The Economy

That the Parliament notes the recent comments from the Scottish Chambers of Commerce that construction remains in difficulties and that the apparent fall in volume of public sector contracts is of particular concern; notes further its call for the Scottish Futures Trust to rapidly expand its delivery of capital infrastructure projects throughout Scotland and regrets that the Scottish Government’s failure to ensure a steady stream of capital infrastructure works has led to the loss of nearly 30,000 jobs in the Scottish construction industry and a massive downturn in the order books of suppliers such as the structural steel industry; welcomes additional funding for housing in the UK budget; notes that 720 construction apprentices have lost their jobs as a result of the downturn in the industry, and calls on the Scottish Government to provide every young person with the right to quality training, including advanced apprenticeship or technician level training for those who are qualified.