This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Executive meets with Iberdrola
05/12/2006
First Minister Jack McConnell and Deputy First Minister Nicol Stephen today met with the management of Iberdrola, the Spanish company bidding to buy ScottishPower, at government offices in Glasgow.
Afterwards Mr McConnell said:
"It's important first of all to say that any bid had to be accepted by the shareholders of Scottish Power, and it had to follow the due process of competition policy and law both in the UK and across Europe.
"Following constructive discussion this morning, it's clear that should the bid be successful the management of Iberdrola are not only committed to the existing conditions for service of employees in Scotland, but crucially, the existing Scottish identity of ScottishPower and the corporate headquarters here in Glasgow - that is important for Scotland.
"They are committed to the existing investment programme of ScottishPower at Longannet and in renewables, and most importantly for the longer term they have opened up the opportunity for us in Scotland to bid for and to secure further investment in Scotland in the energy industry.
"Iberdrola is an international company with global ambitions and we in Scotland have skills and potential in the energy industry that I believe should be attractive to them.
"Therefore we will, in addition to having had the assurances today about the current operations and investment inScottishPower, be looking to the future should this bid go ahead to secure further investment in Scotland in jobs, in research, and in the energy industry as a whole."