Seòmar agus comataidhean

The Scottish Government Digital Identity Beta project contract was awarded to the successful supplier following a competitive tender via the Digital and Technology Services Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) where all suppliers listed on Lot 1 of the DPS were given the opportunity to respond to the tender. Prior to issuing the tender, a supplier day was held – invitations for this were issued via a PIN on the Public Contracts Scotland portal, therefore all suppliers registered on PCS could request to attend.

The UK’s international obligations, and domestic legislation which implements them, require that equal treatment is afforded to bidders from countries with which a relevant international agreement applies. This means that it would not be lawful to discriminate in favour of suppliers based in Scotland.

There are no legal mechanisms in place to mandate the use of ScotAccount for access to public services.

There can be no doubt that the tariffs that have been imposed by the United States will cause damage to the global, UK and Scottish economies. The USA is the most valuable export market by far for Scotch Whisky, worth £971m in 2024 (18% of total Scotch Whisky exports by value). The USA imported nearly $12 billion worth of distilled spirits in 2024, with Mexico ($5.4 bn), France ($2.1 bn) and the UK ($1.8 bn) being the largest trading partners by value. Scotch Whisky is subject to the 10% baseline tariff which may be passed through to higher prices for US consumers and weaken demand. Additionally, the uncertainty in future global trading arrangements more broadly is widely expected to lead to weaker growth, higher inflation, financial market instability and increased borrowing costs which could impact consumer confidence generally and impact demand for Scotch Whisky. We will continue to closely monitor and assess the impact of US tariff policy on Scotland’s exports across key sectors, including Scotch Whisky.

The information requested is not held centrally. However, data are available on the number of businesses operating in Scotland that are rest of the UK owned and Abroad owned. These estimates, sourced from the Businesses in Scotland 2024 publication, are shown in the following table.

Table 1: Registered businesses operating in Scotland, Rest of the UK and Abroad owned, 2010 to 2024

This grant was a single payment of £4,100. No further breakdown of costs was required.

Local authorities have the statutory responsibility for delivering education and for ensuring that those pupils identified with an additional support need, are fully supported to learn. Work is underway through the Additional Support for Learning Action Plan to improve the consistency of all communications regarding additional support for learning. This includes the data that is recorded and published.

As highlighted in the Programme for Government, growing the economy is a key strategic priority for the Scottish Government and this includes continuing to focus on attracting both foreign direct and large scale capital investment and why the Deputy First Minister is leading a programme of impactful investor engagement.

Our approach to growing the economy ensures Scotland provides the optimal business environment attractive to investors, maximising the benefits from any nearshoring and other investment opportunities.

Scotland has a strong track record of attracting inward investment, with the EY UK Annual Attractiveness Survey in July 2024 showing Scotland maintaining its position as the top performing part of the UK outside of London for the ninth year.

I refer the member to the answer to the question S6W-36449 on 24 April 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

The Scottish Government routinely works with partners to support the manufacturing sector in Scotland. In addition, our investment strategies are designed with the goal of maximising the impact of our interventions, allowing us to maintain our position as the top performing region or nation of the UK for inward investment projects outside of London for the ninth year running as per the 2024 EY Attractiveness Survey.

Our consultation last year on a new Social Housing Net Zero Standard (SHNZS) asked for views on proposals to require social landlords to improve fabric efficiency and install clean heating where it is technically feasible and cost-effective to do so.