The SNP is working hard to bring jobs to Dundee and has created numerous jobs since 2007 and will continue to press for more civil service opportunities, says Dundee’s elected representatives.
Shona Robison, Dundee East MSP said: “We will continue to press Dundee’s case for civil service job opportunities. It is a fact that the Scottish Government has helped to create a considerable number of new posts in the city over the last two years, some of which are still to come on-stream.
“However, despite the Scottish Government’s ongoing job creation and support for ongoing regeneration projects, we need to recognise that we are now living in a very different economic world. The public sector is not immune to that. There is more likely to be contraction rather than expansion of the public sector.
“Some of the jobs which have come to Dundee recently include 70 posts created by £5m funding in 2008 for the Translational Medicine Centre at Dundee University.
“New life sciences jobs will be created at the Scottish Institute for Cell Signalling led by Sir Philip Cohen, set up by £10m funding in 2008.
“There will be a number of new jobs at the £16m Scottish Police Services forensic laboratory at City Court at the waterfront when that opens and the SPSA have taken a 35 year lease on the building.
“It has been estimated that the Scottish Government’s £33m investment in the waterfront regeneration project could create 3500 new permanent jobs and generate £2.6 billion into the national economy.
“The V&A project which the Scottish Government is working jointly towards with the City Council and the city’s two Universities, will begin construction in 2012 and be completed in 2014 and will generate 900 jobs and bring an estimated 130,000 visitors to Dundee every year.”
Dundee West MSP Joe FitzPatrick said: “Dundee’s Life Sciences sector also received funding from the Scottish Government’s Modern Apprenticeship Framework for Life Sciences last year, which will enable the recruitment of two apprentices for the price of every one taken on.
“The Scottish Government funded 1,000 additional police officers last year and this has meant new police posts in Tayside.
“Funding from the Scottish Government will allow Dundee City Council to build five new primary schools and a new Harris Academy building in the next few years thus providing a boost for the local construction industry.
“It should be noted that other political parties in the Scottish Parliament, and the Liberal Democrats in particular, have been demanding a reduction in the size of the public sector especially the number of quangos in Scotland.
“This really is not consistent with their call locally for more civil service jobs. They can’t have it both ways.”
Dundee East MP Stewart Hosie condemned the recent announcement by the UK Treasury confirming plans to close 130 HMRC offices with the loss of up to 1,700 jobs.
SNP Treasury spokesperson Stewart Hosie echoed concerns raised by the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCSU) warned that the public and businesses would suffer, with tax advice and support “severely reduced”, and tax collection “undermined”. More than 20,000 civil service jobs have been axed since 2006.
Mr Hosie said: “This is more than just the wrong decision at the wrong time, it is just madness to slash HMRC jobs and services at a time when they are needed most.
“We are in the teeth of recession, and it is no time for the Labour Government to be adding to the dole queue.
“As well as being a bitter blow to the HMRC workforce, these cuts will hit businesses and the public just when they need accessible and well-resourced services most.”
Dundee West Westminster SNP candidate Jim Barrie said that Alistair Darling’s decision to increase employers National Insurance contribution by 1% from 1st April 2011 could cost Scotland £104 million from 2011 to 2012.
The decision by the UK Chancellor is set to cost Dundee City Council £1.7 million and NHS Tayside £2.9 million.
Councillor Barrie said: “Labour’s decision to increase national insurance is going to have a direct effect on frontline services.
“The UK Government will be penalising employers so that they will be unable to expand and take on new staff when the recession is over.”
