Chamber and committees

In our report on phase one of the Enterprise and Skills Review we have committed to work with agencies and other partners to strengthen our enterprise and skills system by consulting on the strategic board, including the best distribution of functions between the agencies underneath it and the associated legislative requirements.

As part of this work, we will also consider what support staff are required to properly support the new board to deliver its functions.

Our agencies and their staff already carry out excellent work and as Audit Scotland have noted, they have been successful in their respective roles, with clear strategies and good governance. However, we need to step up our performance to achieve our ambitions to rank in the top quartile of Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development countries for productivity, equality, wellbeing and sustainability.

To achieve this aim, we believe that we need to increase coherence and focus by creating a single board which is able to facilitate greater alignment between the various agencies and simplify the system for the user while also enhancing and measuring the collective activity of these bodies against a set of shared outcomes.

In our report on phase one of the Enterprise and Skills Review we have committed to work with agencies and other partners to strengthen our enterprise and skills system by consulting on the strategic board, including the best distribution of functions between the agencies underneath it and the associated legislative requirements.

As part of this work, we will also consider who should chair the board.

This is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise (SE). I have asked the Chief Executive of SE to contact you with the information you have requested and my understanding is that this will be with you soon.

Scottish Development International already provides a range of products and services to Scottish companies seeking to export through its existing global network of 29 field offices and over 200 exporting professionals. In response to global trade and investment opportunities, since 2012 SDI has expanded its presence to new locations in Saudi Arabia, Ghana, Canada, Brazil, China and India. Most recently, we announced grant funding of up to £400,000 to the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, to support new business-led trade missions and forge new trading alliances between Chambers both here and abroad. This will complement the work of SDI and contribute to our shared efforts to increase business exports and internationalisation activity.

There has been no discussions with the Office of National Statistics regarding the classification of universities as a result of the enterprise and skills review.

Where new water infrastructure is installed to connect new or existing properties to public supplies, Scottish Water will pay a Reasonable Cost Contribution in respect of the infrastructure that it adopts. The maximum contribution, some £1500 per household, is stipulated in Regulations.

For most new developments, the reasonable cost contribution covers the full cost of providing extensions to water infrastructure necessary to connect new properties.

SDI are currently working on delivery of the proposals to expand its presence in Europe and will provide details, including costs, as early as possible in 2017.

Improving productivity and competitiveness across Scotland is an important part of Scotland’s Economic Strategy. The Programme for Government 2016-17 sets out a range of initiatives including investment in transport and digital infrastructure, which will support productivity across Scotland. The Programme for Government can be found online here: http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0050/00505260.pdf

The Scottish Government is working with local authorities through our City Deals which take long-term strategic approaches to improving regional economies. Regional partnership discussions take the same approach to non-city regions.

Phase 1 of the Enterprise and Skills Review set out a number of actions intended to strengthen our regional approach to enterprise and skills support, which will further improve the contributions our agencies make to supporting regional productivity. These include the commitment to retain Highlands and Islands Enterprise, and to establish a new vehicle to meet the enterprise and skills needs of the South of Scotland. We will also look to work with COSLA and local government to build on their existing and emerging local economic partnerships.

Since 2010, international exports have increased by 17.3%, from £23.4 billion in 2010 to £27.5 billion in 2014. Data for 2017 will not be available until January 2019.

While there are substantial challenges for Scottish exports as a result of difficult global economic and market conditions, our Trade and Investment Strategy, alongside the four point plan announced in October by the First Minister, sets out a clear and comprehensive plan for helping more companies export more goods and services to more markets.