Scotland’s largest construction trade association has been singled out for praise in the Scottish Parliament in a motion lodged by Monica Lennon, the Scottish Labour and Scottish Co-op MSP for Central Scotland.

The motion, which has been already been backed by 18 other MSPs, came after SELECT scooped the award for Best Membership Support Since Covid-19 at the recent Association Excellence Awards.

Tabled on 24 October, the motion notes that the Parliament “congratulates SELECT, which won the award for Best Membership Support Since COVID-19 at the Association Excellence Awards, which recognise what it sees the vital work carried out by trade organisations across the UK”.

The motion also “understands that the judges praised SELECT for its hard work during lockdown and beyond, saying that ‘SELECT went the extra mile to provide the personal touch, practical support via one-to-one contact, financial assistance and mental health support to members’”.

The motion “further understands that SELECT also delivered a huge range of employment, financial, health and safety and contractual guidance via its in-house teams and through the creation of the Construction Industry Collective Voice (CICV) initiative, and wishes SELECT all the best for the future”.

Those supporting Ms Lennon’s motion include fellow Labour politicians Foysol Choudhury, Paul O’Kane, Paul Sweeney and Martin Whitfield, along with the SNP’s Karen Adam, Colin Beattie, Jackie Dunbar, Bill Kidd and Fulton MacGregor.

Also giving their backing are Conservative MSPs Miles Briggs, Alexander Burnett, Sharon Dowey, Pam Gosal, Jamie Halcro Johnston, Edward Mountain, Graham Simpson, Sue Webber and Tess White.

Alan Wilson, managing director of SELECT, said: “We are enormously grateful to Ms Lennon for submitting this motion, which focuses attention on this award at the very highest level.

“It also pleasing to see it being backed by so many politicians from all sides, many of whom continue to support our ongoing crusade for regulation of the electrical industry to help make the country a safer place.”

Representatives from SELECT were presented with their Covid-19 gong at the Association Excellence Awards at the Kia Oval in London on 14 October.

The judges, who included some of the most prominent names in UK industry and commerce, said that SELECT’s response to the pandemic included offering electrical contractors a discounted subscription and a wealth of practical support to help them weather the ongoing uncertainty.

They further praised it for helping the wider industry through the creation of the Construction Industry Collective Voice (CICV), originally the Construction Industry Coronavirus Forum.