Seòmar agus comataidhean

I thank Mr Stewart for that and for highlighting the good work of the business in his constituency.

I was in the north-east—in Aberdeen—with the First Minister for the launch of Scottish Enterprise’s new corporate plan, which is focused on three key priorities, one of which is inspiring innovation. Its investment decisions are filtered through those lenses, one of which is around inspiring continued innovation. We continue to expand through the budget the likes of the Techscaler network, which is about providing the ecosystem that ensures that new business start-ups are able to establish. We also continue to support the likes of SNIB and others that provide some of the early stage investment, but there are other opportunities and areas regarding early stage investment opportunities in Scotland on which I am happy to follow up in writing.

That last thing that I would say is that, particularly in the energy space, we are cognisant of the fact that we need to plot a path and set a direction of travel for what we are looking to focus our public sector funding on, not just for the new renewable energy supply chain—the offshore wind supply chain—that we are looking to see established in Scotland, but for the catalytic impact that those investments can have in leveraging private investment. That is why the green industrial strategy that we will publish before the summer will be so important. It will take decisions and will say that we will prioritise certain sectors. In some cases, that will mean that some people are not happy, but we will take decisions on the basis of the evidence that we have received from our engagement and the support that we have received from the likes of the First Minister’s investor panel.

As Mr Stewart will understand, when we talk about innovation and early stage investment support, a risk is attached. We have to accept that there will be an element of risk. Some innovations will flourish and the businesses will do incredibly well, and we want to see that in Scotland. Others, in some cases, will not do as well, but I want to make sure that we have an ecosystem that supports innovation, where new businesses can establish and which attracts further capital from private sector investment. We are already seeing the early stages of that good work come through, but I want to see more.

No, not particularly. As I have said, I would point to the work that is being done by Scottish Enterprise on the priorities that it is taking forward to ensure that we take greatest advantage of the greatest economic opportunity that we have before us, which is our energy transition—that is, the just transition.

There is obviously a climate imperative: we need to ensure that we tackle climate change. However, although we have clear responsibilities in that respect, it also represents our greatest economic opportunity. Indeed, we know as much from the investor panel’s recommendations, which point to the fact that Scotland itself provides the greatest opportunity for us to leverage private capital.

I will bring in Colin Cook to provide greater detail.

I have not had that communicated to me, no.

Efficiency will obviously be important to public sector reform, but we are not looking at public sector reform purely on the basis of reductions in spending. That process is being led by the Deputy First Minister, and we have embarked on ensuring that our business support landscape is as efficient as possible, which will include looking at the work that is done by Business Gateway and our enterprise agencies, and at the role of our regional economic partnerships, to ensure that we have a clear business support landscape that responds to the needs of business and which allows people, depending on which part of their journey they are on, their location or the sector that they are in, to understand which door to turn to in order to receive the support that they need.

I have had early discussions with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, which has responsibility for Business Gateway, and with other parties to ensure that the public sector reform piece that comes forward meets those ambitions and aligns with the direction of travel that we have given to our enterprise agencies. I would point again to the corporate plan that Scottish Enterprise has published, which will ensure that it focuses on the key priority areas and that those areas are aligned with our priorities for the national strategy for economic transformation—of which, as I mentioned in my opening remarks, we are undertaking a refresh to ensure that we are focused and that we prioritise those actions across the 10-year plan.

I cannot put a timescale on that, but the discussions are on-going.

As somebody who is originally from Orkney, and having visited it during the Christmas recess, I can confirm that the connectivity, particularly for mobile data, is much improved. You are correct about the connectivity for Fair Isle, and I am happy to provide a further update to the committee with more detail on the proposed work that we have coming forward on the expansion of R100 to our island communities. That update will satisfy your inquiries.

We are making substantial investments in education and health. The budget for both areas is up, the local government settlement is up and the NHS budget is up. I acknowledge Mr Whittle’s assessment that we need to make sure that we have a healthy workforce and to invest to ensure that we do. Ensuring that we have minimum unit pricing and that we tackle availability of unhealthy products are among the areas on which we need to move forward. I look forward to working with Mr Whittle on those things in order to ensure that they are got right and that, where we agree, we can move forward as quickly as possible, although those matters are predominantly outwith my portfolio responsibilities.

We have increased funding for local government. That is recognised in the budget. I recognise, however, that all elements of the public sector are facing fiscal challenges, which is born out of decisions that are taken at UK level. The challenge that local government in England is facing, where we see local authorities going bankrupt, is self-evident, and the cuts that are happening to local authorities there are on a far greater scale. We are not willing to follow that, which is why we have taken tax decisions to prioritise public spending.

If Mr Whittle understands the consequence of UK spending decisions on Scottish Government spending decisions and—as he has just pointed out—local government spending decisions, I would prefer by far that we work together on the initial damage that is being done to our public sector financial landscape by the UK Government’s spending decisions. Whether it be on mental health, social work or education, ensuring that we have preventative spending at an early stage is exactly why we have prioritised protecting, as far as we possibly can, our public sector budgets.

Yes. It was a different commitment, for a women’s business centre. As I said, the consultation and engagement that Ana Stewart and Mark Logan engaged in concluded that that would not the be most effective way of getting women into business.

Yes. Obviously, I cannot account for future budgets, because we do not have sight of them, but I hope that we would be able to continue to invest greater amounts in that space. The Government recognises that greater diversity in business start-ups is an untapped economic opportunity, and that ensuring that we release the full potential of women—women, in this case, but it is so for other groups, as well—to get into business and to get on in the employment market is a good opportunity for business growth. It is also the right thing to do. I will bring in Aidan Grisewood on the particular budget area in which that funding lands.