§ Mrs. Ray MichieTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans his Department has for reducing the number of unemployed persons in(a) rural areas of Scotland, (b) mainland highland communities and (c) island communities.
§ Mr. StewartThe main instruments for promoting the full range of the Government's training, employment and economic development initiatives in Scotland are Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise and their associated networks of local enterprise companies. The Government have provided the Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise networks with a combined budget this year of some £540 million. In addition, the networks have at their disposal their own resources and European Community funding. All of this is available to encourage economic development and to help people secure employment.
Each of the communities in the highlands and islands benefits from a local enterprise company which is able to tailor its activities to the needs of the local economy; and, outwith the Highlands and Islands, local enterprise companies are also able to plan better than in the past for the distinctive needs of rural communities, even where the area for which they are responsible is not predominantly rural.