Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Committee, 27 Oct 1999

Meeting date: Wednesday, October 27, 1999

Official Report 274KB pdf

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Alba Centre, Livingston

Agenda item 4 concerns a paper about a proposed visit to the Alba centre in Livingston. The paper says that in late September the committee had the opportunity to meet senior staff from Cadence Design Systems, in particular the chief executive Ray Bingham. Representatives of the Alba centre also attended the meeting. The meeting was very useful and was informative about the development of the initiative and the challenges that it faces in Scotland.

The meeting's participants were very open with the committee, which was very welcome. However, shortly after the meeting, a press comment about Cadence caused concern to everyone who had attended. The comment implied that there was a lack of commitment and support for the company in Scotland. I have certainly never detected such a lack. I have written to Ray Bingham on behalf of the committee to thank him and his colleagues for their contribution to the committee's work and to assure him of the committee's support for the Cadence project.

Notwithstanding those comments, we felt that the committee would benefit from a wider and deeper understanding of what is happening at the Alba centre and with the Cadence project in particular. We need the committee's approval to approach the conveners group to obtain that group's approval for a visit to the Alba centre. That will not be as elaborate an exercise as our meeting in Inverness, but we are required to seek approval for it from another part of the Parliament, which we will seek today.

I want to return to the issue that you raised, convener. The three members who were present at the briefing thought that it was one of the best that we have had as a small group. The participants were very frank with us and I hope that you made it clear in your letter that none of us was responsible for what appeared in the article in The Herald the following week. It would strike at the heart of the committee's credibility if any suspicion were to fall on committee members. It would also, dare I say, give companies and commercial organisations some cause for concern about engaging with us. We must make it clear that we had nothing whatever to do with the remark that appeared in the paper.

I associate myself with George's remarks and with those of the convener. The briefing was probably the most interesting that I have attended in my short time in this establishment—I was going to call it an institution. It would be a worthwhile visit for those members of the committee who were unable to take up the previous opportunity of discussing issues that are important for the Scottish economy and for the local area. We should follow the recommendation and visit the Alba centre at the earliest opportunity. I hope that there will be no leaks arising from that visit to cause us embarrassment.

I made the points raised by George and Allan to Ray Bingham in my correspondence. It is a fundamental principle that companies should be able to deal with this committee confidentially. I wanted to reassure him—and the wider audience—that that is how this committee operates.

The recommendation is agreed to; we will come back to this matter. The visit is likely to take place on a non-sitting day—that is, on a Monday or a Friday—but there will be consultation on dates.