- Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 14 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the £100 million allocated to help
businesses to improve their digital skills, capacity and
capability, whether it will provide a breakdown of what it has spent the
£38 million on, as referred to in its response to the Economy and Fair Work
Committee report on retail and town centres.
Answer
In the period since this commitment was made in 2021 we have invested £38 million directly into Scottish businesses and associated support for them to access. This does not include the value of the programmes that our enterprise agencies deliver on our behalf.
A breakdown of the £38 million is as follows.
DigitalBoost Development - £30 million
Digital Development Loan - £5.1 million
DigitalBoost National Programme - £2.9 million
Digital Productivity Labs Pilot - £600,000
Data Readiness Tool - £170,000
Total - £38.77 million
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 14 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government when it last met with the Scottish National Investment Bank to discuss the ongoing recruitment process for a new CEO.
Answer
The Scottish Government have engaged with the Bank regularly throughout the recruitment process for a new CEO including over the last few weeks.
- Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 14 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how much additional investment it expects will be generated by the increase to the International Trade and Investment budget line in the Scottish Budget 2023-24.
Answer
The International Trade and Investment budget funds the delivery of three key plans. These are: A Trading Nation - Scotland's Export Growth Plan; Scotland's Inward Investment Plan and Scotland's Global Capital Investment Plan. Together these work to deliver economic growth as well as a stronger, fairer, greener Scotland that benefits everyone. They enable Scotland to be a highly productive and innovative place to live, work and do business on a global scale.
Evidence shows that our plans are working:
In terms of Inward Investment –
- The EY Annual Attractiveness Survey 2022 showed that Scotland has been the top performing region or nation of the UK, outside of London, in attracting FDI, for the past 7 years.
- Scotland’s FDI projects outpaced Europe and the rest of the UK – Scottish projects were up by 14% from 2020, compared to 5.4% increase in Europe and 1.8% per cent increase in UK.
In terms of Exports –
- Comparing with the previous year, when oil and gas are excluded, Scotland’s international goods exports increased by 20.5% in 2022 compared to 2021. This compares to a 13.3% increase for the UK.
International Trade and Investment’s budget for 2023-24 will be targeted towards the next phase of delivery which will:
- Set the direction on new Market Opportunities to attract high quality inward investment (and associated spill over benefits) and the technologies required to deliver our ambitions in areas such as Energy Transition, focusing on Scotwind and Hydrogen, Space, and Decarbonisation.
- Scale up Scotland’s trade promotion, international reach and profile; promoting Scotland on world stage at key events such as COP28.
- Continue targeted support to enhance our firms’ export capacity. In particular, delivering three Sector Export Plans (SEP) – Life Sciences, Technology and Renewables and the development of a Hydrogen SEP to support the growth of renewables exports from Scotland and identifying new and critical markets
- Push forward our capital plans to support the economy, including exceeding our commitment to the annual capitalisation of the Scottish National Investment Bank, and renewing support for the enterprise agencies and delivery partners.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul McLennan on 14 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how many community-led housing developments have been supported in each year since 1999, and, as a result, how many homes have been developed.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold the specific information requested. However, through our mainstream Affordable Housing Supply Programme (AHSP), we have supported many community controlled housing association developments across urban and rural Scotland. Each year, since 2008-09, an Affordable Housing Supply Programme Outturn Report is published which sets out the organisations which have received funding through the AHSP. Specifically in rural Scotland, since the introduction of the Rural and Islands Housing Fund in 2016-17, 44 community-led rural projects have been completed providing 152 additional homes. The fund play an important role in offering support to community organisations and others to deliver affordable homes, while complementing the delivery through our mainstream programme by Councils and Registered Social Landlords.
- Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 14 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on proposals to locate two new 4G masts in Shetland, at sites in Skerries and Foula, as part of the Scottish 4G Infill Programme.
Answer
We can confirm that build work for the Scottish 4G Infill programme masts at both Skerries and Foula (sites named Bruray and Ham respectively) is now complete and activation is currently expected to take place by end of July 2023.
- Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 14 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what steps are being taken to work with local authorities to develop an interlinked strategy for tackling any problems facing Scotland’s town centres, in light of the recent Economy and Fair Work Committee’s Inquiry into Retail and Town Centres in Scotland.
Answer
The Scottish Government welcomed the report of the Economy and Fair Work Committee and agrees with the recommendations to focus on coordination, partnership working and long term funding.
The Scottish Government is working with COSLA, local government and partners including Scotland’s Towns Partnership to deliver our joint Town Centre Action Plan (TCAP) to support transformation of our town centres and promote our Town Centres First approach. TCAP sets out a range of cross sectoral and cross policy actions under the priority themes of better planning, taxation, town centre living, enterprising communities, climate action, digital skills and support, funding and demonstrator towns.
We recently established with COSLA the Town Centre Action Plan Forum to bring together expertise from local government and public, private and third sector partners to help progress key actions.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul McLennan on 14 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what meetings it has had with Castle Rock Edinvar Housing Association since May 2021, and what the agreed outcomes were of any such meetings.
Answer
Regular informal meetings were held with Places for People Developments and officials in More Homes Division during that period to discuss progress on the Affordable Housing Supply Programme projects they were delivering.
In addition, officials in More Homes Division regularly engage with the New Avenue Living Fund Manager for Places for People Capital. Performance Review meetings were held on 9 December 2021 and 7 February 2023 to discuss the delivery of over 1,000 homes for mid-market rent.
And on 20 September 2022, the Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenants’ Rights met with Places for People on the topic of Heat in Buildings.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul McLennan on 14 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what meetings it has had with Athron Hill Development Company Limited since May 2021, and what the agreed outcomes were of any such meetings.
Answer
The Scottish Government has no records of any meetings held with Athron Hill Development Company Limited since May 2021.
- Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 14 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will cooperate with the Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry.
Answer
The Scottish Government has been cooperating fully with the Scottish Covid-19 Inquiry since it was established, and will continue to do so.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 14 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to review the three missions set for the Scottish National Investment Bank, and what assessment it has made of whether the current missions are maximising the bank's effectiveness.
Answer
The Bank’s three missions are - achieving a Just Transition to net zero carbon emissions by 2045; extending equality of opportunity through improving places by 2040; and harnessing innovation to enable our people to flourish by 2040. These missions, which reflect the ‘grand challenges’ facing Scotland over the coming decades, were set by Scottish Ministers in December 2020 to give the Bank long term strategic direction for its investment activity. Given the long term nature of these challenges and that the Bank is only just entering its third full year of operation, Ministers have no plans to review the three missions at this point.
The Bank’s recently published Impact Report provides an assessment of the Bank’s performance, including against its three missions, in 2022. This report was published on the Bank’s website on April 3 2023 ( Impact Report | Scottish National Investment Bank (thebank.scot) .
