THE Scotland Office should be handed a “renewed role” after the General Election to ensure the UK Government department plays a more direct role in supporting Scottish businesses, it has been claimed.
Scottish Chambers of Commerce urged the next Government at Westminster to take a fresh look at how the Scotland Office engages with firms north of the Border, declaring it should follow the lead set by Holyrood in working more directly with businesses to help grow the Scottish economy.
While noting that next month’s election adds to the level of uncertainty businesses are facing, Liz Cameron, chief executive of Scottish Chambers, said the vote on June 8 “presents an opportunity for the next UK Government to take a fresh look at its strategy”.
Ms Cameron said: “The UK Government has a key role to play in supporting Scottish firms to grow and to take advantage of the opportunities that the UK’s changing international relationships will bring. That is why the UK Government in Scotland must become as open and accessible as the Scottish Government already is. The Scotland Office must transform its perception and its operation in order to become a functional hub for UK Government services in Scotland, fully aligned and in tune with Scottish business needs.”
Providing support for Scottish firms to drive exports is seen by the Chambers to be a crucial way to support business, arguing that this need is all the more pressing in light of Brexit and the drive to establish trade deals around the world after the UK exits the European Union.
Garry Clark, head of policy and research at Scottish Chambers, said firms in Scotland have seen an increase in engagement with Westminster recently, citing the roadshows recently brought by the Department of International Trade.
While welcoming moves such as the expansion of the export finance scheme, he said too few firms are taking these initiatives up. He believes there remains a “huge opportunity” for the UK Government to engage more.
Mr Clark said: “The Scotland Office needs to not become a hollow shell in Edinburgh – it needs to be a vibrant working place that is open and accessible for Scottish firms, as we have come to expect from the Scottish Government.”
Citing moves by Holyrood to foster close relationships with business, such as the creation of investment and innovation hubs in London, Dublin, Brussels and Berlin, Mr Clark said there is an opportunity for the Scotland Office to play a similar role. “From our point of the view we’d like to see the government take that kind of initiative as well in Scotland,” he said, adding the business functions of both the Scottish and UK governments should be complementary.
Mr Clark underlined the global opportunity for Scottish firms by noting that, while exports to the EU grew by seven to eight per cent between 2002 and 2015, exports to the rest of the world increased by 83 per cent over the period.
Calling for more Scottish firms to tap into the networks offered by UK Government departments, he said: “There’s obviously a very keen interest [in exports]. Firms are doing more business in diverse places than they were a decade and a half ago. We want more Scottish firms to be able to benefit from the work the UK Government is doing, but that means the UK Government needs to make itself more open and available to businesses in Scotland.”
The Scotland Office said it was unable to comment because of restrict- ions governing the pre-election period. The Scottish Government said it is “committed to growing our economy and increasing the level of exports and we welcome the Chambers’ recognition that we are open and accessible.”
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