Chamber and committees

Scotland is a leading financial centre, second only to London in the UK. The industry sustains more than 145,000 jobs (80,000 in financial services and 65,000 in related professional services), and the sector is the biggest contributor to Scotland's economy, representing approx. £14bn or 9.6% of GVA to the UK Economy.

The Scottish Government does not hold fintech sector specific information on how many jobs have been created in each of the last 5 years. However as at December 2022 there were 211 fintech SME enterprises in Scotland compared to just 26 in 2018.

FinTech Scotland achieved the Silver level of Cluster Excellence accreditation from the European Secretariat for Cluster Analysis awarded due to the demonstrated growth and development of the cluster.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-15654 on14 March 2023. 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

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-15654 on 14 March 2023. 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

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-15654 on14 March 2023. 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

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-15654 on 14 March 2023. 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

As I have said previously, oil and gas exploration and production, including licensing, remains reserved to UK Government. Our position on oil & gas licensing is clear , unlimited extraction of fossil fuels is not consistent with our climate obligations and meeting the Paris Agreement target of 1.5 degrees. Nor is it the right solution to the real cost of living crisis families are facing, when to reduce energy costs we need to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels. This means investing more in renewable energy and energy efficiency.

W e have consistently called on the UK Government, to urgently re-assess all approved offshore oil and gas licenses where drilling has not yet commenced, against our climate commitments.

Instead of licensing for more fossil fuel extraction, the UK Government should be encouraging investment in renewables and supporting a just transition for our energy sector and for Scottish households, and businesses.

The Scottish Government does not hold the information requested. The recruitment and deployment of resources is a matter for the Chief Constable.

Policing is and will continue to be a priority for the Scottish Government. Scotland has a higher number of officers than at any time during the last administration – and more per head of population than England and Wales (30 officers per 10,000 population in Scotland, compared to 24 officers per 10,000 population in England and Wales). Local police divisions have a core complement of officers who may be supported by specialist expertise and resources at a regional and national level.

The Scottish Government delivers support for the historic environment through sponsorship of Historic Environment Scotland. We rely on Historic Environment Scotland as the experts to conserve and protect our important heritage assets for current and future generations to enjoy and benefit from. I am pleased that Historic Environment Scotland provided £500,000 for the Union Chain Bridge project to fund repair work. As the site visit that was carried out at the Union Chain Bridge is an operational matter for Historic Environment Scotland, I have asked it to write to the member with a more detailed answer to his question.

The British Retail Consortium publication, Crime Survey 2023 Report, does not have a Scotland specific section, but does include references to the Protection of Workers (Retail and Age-restricted Goods and Services) (Scotland) Act 2021 contained within it.

The report highlights the use of the new Act in dealing with incidents against retail workers in Scotland. The report also highlights the importance of retailer reporting of incidents and an effective response by the criminal justice system.

The Scottish Government considers those working in Scotland's retail sector do a valuable job and never more so during the recent challenging times of the pandemic. They, like anybody, should be able to work without fear of abuse. The Scottish Government supported the Protection of Workers legislation, which was a Members’ bill, when it went through Parliament. We fully support independent law enforcement agencies having the powers they need to deal with attacks and threats made against retail workers.

The Scottish Government does not hold the full level of information requested for reasons outlined in our answer to your recent question S6W-15113 on 7 March 2023. We do know that our delivery partner the Fuel Bank Foundation has found that in the current financial year, around four in every ten applications have come from households which include at least one child under the age of 16, or if in education, under 18.

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