Scottish Parliament Business Exchange
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Scottish Parliament Business Exchange
The Scottish Parliament Business Exchange (SPBE) was a charity in Scotland created to develop a greater understanding between the business world and Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs). Set up in 2001, it closed in April 2016. History The SPBE was established in June 2001, and was promoted as an educational exchange allowing members of the Scottish Parliament to learn more about all kinds of businesses. From its earliest days, there was debate about its activities and funding. It was criticised by transparency campaigners, including SNP MSP Tricia Marwick, who believed its fee-based system created preferential access to Holyrood. Its activities and reporting systems were repeatedly discussed by the Parliament's Standards Committee; in 2002 it was condemned for failing to "provide sufficient transparency or accountability." In November 2003 the Committee was "unconvinced" there were "adequate safeguards in place" to ensure the SPBE's commitment of being "non-lobbying". The SP ...
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Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, the North Sea to the northeast and east, and the Irish Sea to the south. It also contains more than 790 islands, principally in the archipelagos of the Hebrides and the Northern Isles. Most of the population, including the capital Edinburgh, is concentrated in the Central Belt—the plain between the Scottish Highlands and the Southern Uplands—in the Scottish Lowlands. Scotland is divided into 32 administrative subdivisions or local authorities, known as council areas. Glasgow City is the largest council area in terms of population, with Highland being the largest in terms of area. Limited self-governing power, covering matters such as education, social services and roads and transportation, is devolved from the Scott ...
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Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament ( gd, Pàrlamaid na h-Alba ; sco, Scots Pairlament) is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. Located in the Holyrood area of the capital city, Edinburgh, it is frequently referred to by the metonym Holyrood. The Parliament is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs), elected for five-year terms under the additional member system: 73 MSPs represent individual geographical constituencies elected by the plurality (first-past-the-post) system, while a further 56 are returned as list members from eight additional member regions. Each region elects seven party-list MSPs. Each region elects 15 to 17 MSPs in total. The most recent general election to the Parliament was held on 6 May 2021, with the Scottish National Party winning a plurality. The original Parliament of Scotland was the national legislature of the independent Kingdom of Scotland and existed from the early 13th centur ...
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Tricia Marwick
Patricia Marwick (née Lee; born 5 November 1953) is a Scottish politician who served as Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament from 2011 to 2016. She was a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) from 1999 to 2016. Elected as a member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), she suspended her membership in 2011 upon her election as presiding officer, following the tradition of the presiding officer being nonpartisan. Born in Cowdenbeath and raised in Fife, she worked for Shelter Scotland before becoming a politician. In the first ever Scottish Parliament election, Marwick ran as an SNP candidate for the Central Fife constituency, but came second to Henry McLeish. Although she failed to win the seat in two elections, she was elected as an additional member for the Mid Scotland and Fife region. In the 2007 Scottish Parliament election, she defeated Scottish Labour's Christine May, and was elected to served as the MSP for Central Fife. Following the 2011 election to th ...
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Lobbying
In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agency, regulatory agencies. Lobbying, which usually involves direct, face-to-face contact, is done by many types of people, associations and organized groups, including individuals in the private sector, corporations, fellow legislators or government officials, or advocacy groups (interest groups). Lobbyists may be among a legislator's Electoral district, constituencies, meaning a Voting, voter or Voting bloc, bloc of voters within their electoral district; they may engage in lobbying as a business. Professional lobbyists are people whose business is trying to influence legislation, regulation, or other government decisions, actions, or policies on behalf of a group or individual who hires them. Individuals and nonprofit organizations can also lobby as an act of vo ...
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Devin Scobie
Devin may refer to: Places * Devin, Bulgaria, a town *Devin, Minab, a village in Hormozgan Province, Iran *Devin, North Khorasan, a village in North Khorasan Province, Iran *Devin, Razavi Khorasan, a village in Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran *Devin, the Slovene name of Duino in Italy * Devín, a borough of Bratislava, Slovakia ** Devín Castle *Děvín, a mountain in the Czech Republic * Devín Gate, a natural gate in the Danube valley at the border of Slovakia and Austria *Camp Devin, Montana, a temporary United States Army camp established in 1878 People *Devin (name), a list of people with the given name or surname * Devin the Dude (born 1970), American hip hop artist Devin Copeland Other uses *Devin Enterprises, an American manufacturer of cars and kit-cars See also *Devins (other) *Devon (other) Devon is a county in England. Devon also may refer to: Places Australia * Devon Meadows, Victoria, a town * Devon railway station, a former railway station ...
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Caledonia Consulting
Caledonia Consulting is a public affairs and communications firm, established (as Caledonia PR Ltd) in December 2006, in Edinburgh, Scotland, and run by director Margaret Smith. Involvement with Scottish Parliament Business Exchange Scobie used to work for the public affairs company GPC International (involved in the Derek Draper 'Lobbygate' affair). Scobie attracted some controversy because he was simultaneously (from January 2007 to January 2008) secretary of the Scottish Parliament Business Exchange (SPBE), a venture set up in the Scottish Parliament with the stated purpose of educating MSPs and business about each other. It stated that it was "non-lobbying" and yet many of those associated with it (including Scobie) were or are professional lobbyists.
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Companies House
Companies House is the executive agency of the company registrars of the United Kingdom, falling under the remit of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. All forms of companies (as permitted by the Companies Act) are incorporated and registered with Companies House and file specific details as required by legislation. All registered limited companies, including subsidiary, small and inactive companies, must file annual financial statements in addition to annual company returns, and all these are public records. Only some registered unlimited companies (meeting certain conditions) are exempt from this requirement. The United Kingdom has had a system of company registration since 1844. The legislation governing company registration matters is the Companies Act 2006. History 19th century Prior to 1844, companies could only be incorporated through grant of a royal charter, by private act of Parliament, or, from 1834, by letters patent. Few companie ...
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Pfizer
Pfizer Inc. ( ) is an American multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation headquartered on 42nd Street in Manhattan, New York City. The company was established in 1849 in New York by two German entrepreneurs, Charles Pfizer (1824–1906) and his cousin Charles F. Erhart (1821–1891). Pfizer develops and produces medicines and vaccines for immunology, oncology, cardiology, endocrinology, and neurology. The company has several blockbuster drugs or products that each generate more than billion in annual revenues. In 2020, 52% of the company's revenues came from the United States, 6% came from each of China and Japan, and 36% came from other countries. Pfizer was a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average stock market index from 2004 to August 2020. The company ranks 64th on the Fortune 500 and 49th on the Forbes Global 2000. History 1849–1950: Early history Pfizer was founded in 1849 by Charles Pfizer and Charles F. Erhart, two cousins who had i ...
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Charities Based In Scotland
A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definition of a charitable organization (and of charity) varies between countries and in some instances regions of the country. The regulation, the tax treatment, and the way in which charity law affects charitable organizations also vary. Charitable organizations may not use any of their funds to profit individual persons or entities. (However, some charitable organizations have come under scrutiny for spending a disproportionate amount of their income to pay the salaries of their leadership). Financial figures (e.g. tax refund, revenue from fundraising, revenue from sale of goods and services or revenue from investment) are indicators to assess the financial sustainability of a charity, especially to charity evaluators. This information can impact a chari ...
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