Chamber and committees

"Scotland CAN DO; Unlocking Ambition" is a highly ambitious project to accelerate the achievement of high potential entrepreneurs, including those seeking wider societal impact.

At present discussions are on-going with agencies and private sector partners to finalise proposals and operating models. Such discussions will inform the budget and specific timings of what will be an iterative project that is intended to be able to respond to the needs of entrepreneurs. When plans have been developed I will be happy to share information on proposed launch date, budget and delivery models.

A Secretariat of Scottish Government officials will support Benny Higgins in taking this work forward. The Secretariat will provide and coordinate a range of advice and support from across the Scottish Government and from external sources to ensure the appropriate skills and expertise are available. The Scottish Government will provide the appropriate financial support to ensure a high quality and robust Implementation Plan.

The Terms of Reference for the Implementation Plan can be found via the following link: https://beta.gov.scot/publications/national-investment-bank-implementation-plan-terms-of-reference/

The funding for the CivTech® programme in each year is as follows:

The Enterprise and New Towns (Scotland) Act 1990 (as amended) sets out the process and duty placed on Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise to report annually and Scottish Ministers to lay before Parliament a copy of such reports.

The Scottish Government has been in regular contact with both Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise regarding the laying and subsequent publication of their respective annual reports and accounts and the current expectation is that these reports will be laid before the Scottish Parliament and published in October 2017 following due process.

Data relating to the relief is not yet known for 2017-18.

Scottish Government spending data are primarily held by directorate and by UN Function of Government category (COFOG). There are a number of public bodies that contribute to labour market training in Scotland, including Skills Development Scotland; the Scottish Funding Council, Scottish Enterprise, and Highlands and Islands Enterprise; however, these bodies also deliver a range of other services, and do not have specific budgets for labour market training. As labour market training does not correspond directly to a UN spending category, and there are no directorates or agencies tasked solely with delivering these services, information is not collected on this topic.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information. The administrative processes relating to any form or relief is entirely the responsibility of local authorities.

The Scottish Government does not routinely publish figures on the output gap. In the Draft Budget 2017-2018 Devolved Taxes Methodology Report, the Scottish Government published the following estimate and forecast of the output gap in Scotland.

The Scottish Government is currently considering external research around automation and its impact on Scotland’s labour market and economy. However, we continue to monitor the emerging evidence base.

Technological change, and issues such as automation, will have a significant impact over the next few decades, creating both challenges and opportunities for businesses and employees across Scotland. As highlighted in Scotland’s Labour Market Strategy, we will take forward analysis of issues like this in the future in order to help employers and employees respond to them positively, with the support of the Strategic Labour Market Group.