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Asked by:
Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged:
6 December 2024
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Current status:
Answered by Kate Forbes on 18 December 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what measures in its draft Budget 2025-26 reflect the statement by the First Minister on 22 May 2024, in which he stated that one of his "priorities is to grow Scotland’s economy".
The Draft 2025-26 Budget invests in the long-term prosperity of Scotland’s people, places and businesses.
The expanded package puts money firmly behind the Programme for Government’s priorities for economic growth, investing:
- over £321 million for the enterprise agencies, a rise of £14 million compared to the 2024-25 Budget. This will facilitate their work to help businesses to start and scale, develop new products and enter new markets, and positively impact on their communities;
- a further £200 million (net) to the Scottish National Investment Bank as it continues to create jobs, support innovation and attract investment across the country;
- over £214 million made available to deliver sustainable and inclusive economic growth across every region in Scotland through the City and Region Deals programme this year;
- a new fund of £2 million for VisitScotland to promote Scotland’s connectivity, internationally and to encourage visitors to consider lesser-known destinations, and a revitalised and expanded Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund (RTIF), which will provide critical economic support to tourist hotspots across the country;
- over £2 billion in Scotland’s colleges, universities and skills system in recognition of their contribution to driving economic growth and to help ensure businesses have access to a skilled workforce;
- a £34 million uplift for culture to improve the resilience and sustainability of our cultural sector’s contribution to growing our economy;
- £15 million to fund the Government’s Enterprise Package to expand support for female entrepreneurs, boost the economic impact of universities, and to develop of business clusters in advanced manufacturing and deeptech; and
- over £7 billion investment in our total infrastructure package, almost tripling our investment in offshore wind to £150 million and investing £100 million for the continued rollout of our digital connectivity programmes across Scotland.