╨╧рб▒с>■  ■                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   ▄еhcр eА╨╨ььььььь  1GXЯwь ььььpг9tЦ╞ььььThe Need for Improvements in Public Responsibility and Accountability in Scotland Margaret Cuthbert In УWhatТs the Point of Scottish Enterprise?Ф in Issue 34, Danny McKinnon considered the purpose of Scottish Enterprise, and made a call for developing an alternative economic strategy. There is indeed need for a strategy Ц and one encompassing fundamental monetary and fiscal issues: but we also need to understand in what ways the current Labour/Lib Dem administration has failed to produce, in their terms, Уjoined-up thinkingФ in economic development, and how this failure has seriously undermined economic development efforts in Scotland, including the work of Scottish Enterprise. Any strategy which does not tackle current inadequacies is bound to failure, which is why there needs to be greater powers for the Scottish Parliament and greater accountability within Scottish government. Consider SEТs knowledge economy strategy. Increasing the throughput of research from institutes to industry requires funding of research, collaborative projects between institutes and industry, and a local industry to absorb the research and make the best of it. A definite case where government and its agencies could help, but what has happened? On funding: while agricultural and biological research institutes in England can receive support from the Research Councils (that is UK wide rather than devolved funds), such institutes in Scotland (under Ross FinnieТs department), are barred from accessing such funding. Further, Gordon Brown personally oversaw г70 million out of UK reserved funds going to Cambridge to foster links with MIT: no equivalent was made available to Scottish universities. On collaborative projects, much of the funding comes from the DTI or is influenced by the DTI: as a result, although Scottish universities play an important role, this tends to be mainly with businesses south of the border, so assisting competitiveness and business growth outside Scotland. As regards the framing of EU collaborative initiatives, again the DTI is in the driving seat, with scant Scottish input. Consider trade: Treasury Funding Statements, together with Departmental Expenditure plans show clearly that reserved expenditure by British Trade International for inward investment and overseas trade is disproportionately going to England. Consider tourism: the British Tourist Authority disproportionately supports England Ц and out of reserved funding. Its tourism strategy, based on England, should, according to the Prime Minister, be equally relevant to Scotland. Cross department groups set up to stimulate economic development often have no Scottish representation. Other economic issues which have been mishandled or ignored include fishing, oil, and water. In water, mistakes, primarily by the current government, have led to the position where there are calls for privatisation by those who have most to gain. There is no basis for privatisation. Although unable to answer any of the criticisms made of their handling of the finances of water, no Committee of the Scottish Parliament nor appropriate audit body seems to exist that is capable of holding the Scottish Executive to account. Rather the Executive has used water as a hidden tax. Finally, the SE funding crisis demonstrates a lack of responsibility by and accountability of the Scottish Executive. While SE acknowledged poor internal accounting, it is now clear that the Scottish Executive played no small part in SEТs financial difficulties. Its introduction of resource accounting and budgeting was inflexible and produced results counter to those intended by the Treasury. Consequently, and unlike the RDAs, in England, Scottish Enterprise has been put on the back foot, with a number of its initiatives in jeopardy. Greater powers for the Parliament and greater accountability of the Executive are urgently required for serious economic development to take place. 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