Economy and Fair Work Committee

Meeting date: Wednesday, June 23, 2021

Official Report 429KB pdf

---

Interests

Good morning everyone, and welcome to the first meeting in session 6 of the Economy and Fair Work Committee. I am Colin Beattie, member of the Scottish Parliament for Midlothian North and Musselburgh. As the oldest member of the committee, I have the pleasure of convening the meeting for the first two items of business. I take the opportunity to welcome everybody, and I look forward to working with you all on the committee.

Before we move to the first item, I remind everyone to switch their mobile phones to silent. I note that no apologies have been received.

The first item of business requires each of us to declare any interests that we have that are relevant to the work of the committee. Background information is provided in paper 1, on declaration of interests. I will declare my interests first. As the committee covers tourism, I declare that I am a trustee director of the National Mining Museum Scotland.

I will now go round the other members of the committee in alphabetical order and give you the opportunity to declare your interests as necessary.

I declare that I am a member of Unite the union and the Co-operative Party. I am also elected as a Labour and Co-operative Party MSP.

I refer members to my entry in the register of members’ interests. I declare that I have an interest as an owner and manager of property, including agricultural, residential and commercial lettings, recreational and sporting usage and forestry. I am also a shareholder in a construction, development and house-building group and a renewable energy company, and I hold remunerated positions in companies related to those areas.

I have no specific interests in relation to the work of the committee, but I am a partner in the farming business of J Halcro-Johnston and Sons in Orkney, and I own a number of properties.

For the purposes of the committee, I note that I was the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Fair Work and Culture from February 2020 to May 2021.

I have no relevant interests that I need to declare, but now that the committee covers the tourism brief, I should say that I am a member of Historic Environment Scotland.

As per my entry in the register of members’ interests, I recently worked at Orbital Marine Power Ltd, which is a tidal energy company, and I therefore received my final payment during my time as an MSP. I am also the trustee of the Edinburgh Remakery, which is a social enterprise. I am a member of Unite the union.

I declare that I am a member of the GMB and Unite the union, although those are voluntary declarations. I am also a member of the Co-operative Party as a Scottish Labour and Co-operative Party MSP.

I also refer members to my entry in the register of members’ interests. I receive income from residential buy-to-let properties and I am a shareholder in a property management company, but I receive only a benefit in kind in the form of life cover and no other income. I am a former MP and I have been asked to continue as an ambassador for a Westminster all-party parliamentary group for fair business banking, for which I receive no income.