Douglas Fraser Scottish Political Editor douglas.fraser@theherald.co.uk FIRMS that win millions of pounds in public subsidy and barely stay for the term of the deal have been criticised by Tommy Sheridan.

The Solidarity leader was responding to evidence gained from Enterprise Minister Nicol Stephen that highlighted two examples of companies that had left quickly after the main conditions of support grants had been met.

Mr Sheridan's intervention follows an earlier attack on Simclar, which closed its Ayrshire plants and sacked the workforce, after receiving as much as £4m in grants.

The cases detailed were the Thomson Holidays call centre in Cardonald, Glasgow which won £1.4m to set up seven years ago, but when it closed last year only £200,000 could be recovered, and Lexmark, the printer cartridge company, which closed its Fife factory last year having received several millions in grants.

The Solidarity leader said he was "horrified at these companies who take millions of our money, make big profits and then sack the workers and move somewhere else".