Harper wins support for youth fund
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.
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Hide Ad"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.