- Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 04 April 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 21 April 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the current overall level of financial investment from China in Scotland.
Answer
Information on the value of Chinese inward investments into Scotland can be found in the publicly available report Businesses in Scotland, which shows that there are currently 20 Chinese owned businesses in Scotland, with an estimated employment of 3,910 and a turnover of £1.33 billion. The Scottish Government does not disaggregate data based on the type of investment.
Scottish Government works with its enterprise agencies to ensure robust due diligence and proper consideration of human rights is undertaken on inward investments from China as well as from any other country. Additional safeguards are provided by the National Security and Investment Act 2021, which protects against acquisitions within sensitive areas of the economy that could cause harm to the UK’s national security.
- Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 04 April 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 21 April 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has made an assessment of Scotland’s foreign direct investment in China since the establishment of the Scottish Parliament in 1999.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold data on the level of foreign direct investment from Scotland into China, or any other market.
- Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 04 April 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 20 April 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has made an assessment of the level and nature of financial investment from China in universities in Scotland.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold data on the level and nature of financial investment from China in universities in Scotland as they are autonomous bodies.
- Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 25 March 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 19 April 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it is aware of any reported allegations that the Chinese Communist Party, through student groups on university campuses in Scotland, is seeking to deter certain events from taking place, and, if so, what action has been taken to address this.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-07562 on 19 April 2022. 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 .
- Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 25 March 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 19 April 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any Chinese state influence or interference in universities in Scotland.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-07562 on 19 April 2022. 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 .
- Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 25 March 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Kate Forbes on 19 April 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme, how many properties (a) are eligible and (b) have applied for the (i) £400 and (ii) £5,000 voucher, all broken down by (A) local authority area and (B) Scottish Parliament constituency.
Answer
The interim voucher portion of the R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme is now closed. We do not hold data for Scottish Parliamentary constituencies. However, data on voucher eligibility for all 32 Scottish Local Authorities is provided in the following table:
Local Authority | Properties eligible for the voucher worth up to £5,000 |
Aberdeen City | 2,231 |
Aberdeenshire | 6,437 |
Angus | 1,916 |
Argyll and Bute | 3,897 |
City of Edinburgh | 4,601 |
Clackmannanshire | 317 |
Dumfries and Galloway | 3,616 |
Dundee City | 630 |
East Ayrshire | 1,440 |
East Dunbartonshire | 1,392 |
East Lothian | 1,071 |
East Renfrewshire | 1,197 |
Falkirk | 1,579 |
Fife | 3,801 |
Glasgow City | 11,317 |
Highland | 10,316 |
Inverclyde | 398 |
Midlothian | 1,297 |
Moray | 2,552 |
Na h-Eileanan an Iar | 1,912 |
North Ayrshire | 1,222 |
North Lanarkshire | 1,314 |
Orkney Islands | 2,404 |
Perth and Kinross | 3,890 |
Renfrewshire | 2,017 |
Scottish Borders | 2,304 |
Shetland Islands | 1,850 |
South Ayrshire | 977 |
South Lanarkshire | 2,480 |
Stirling | 1,642 |
West Dunbartonshire | 391 |
West Lothian | 1,447 |
Total | 83,855 |
Data on the number of applications received through the R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme (as of 1 March 2022) is provided in the following table:
| Voucher worth up to £400 | Voucher worth up to £5,000 |
Local Authority | Vouchers Requested | Vouchers Issued | Vouchers Installed | Vouchers Requested | Vouchers Issued | Vouchers Installed |
Aberdeen City | | | 1 | | 8 | 13 |
Aberdeenshire | 3 | 41 | 75 | 12 | 175 | 271 |
Angus | 4 | 1 | 8 | | 103 | 39 |
Argyll & Bute | | 8 | 13 | | 24 | 37 |
City of Edinburgh | | | | | 14 | 12 |
Clackmannanshire | 1 | 1 | 7 | | 1 | 5 |
Dumfries & Galloway | | 7 | 110 | | 28 | 23 |
Dundee City | | | | | 17 | 1 |
East Ayrshire | | 1 | 16 | | 6 | 7 |
East Dunbartonshire | | | | | 2 | 1 |
East Lothian | | | 3 | | 15 | 7 |
East Renfrewshire | 1 | | 5 | | 4 | 4 |
Falkirk | | 1 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 2 |
Fife | | 1 | 10 | 1 | 16 | 21 |
Glasgow City | | | | | 9 | 9 |
Highland | 1 | 7 | 45 | 1 | 161 | 196 |
Inverclyde | | | 1 | | | 1 |
Midlothian | | | 11 | | 15 | 6 |
Moray | 1 | 5 | 27 | 1 | 75 | 75 |
Na h-Eileanan an Iar | | | | | | |
North Ayrshire | | | 10 | | 1 | 16 |
North Lanarkshire | | 1 | 7 | | 18 | 11 |
Orkney Islands | | | | 5 | 60 | 9 |
Perth & Kinross | 1 | 17 | 78 | 1 | 37 | 45 |
Renfrewshire | | | 7 | | 11 | 4 |
Scottish Borders | 2 | 14 | 154 | | 31 | 57 |
Shetland Islands | | | | | | |
South Ayrshire | | | 2 | | 1 | 11 |
South Lanarkshire | 1 | 3 | 39 | | 6 | 21 |
Stirling | | 5 | 104 | 7 | 17 | 24 |
West Dunbartonshire | | | 2 | | | |
West Lothian | | | 1 | | | 2 |
Total | 15 | 113 | 740 | 30 | 865 | 930 |
- Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 25 March 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 19 April 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of reported concerns that Confucius Institutes may represent a threat to academic freedoms and freedom of expression.
Answer
We are concerned by suggestions of foreign interference in Scottish universities. Our universities are autonomous institutions and the alliances they forge across global academic networks are a matter for them and their governing bodies.
However, we expect all universities to understand and manage the reputational, ethical and security risks associated with international partnerships. This includes conducting appropriate due diligence before entering into new international partnerships and monitoring existing partnerships. Guidance to support universities has been published by Universities UK.
Academic freedom is of paramount importance in Scotland and we have legislated to expand the statutory definition of academic freedom in the Higher Education Governance Act 2016. We also expect our universities to listen to the campus community when taking decisions affecting the university, its staff and students.
- Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 March 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 19 April 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how it has supported former Hong Kong residents who have resettled in Scotland.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-07557 on 19 April 2022. 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
- Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 March 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Christina McKelvie on 19 April 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made and action it has taken to ensure that former Hong Kong residents who resettle in Scotland are not subjected to racism or discrimination.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-07510 on 19 April 2022. 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 .
- Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 March 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 19 April 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the economic value that Chinese students who come to Scotland to study bring to (a) universities and (b) the national economy.
Answer
HESA statistics show that Chinese student enrolment in Scottish universities was 18,555 in AY 2020/21. Tuition fee estimates are calculated using HESA Finance data and are based on the average tuition fee paid by all non-EU students. The estimated tuition fee income from Chinese students to Scottish Higher Education Institutions was around £300 million in academic year 2019/20.
According to a report by London Economics for the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) , the average non-EU student in the 2018/19 cohort will have a net benefit to the UK economy of £102,000 over the duration of their studies. The study also shows that international students in Scotland as a whole contributed £2.47 billion to the UK economy. Information on the impact of Chinese students studying in Scotland to the national economy is not available.