Highlands and Islands MSP Jamie Halcro Johnston is warning that the new Scottish National Investment Bank (SNIB) could be in danger of losing its way and not delivering for his region.
Mr Halcro Johnston, the Scottish Conservative Shadow Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise will raise his concerns during tomorrow’s Scottish Government debate on the first year of the new bank.
He said: “The jury is still out on the Scottish National Investment Bank. The concern always was that it would duplicate or confuse its work with better established agencies such as Highlands and Islands Enterprise, and that it would fail to carve out a distinctive role for itself which adds value."
“We have repeatedly warned that, without clear performance indicators, it will be difficult to assess what impact it is having. The creation of the bank did win qualified support from across all political parties, but twelve months in, we are still looking for the clear evidence that it is meeting a need."
“That’s a particular concern here in my Highlands and Island region which has quite distinct requirements from the Central Belt, something SNP ministers in Edinburgh too often forget."
“I hope that we get greater clarity on the performance of the bank, and it’s future plans, from ministers during the debate.”
