Frank McNally

I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow East (John Grady) on securing this important debate. After 14 years of economic mismanagement, my constituents deserve to see their wages go further, their public services performing better and their local communities thriving. For those aspirations to be met, we need good-quality, well-paid jobs that provide the security people need to plan for their futures and to have the economic confidence to spend in their local areas—to purchase in their local shops, and to support local cafés, restaurants and pubs, such as the Yard House in Coatbridge, which I had the privilege of visiting recently. So many of those establishments are facing real challenges. In my community, I want to see the creation of jobs, investment in the skills that people need, and support for people who are seeking to develop those skills or to start their own businesses. I am pleased to see the work of our Labour Government. So much good work has already begun towards building a stronger, fairer economy in Scotland, which will provide the foundations to create those jobs: the Employment Rights Bill, which is set to ban exploitative zero-hours contracts, end fire and rehire and fundamentally tackle the scourge of low pay; the creation of the national wealth fund and GB Energy; and the significant event yesterday, which will deliver £63 billion of investment. I am keen to see what that means in reality for people across Coatbridge and Bellshill. However, critical to that is improving Scotland’s economic circumstances and working to reset the relationship between Scotland’s two Governments. We must not underestimate the scale of the challenge we face. Labour market statistics published in July make for sobering reading, with unemployment rates and inactivity rates above those in the rest of the UK. Those figures show that rebuilding our economy and, more importantly, our communities, household finances and public services will not be easy or achieved overnight. That will require a level of analysis, investment and co-operation between the two Governments, which, sadly, we all know has been absent for far too long.