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The committee is coming to Aberdeen on 26 February for the whole day. It is worth your having a look at that report, because I think that you would be surprised by some of the comments in it.
The committee's—or the Parliament's—legal powers to require witnesses or documents come under sections 23 to 26 of the Scotland Act 1998. The later sections are supplementary.
It states:"Further diversification of the rural economy should be encouraged".In the simplest terms, rural diversification means the establishment of new enterprises in rural locations. That can mean existing businesses entering into new areas of activity or the creation of entirely new enterprises.
I am short on time.I would also like to ask the minister whether the special finance unit that he intends to set up will be properly resourced, with new people and new money to get it up and running.
Shiona Baird is right to say that a number of our new industries and new companies are suffering badly because insufficient capital risk investment is being made.