next 6 years. And to assist new and current exporters we will develop a new online export tool - Virtual Trade Centres - providing information and advice for Scottish companies looking to expand overseas. And because local market knowledge is an essential element of any successful export expansion, we will look to work with existing export companies to deliver a business-to-business mentoring service for small and medium-sized enterprises.

Please see page 10 of the Scottish National Party manifesto for this policy.

Please see this SCREEN GRAB of the previous version of this policy from the party website.

Retrieved on 16/04/11 (9:17pm) from: 2011 Party Manifesto

The party covers this issue in various policy sections which CTP designates separately. Please consult "Local Government", "Tax" and "Apprenticeships" which may be useful.

Building a Fairer and More Sustainable Economy

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is a narrow and unhelpful measure of economic progress: it tells us little about how the distribution of wealth is impacting on our communities. The Scottish Green Party will adopt alternative economic indicators which value health, wellbeing, social equality and other factors. This must include full recognition of the value to the economy of unpaid as well as paid work.

In the past Government support for enterprise and the economy has been based on the short-term whims of international investment. For years, the Scottish Government has been handing over huge subsidies to big business, with little to show for it in terms of long-term jobs.

The Scottish Green Party will review schemes such as Regional Selective Assistance to ensure that long-term social, environmental and ethical objectives are met. We'll carry out comprehensive reform of Scottish Enterprise and other support for business to prioritise economic activity which serves the public good, including social enterprises, local food networks, and manufacturing of renewable energy infrastructure. Using and reforming the banks already in public ownership would be a better basis for investment than a new Green Investment Bank.

Please see page 8 of the Scottish Green Party manifesto for this policy.

Please see this SCREEN GRAB of the previous version of this policy from the party website.

Retrieved on 05/05/11 (1:25am) from: 2011 Party Manifesto

Building prosperity for all

Growing Scotland's economy and creating jobs will be Scottish Labour's first priority. That is why we will task every Cabinet Minister in Scotland with ensuring that economic growth and jobs are at the centre of their ambitions for government and pilot economic memorandums, which will analyse the impact of legislation on Scotland's economic growth.

Scottish Labour will create an Economic Cabinet at the heart of government, drawing on business, trade union and third sector experience to ensure the prioritisation of jobs and growth. We will scrap the Council of Economic Advisors, which has had little impact on policy-making.

Scottish Labour believes that Scotland needs investment and a clear plan for growth. Our future prosperity is not something to be left to chance. We need to seize the opportunities of the new green economy and will therefore prioritise the creation of green jobs in renewable technologies - aiming for up to 60,000 by 2015 - by making the planning system more efficient and seeking to develop export opportunities. We will also work to attract at least £1.5 billion of investment from the Green Investment Bank and campaign to ensure the bank is headquartered in Scotland.

Scottish Labour will develop an industrial policy - including a manufacturing strategy - designed to improve economic performance and unlock competitive potential.

We will set a target of doubling the value of exports over the next decade, with a particular focus on high value manufacturing, including defence, aerospace and renewable energy. To achieve this ambitious aim, we will ask Scottish Development International (SDI) to produce new ways of promoting Scotland to attract foreign investment and to work with enterprise agencies in promoting export opportunities for Scottish companies. We will also ask SDI to work with the Scottish Council for Development and Industry and Scottish Chambers International to create a new network of Scottish Trade Centres in emerging markets, using the expertise of the Scottish exporters already there to support the development of new exporters.

Not only have Scottish discoveries, fresh ideas and innovation - from the telephone, to Dolly the Sheep - aided our nation's historic success, they will be the drivers of our economic future. We need to keep Scotland at the forefront of technology and innovation. Scottish Labour will therefore ask every Scottish Government department to develop innovative and small business procurement plans, which will reward innovation by ensuring new businesses are able to take advantage of public contracts. We will set a new target so that five per cent of each department's procurement budget is set aside for innovation.

We will ensure that Scottish Water is kept in public ownership, enhancing powers so that it can fulfil its renewable energy potential and use its assets more effectively.

We will also drive down the government's spending on consultants.

Please see pages 12-13 of the Scottish Labour Party manifesto for this policy.

Please see this SCREEN GRAB of the previous version of this policy from the party website.

Retrieved on 12/04/11 (2:25pm) from: 2011 Party Manifesto