Harper wins support for youth fund

LOTHIANS Green MSP Robin Harper won unanimous support for a new fund to help young people start their own businesses after he led his final debate in the Scottish Parliament before he retires at the elections in May.

Outlining plans for a 2 million programme of "microcredit" loans, he said: "Too many of Scotland's young people still live in the toughest of circumstances, and tackling these problems has been a consistent theme of my work in parliament since 1999. While devolution has seen some progress for our young people, the next parliament can do so much more.

"We believe a 2m fund, with half the money coming from Scottish Government funds and half as matched funding from business would provide a start for a Scottish Youth Microcredit Scheme for sixteen- to nineteen-year-olds.

"The fund would quickly become largely self-financing, and could be expanded to support older participants."

The proposal is based on the work of Nobel prize winner Muhammad Yunus ,who founded the Grameen Bank, which provides micro-finance for people in poverty in Bangladesh.