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The Scottish Government proposes that Scotland would seek to join the EU as soon as possible after independence. The EU is a full member of the G20, and represents it’s member states at G20 summits, alongside the leaders of G20 member countries.

I refer the member to information recently submitted to the Finance & Public Administration Committee which is available on the parliament website at Costeffectiveness of Scottish public inquiries Letter from SCAI of 22 May 2025 | Scottish Parliament Website.

The Scottish Government proposes that an independent Scotland would apply to join NATO. Further details can be found in the publication https://www.gov.scot/publications/building-new-scotland-independent-scotlands-place-world/

On 3 March 2022, when Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Economy, I wrote an open letter to business in Scotland asking them to review their links to Russia, however indirect, and to sever them, with due regard for the safety of any employees or individuals they may work with.

It remains the position of the Scottish Government that it, and its economic agencies, will not support trade and investment activity with Russia. This policy is additional to the UK government’s regime of sanctions against Russia.

We cannot however, force businesses to sever links if what they plan is otherwise lawful, including not breaching the UK sanctions regime. There may also be legitimate reasons why links cannot be severed, for example: if staff safety might be jeopardised; contractual reasons; and/or being prohibited from selling assets due to Russian law.

While there are currently no dedicated programmes specifically for workers displaced by AI, the Scottish Government is taking steps to support individuals through broader digital and AI literacy initiatives.

Programmes such as Living with AI aim to help people understand and adapt to the changing technological landscape. In addition, we are working with Skills Development Scotland and other partners to address AI-related skills gaps and support workforce transition.

We also fund postgraduate programmes and industry placements through The Data Lab, helping to build a resilient and future-ready talent pipeline. Strengthening the AI skills base remains a key priority for Scottish Government.

The Scottish Government is working closely with local authorities and enterprise agencies to explore opportunities for AI-related investment.

While certain aspects of economic zoning and investment policy may intersect with reserved matters, the planning, infrastructure, and economic development components are largely devolved responsibilities.

We remain committed to ensuring that Scotland is an attractive location for AI investment and data infrastructure, and will continue to work with partners to assess the feasibility and benefits of such zones.

The Scottish Government does not support the building of any new nuclear power stations in Scotland.

In the event of Scotland becoming an independent country, decisions about membership of intergovernmental agencies would be a matter for the government of the time, elected by the people of Scotland.

The Scottish Government continues to monitor and consider a range of evidence in relation to the energy sector.

As part of this approach, we commissioned and published independent analysis on Scotland’s Energy System and Just Transition found here: Publication of the outputs from a programme of work to better understand our energy requirements as we transition to net zero - Energy system and Just Transition: independent analysis - gov.scot. This analysis considers the economic impact of Scotland’s oil and gas industry, including in terms of employment, during the transition to net zero. A partial final-report.pdf of the baseline data underpinning this analysis was published in April 2025.

To support work with refugees, people seeking asylum and local communities, the Scottish Government provides funding to organisations such as the Scottish Refugee Council to ensure that all people seeking refugee protection in Scotland are welcome, where women, children and men are protected, find safety and support, have their human rights and dignity respected and are able to achieve their full potential.

Refugee Festival Scotland, is coordinated by Scottish Refugee Council. The breakdown of indirect funding to Refugee Festival Scotland each year since 2021 can be found in the answer to question S6W-37679 on 30 May 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 is committed to preventing violence and reducing its harm.

There are a range of options to support the mental health and wellbeing of employees, including those working in the retail sector.

Our Mental health and wellbeing strategy, published June 2023 sets out what a supportive system should look like, recognising the many different factors that can influence mental health and wellbeing, including employment.

As part of this work, we continue to work across government and with delivery partners to ensure employers are equipped with knowledge, skills and resources they need to promote and support conditions that enable good mental health at work.

Our ‘Supporting a Mentally Healthy Workplace’ employer platform, signposts employers to a range of free mental health and wellbeing resources and information. We continue to engage with employers to ensure content continues to meet the needs of employers across Scotland.

Scottish Government partners, including the Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) and Scottish Grocers’ Federation (SGF), share best practice guidance and resources, such as the free Grocery Aid helpline, and Victim Support, for victims of violence and abuse in a retail setting.

Victim Support Scotland provide information, emotional support and practical assistance to help anyone affected by crime, including retail crime.