6 Employment and skills for the defence
industry in Scotland
18. At the end of 2007, we announced a substantial
new inquiry for 2008 on Employment and skills for the defence
industry in Scotland. The inquiry was prompted by the announcement
in July 2007 of a £7.7bn increase in the defence budget over
three years. £3.8bn of this will be spent on two 65,000 tonne
Royal Navy aircraft carriers. A significant proportion of the
construction will take place in Scotland and the order for the
carriers will be completed at yards on the Clyde and at Rosyth.
The Secretary of State was reported as saying that the contract
would support or create 10,000 jobs, including those at shipyards
across the UK.
19. In the context of the £3.8bn contract for
new aircraft carriers, we decided to consider how Scotland can
maximise the opportunities arising from defence construction contracts,
including the contract for the new aircraft carriers. Our inquiry
will examine:
- the Scottish skills base: the
adequacy of the current skills base, the provision of training
and the balance between specialist and transferable skills for
future defence industry needs;
- the distribution of jobs and economic benefit
across Scotland; and
- the opportunities for associated industries and
the wider supply chain, including small businesses across Scotland.
We will report on the findings of this inquiry in
next year's Annual Report.
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