The Scottish Government’s Partnership Action for Continuing Employment (PACE) initiative has been triggered and the local PACE team met with employees of Pringle of Scotland in Hawick on Tuesday 22 July. The meeting provided an opportunity for staff affected by Pringle’s recent announcement to obtain full details of the support, advice, guidance and retraining options available to help them access alternative employment opportunities.

PACE partners intend to hold a skills based event for Pringle’s staff during the week beginning 11 August 2008, which will include advice on updating CVs, opportunities to undertake mock interviews and update IT skills.

 The Cabinet Secretary met with John Lamont MSP, Christine Grahame MSP, local councillors, Pringle of Scotland management and trade unions to discuss the situation on 2 July 2008.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-14564 on 25 July 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

I refer the member to the question S3W-14564, answered on 25 July 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-14564 on 25 July 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-14564 on 25 July 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

As I announced on the 19th June, the aim of Scotland’s first national food and drink policy is to promote Scotland’s sustainable economic growth by ensuring that the Scottish Government’s focus in relation to food and drink, and in particular our work with Scotland’s food and drink industry, addresses quality, health and wellbeing, and environmental sustainability, recognising the need for access to affordable food for all.

I have set up a framework to ensure delivery of this aim. Acknowledging the momentum for change already built up through the National Discussion on Food, the framework going forward will encompass a high level of transparency and engagement.

I will be chairing a leadership forum, whose remit takes an overarching view of the work being taken forward by five thematic working groups encompassing existing Scottish Government initiatives, alongside a number of new projects being commissioned by the five specific thematic work streams.

The leadership forum exists to ensure a consistency of approach and overall adherence to the aim of the Food and Drink Policy. I will be inviting four key individuals to join the leadership forum, acting as “champions” for, respectively; sustainable economic growth; health; sustainability; and access to affordable food.  In addition the forum will also include each of the chairs of the work streams, at least one other Scottish Government Minister and a representative of the drink sector.

The five key themes are (1) Sustainable Economic Growth; (2) Food and Drink Choices; (3) Enhancing Scotland’s Reputation for Food and Drink; (4) Walking the Talk; and, (5) Affordability, Access and Security. Each theme will be chaired independently, with support from Scottish government officials. The Chairs of each thematic group will be part of the leadership forum.

It is important that the food and drink policy aims and initiatives for Scotland are not piecemeal nor static but remain flexible and adaptive to the rapid changes in domestic and food supply and consumption challenges. I will therefore be asking the work streams for their initial findings and recommendations in early 2009.

My announcement on the 19 June also acknowledged the breadth of initiatives already underway across Government, it is important that we do not lose sight of these, nor the very enthusiastic resolve for real change.

The Scottish Government’s new catering contract will commence on 1 March 2009.

The Scottish Government’s contract will be awarded under a catering services framework agreement. The Scottish Government intends to publish an advert within the next two months, which seeks expressions of interest from companies wishing to tender to be included on the framework.

Details of the new framework agreement and Scottish Government contract cannot be made public until after the contract has been formally awarded. This is expected to take place in December 2008 at the earliest.

The catering framework will be available for use by the Scottish Government, its associated departments, agencies and NDPBs. The core Scottish Government catering contract will commence on the 1 March 2009 with other organisations joining the framework at various stages thereafter.

The £1 million announced in October last year was to help promote long term resilience in the red meat sector. Of this, £330,000 has been allocated to Quality Meat Scotland to fund a strategic review of the pig sector and a project aimed at adding value to the carcases of cattle, sheep and pigs.