Dundee’s constituency MSPs today welcomed an investment package of £772,512 to fund employer recruitment initiatives and tackle youth joblessness in Dundee City Council area.

The funding comes from a £87.85 million investment – bringing together cash from the Scottish Government, local councils, Cosla, the European Commission and employers – is expected to support 10,000 young people into work across Scotland. An additional 3,000 jobs are expected to be created in small business around the country for workers of all ages.

The announcement comes on the day that labour market figures show unemployment in Scotland fell for the seventh consecutive month to 7.1% – while the UK figure remained static at 7.8%. The statistics show the headline employment level rose by 47,000 between February and April – an increase of just over one per cent to 72.2%, compared to the UK which fell by 0.1% to 71.5%.

Youth unemployment fell by 6.1 percentage points over the year to February to April 2013, meaning Scotland now has one of the lowest youth joblessness rates from across the EU.

Commenting, Dundee City West MSP said: ”This £88 million investment in jobs for young people is fantastic news and Dundee’s available funding is £772,512 which will support 240 jobs and confirms the SNP’s commitment to give every young person in Scotland the opportunity to work and make their contribution to society.”

Shona Robison, Dundee City East MSP said; “It’s also great to see how small and medium sized businesses will benefit in their ability to recruit young people and build capacity for economic growth.

“The huge emphasis that the SNP Government has placed on tackling unemployment – particularly youth unemployment – is paying off with another set of encouraging figures.

“But it is vital that we keep up this momentum and the significant announcement today will ensure that employers have the right help in place to take on more young staff and grow their business.”

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L-R: Joe FitzPatrick MSP, Shona Robison MSP, Cllr Ken Guild, Cllr Stewart Hunter, Cllr Gregor Murray, Mrs Kim Flynn, Lina Waghorn, Kenny Christie.

Dundee’s constituency MSPs Joe FitzPatrick and Shona Robison have expressed their support for proposals by Dundee City Council to scrap school music tuition fees and to improve educational attainment in the city through investment in a new arts education programme ASPIRE.

The proposals are to go before the Council’s Education Committee on 24^th and will take effect from the new term in August.

Commenting on the proposals, Shona Robison, Dundee City East MSP said: “I’m pleased to learn of Dundee City Council’s new Education initiatives.

“Scrapping music tuition fees will help boost even further the number of primary and secondary pupils in Dundee benefitting from learning an instrument.

“Apart from the acquisition of musical skills, learning to play an instrument gives the pupil confidence and satisfaction and allows them to attain goals and to express themselves creatively.

“It is very important and I commend Dundee City Council’s initiative and hope that it will receive all-party support at the Eduation Committee.”

Joe FitzPatrick, MSP for Dundee City West said: “ASPIRE, which is partly funded by the Scottish Government and Creative Scotland, will benefit nearly 2000 primary pupils in the city and improve their attainment and confidence.

“Through the use of this arts education programme we can inspire the next generation and create long-term social transformation in deprived areas of the city.

“The Council is taking bold and imaginative steps to dramatically increase the education records of achievement in Dundee schools, and I very much support these new initiatives.”

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Joe FitzPatrick, MSP for Dundee City West, today welcomed confirmation that Scottish Enterprise’s most senior official is meeting with NCR’s corporate management in the United States.

In May this year, it was revealed that up to 70 jobs could be under threat at the technology firm’s research and development centre in Dundee.

At a meeting in May with local management, Joe FitzPatrick was advised that the potential job losses are part of an international re-alignment that will impact on NCR sites across the world and that it was not a reflection of the skills and experience of the workforce.

In a letter to the MSP, senior executive Adrian Gillespie confirmed that Scottish Enterprise’s Chief Executive, Dr Lena Wilson, is meeting with NCR management in the United States.

Mr Gillespie stated that the purpose of this meeting is, “to understand further the rationale behind this announcement and more importantly to explore how Scottish Enterprise can help to maximise ongoing long term investment in the Dundee operation with key US decision makers.”

Joe FitzPatrick said,

“Following my recent meeting with NCR’s local management last month, I raised this issue at the highest level with the Scottish Government’s enterprise agency and also directly with the Finance Secretary, John Swinney.

“I am reassured that the Scottish Government’s most senior official from Scottish Enterprise is meeting with NCR in the United States in an effort to secure jobs and continued investment at the Dundee site.

“This will be a difficult time for the employees and their families, though I remain hopeful that NCR will endeavour to avoid redundancies and I welcome the knowledge that action is being taken by the Scottish Government’s agency to assist them in doing so.”

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Dundee City West MSP Joe FitzPatrick today visited St Joseph’s RC Primary School as part of the Scottish Parliament Education Outreach Programme.

The local MSP spoke to a P5/6 class who have been learning about the Scottish
Parliament and the Independence Referendum.

Joe also heard that the pupils were settling into their new school – which is on a shared facility with Victoria Park PS – and that they are enjoying the new environment and benefitting from the improved facilities, which include a separate gym facility that is enabling them to have two PE sessions a week.

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Dundee’s SNP MSPs Joe FitzPatrick and Shona Robison today welcomed newly published figures which show that as of 31 March, the number of police officers in Tayside was at its highest level since 2007, standing at 1,245, an increase over every other quarter.

This is the final report on statistics of the eight forces configuration as the next statistical report will address staffing numbers of the new single force, Police Scotland.

Dundee City West MSP Joe FitzPatrick said: “I welcome the new statistics showing that the Scottish Government has kept its commitment to deliver increased police numbers and drive down crime.

“There is no substitute for bobbies on the beat and that is what we have delivered, with police numbers in Tayside at their highest-level since 2007.

“The SNP has delivered safer communities, and crime is at a 40 year-low thanks to these extra police officers patrolling our streets.”

Shona Robison, MSP for Dundee City East said: “The new Police Officer Quarterly Strength Statistics Scotland figures show that across Scotland, the SNP has delivered 1,261 additional police officers, a national increase of 7.8%.
“Not a single one of those additional police officers would be there, protecting our communities, if Labour had their way.  And all the opposition parties voted against the Scottish Government Budget which is delivering the resources to maintain these police numbers.”

Tayside Police

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Dundee City West MSP Joe FitzPatrick today [20th] met with local management of NCR at their offices in Fulton Road after an announcement about job losses.

Joe said: “Obviously as the local MSP I am deeply concerned for members of staff facing potential redundancy and they remain my first priority.

“The staff at NCR Dundee are very experienced and highly skilled, but the potential job losses are part of an international re-alignment that will impact on NCR sites across the world.

“In Dundee this will impact on both hardware and software engineering, although I was assured that Dundee remains integral to NCR’s global business.

“I have already spoken with John Swinney, Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth, who has assured me that the Scottish Government will work with the company to help those affected and maintain as many jobs in Dundee as possible.

“I remain hopeful that NCR will endeavour to avoid redundancies and I stand ready to support the local management and staff in any way I can.”

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Dundee City West MSP Joe FitzPatrick today [20th] met with local management of NCR at their offices in Fulton Road after an announcement about job losses.

Joe said: “Obviously as the local MSP I am deeply concerned for members of staff facing potential redundancy and they remain my first priority.

“The staff at NCR Dundee are very experienced and highly skilled, but the potential job losses are part of an international re-alignment that will impact on NCR sites across the world.

“In Dundee this will impact on both hardware and software engineering, although I was assured that Dundee remains integral to NCR’s global business.

“I have already spoken with John Swinney, Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth, who has assured me that the Scottish Government will work with the company to help those affected and maintain as many jobs in Dundee as possible.

“I remain hopeful that NCR will endeavour to avoid redundancies and I stand ready to support the local management and staff in any way I can.”

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Dundee Rail Station

Dundee City West MSP Joe FitzPatrick today welcomed the announcement by Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill that Scottish courts are to be given new powers to crack down on fine dodgers.

The Justice Secretary had requested that Scottish courts be provided access to the same UK government databases that are used by courts in England and Wales to help track offenders and ensure they pay their fines.

The UK Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Iain Duncan Smith, has now agreed that the Scottish Court Service (SCS) should have access to the Department for Work and Pensions’ databases.

Having access to DWP databases will help SCS enforcement staff in their efforts to pursue fine dodgers, which can include deduction of payments from benefits, arresting of wages, as well as freezing of bank accounts.


Commenting on the news, Joe FitzPatrick, Member of the Scottish Parliament for Dundee City West where Dundee Sheriff Court is located, said:

“It was clearly unfair that courts in England and Wales were able to access UK Government databases to track fine dodgers whilst courts here in Scotland were not.

“I’m glad that the Secretary of State has accepted this disparity and has agreed to rectify it by allowing the Scottish Court Service to access his department’s data.

“There must be no escape from paying court fines.

“This move will help to ensure that those who have been found guilty of breaking the law and have had fines imposed on them are tracked down and forced to pay.”


Mr MacAskill said:

“The collection of fines and penalties is crucial to ensuring fair and effective justice, upholding the law and deterring crime.

“While collection rates have improved since the Scottish Courts Service (SCS) took on responsibility for this and are now at consistently high levels, these figures could be improved further if we had access to key information held about offenders by the Department for Work and Pensions and other Whitehall Departments.

“That’s why I wrote to Iain Duncan Smith earlier in the year, asking him to ensure that as a matter of urgency, SCS staff are able to access the same kind of information which is available to fine enforcement teams in England and Wales.

“I welcome the fact that he has agreed with me, that is not acceptable for DWP to provide a lesser service to enforcement officers in Scotland, than elsewhere and has stated his determination to work with other Whitehall Departments and the Scottish government to address this.”

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