Current status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 7 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-31732 by Fiona Hyslop on 9 December 2024, in light of its response that it does not hold the information requested, what its position is on whether not holding this information in relation to a matter of industrial finance (a) is unusual in an international context and (b) risks undermining an effective industrial strategy to grow commercial shipbuilding, as outlined in the National Shipbuilding Strategy.
With the goal of providing a full response to the member, Scottish Government officials have liaised with a range of organisations including those reserved to the UK Government. This includes the UK National Shipbuilding Office - responsible for the UK National Shipbuilding Strategy - who have confirmed that they and UK Export Finance also do not hold a list of financial institutions that offer shipbuilder’s refund guarantees. Officials from both the Scottish Government and National Shipbuilding Office will continue to explore if such information is held centrally by the UK Government.
In addition a range of broader financial support may be available through the Scottish Government and its Enterprise Agencies to support industries including shipbuilding. The Scottish Government is also engaging with the UK Government on the development of its forthcoming Industrial Strategy, emphasising Scotland's strengths across a range of sectors.