Part of the debate – in the Scottish Parliament at on 9 November 2023.
Rhoda Grant
Labour
The Minister will be aware of the redundancies being made by BT and its subcontractor Blue Arrow in Alness. The only option open to BT staff is to relocate to Dundee or Manchester, causing rural depopulation. BT Group has been the benefactor of hundreds of millions of pounds of Government money through its partners Openreach and EE, yet it thumbs its nose at and undermines Government policy. Has the minister met BT to discuss the issue? If so, what response has she had? What interventions have been made by the Government and its agencies and what action are they taking to protect BT’s loyal workforce in Alness?
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
