That concludes our coverage of the Scottish parliament for Thursday 18 May 2017.

We'll be back on Tuesday.

Have a good weekend.

The Government motion as amended is agreed to unanimously.

Image source, Scottish Parliament

Image source, Scottish Parliament

Image source, Scottish Parliament

The Labour amendment is agreed to unanimously.

Image source, Scottish Parliament

The Tory amendment is agreed to unanimously.

Image source, Scottish Parliament

Mr Wheelhouse says the evidence shows PACE is effective with 71% of those who use the service getting employment.

The business minister says it is important to say there are a number of sectors that are doing well in the economy.

He says more than 50% of all properties pay no business rates.

Business Minister Paul Wheelhouse says the government knows the importance of raising awareness of PACE.

Mr Wheelhouse says the PACE partnership is "what it says on the tin" and it provides employment guidance and support.

The business minister says PACE can make a real difference to those affected by redundancy, their families and the wider community.

He commends the engagement of all the PACE partners and says support for those over the age of 55 remains a focus.

Tory MSP Gordon Lindhurst says it is pleasing to note the successes of PACE.

Mr Lindhurst says job outcomes are almost at three quarters and 60% of those are at around the same level as the one lost.

He says Scotland is falling behind the rest of the UK with the real threat of the country slipping into recession.

Tory MSP Gordon Lindhurst says he was disappointed to hear of 260 job losses at a plant in Livingston and that PACE may have a role to play following consultation.

Mr Lindhurst says says the valuable assistance for those in the oil and gas industry has been highlighted.

The Tory MSP says more must be done to support older workers and that there must be more coalescence.

He says the PACE online and telephony services should be better publicised to help older people.

Mr Leonard asks whether workers should have a statutory right to buy a plant facing closure.

The Labour MSP says his party will support the Tory amendment and the government motion.

He says cutting the grant aid to Skills Development Scotland will not help and he calls for that decision to be revisited.

Labour MSP Richard Leonard says he has been told the oil and gas transition fund and helped 48 people in Lanarkshire and that it is an issue that needs to be tackled right across Scotland.

Mr Leonard says the Wood group has shed 3000 jobs which did not stop the Wood family rising in the rich list this year.

The Labour MSP says members often come to the chamber with news of threat of redundancies in their constituencies and that often that comes at the beginning of negotiations with trade unions which serve to avoid the need for redundancies.

The PACE approach

For employers this means support for businesses of any size, no matter how many employees are involved. It’s free of charge, and helps take away some of the strain of dealing with redundancy.

For employees it means free, impartial advice on dealing with the practical and emotional sides of redundancy. PACE advisers help people recognise their skills, explore their options and prepare for their next move.

And because PACE supports companies across Scotland, the partnership can often connect businesses looking to hire new people with those making redundancies.

PACE plays a vital role, supporting people through what can be one of the most stressful periods of their working lives.

Image source, bbc

Conservative MSP Jamie Greene says it is important to get people back into work.

The Tory MSP says he welcomes yesteray's unemployment figures which he says are at a 46 year low.

He says more could be done to reach out to people and highlight the work of PACE.

Mr Greene says PACE has seen successes like the high job outcomes for those using the service.

Three quarters of service users said they were satisfied he says.

The Tory MSP calls for a more diversified economy.

Image source, Getty Images

An investigation into claims of discrimination against former oil workers has uncovered some examples but it is not widespread, the UK government has said.

BBC Scotland revealed last month that an MSP had passed on concerns.

One oil worker said companies would not hire him because they believed he would quit if the oil price rose again.

Business minister Margot James has now said the cases are believed to be isolated.

Read more here.

SNP MSP Gillian Martin says a decrease in oil price and refusal from the UK government to provide loans to employers means that there has been job losses in the industry.

Ms Martin says a number of sectors are sure to benefit from those who are leaving the oil and gas industry.

The SNP MSP says those leaving that industry want to retrain and support the economy and that it makes sense for the parliament to support this redeployment.

Ms Martin says she has been working with BBC journalist Fiona Stalker to highlight discrimination against oil and gas workers.

From the SDS PACE website:, external

We want to help minimise the impact for people and businesses facing redundancy.

We offer free advice and support, as the lead agency in PACE – Partnership Action for Continuing Employment.

Support from 22 organisations

PACE was set up by the Scottish Government, and also includes DWP (through Jobcentre Plus), local authorities, Citizens Advice, colleges and training providers. Local PACE teams deliver the service across Scotland.

They understand the local labour market, and offer a wealth of experience in helping companies and people who are facing redundancy. Local teams can respond quickly when situations arise and can also come in and assist businesses to try and minimise the risk of redundancy before it happens.

Lib Dem MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton says that everyone in the chamber has been touched by redundancy either directly or through family or friends.

Mr Cole-Hamilton says he was once told he may be made redundant and it was a feeling of "terror" because he had just entered a new mortgage, his wife was pregnant with his third child.

He says he avoided the redundancy thanks to a grant given to his company but he had to make someone else redundant a few years later.

Mr Cole-Hamilton says that older people need more support and asks the government: "please, please do more for older people facing redundancy."

Labour MSP Lewis Macdonald says the north east has had the most experience with redundancies for quite sometime.

Mr Macdonald says that PACE is an important service to those involved but that offshore unions remain rightly concerned.

The Labour MSP says there needs to be full support for oil workers who do not wish to remain in the industry.

He says jobs are still be lost and contract are still being put on hold in the oil sector.

Image source, bbc

SNP MSP Graeme Dey says PACE offers wide-ranging and impartial advice to employees facing redundancies.

Mr Dey says PACE engaged with GE Oil and Gas and all the employees facing redundancy were helped by PACE.

He says PACE has difficulty getting through to staff in some companies in his constituency, saying in one it could not get past the switchboard.

The SNP MSP says when it comes to people losing their jobs there should be no barriers.

Controversial plans to shut Jobcentre Plus offices in Glasgow would not provide an adequate service, a Commons committee has found.

A report from the Scottish Affairs Committee, external (SAC) said the plans "showed a lack of clear planning."

Its chairman, Pete Wishart, said the exercise appeared to have been driven by the desire to save money.

But the UK government said the plans would improve the service while making best use of taxpayers' money.

The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) announced in December 2016, that eight of the 16 Jobcentre Plus offices in Glasgow were to be closed.