Employment Services (Edinburgh)

Part of the debate – in the Scottish Parliament at on 9 March 2011.

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Photo of Margo MacDonald Margo MacDonald Independent

I want to support most of what has been said by my Edinburgh colleagues, in particular Dr McKee and Malcolm Chisholm, and Robin Harper—och, I may as well chuck in Margaret Smith as well. We do not really disagree in our analysis of Edinburgh, which is that as well as being Scotland’s capital and rather a special place, it is also a place that mops up many of the people who are in real difficulties during the recession. They drift into cities—that is well known—so the call on the city’s services is even more pronounced.

The employment and help to get into work projects to which Malcolm Chisholm referred are the key to this. If even one of the projects in group 5—the group least likely, it is analysed at this stage, to obtain the funding that they have at present—is lost, there will be a considerable loss to the city. As Robin Harper reminded us in relation to the up-to-date figures, we have not yet felt the tsunami in Edinburgh. Because of employment patterns, we have not yet felt the worst of it.

More and more young people in particular are being robbed of a future. I know that the minister shares my sympathy for younger people, particularly those from more traumatised areas who have even less chance of making it through. Even though we have had acknowledgement through the capital city supplement, I still urge the minister to see Edinburgh as a very special case—a particular case that needs just that bit more help because it has more to cope with in the way of creating jobs for young people. The facts are undeniable and I hope that the minister will bear them in mind.

I acknowledge that those of us who urge further spend on the Government are supposed to say where the money will come from. I am not as clever as that—I just hope that the minister has some in reserve.