Chamber and committees

The Office of National Statistics estimate that in 2015 there were 11,500 companies in Scotland exporting goods or services.

Scotland’s Global Connections Survey and other survey and administrative sources provide the Scottish Government with information on companies in Scotland that export goods or services. However, specific company details and any data where it may be possible to identify an individual company is not published.

Our enterprise agency Scottish Development International (SDI) is continually working with Scottish companies to help them achieve their international growth ambitions. SDI has a network of 29 global offices and over 200 professionals on hand to help facilitate business opportunities for our companies in overseas markets.

The latest published figures for 2014 estimate that Scottish exports to the rest of the UK are worth £48.5 billion making it Scotland’s largest export market. We are therefore well aware of the importance of this market to the Scottish economy. Our trade and investment strategy published in March this year set out a comprehensive action plan to boost Scotland’s export activity and to make it clear that Scotland is open forbusiness, including with the rest of the UK. The opening of an innovation and investment hub in London, for example, will play a crucial role in promoting Scottish goods and services to existing and new customers and markets in London and beyond.

All information on the Board Members of Scottish Enterprise is publically available on their website and can be found here:

https://www.scottish-enterprise.com/about-us/our-leadership/board-members?usedevice=m

Details of the remuneration of each Board Member of Scottish Enterprise can be found in their most recent Annual Report and Accounts:

https://www.scottish-enterprise.com/knowledge-hub/articles/publication/annual-reports

All information on the Board Members of Highlands and Islands Enterprise is publically available on their website and can be found here:

http://www.hie.co.uk/about-hie/who-we-are/board-members/

Details of the remuneration of each Board Member of Highlands and Islands Enterprise can be found in their most recent Annual Report and Accounts:

http://www.hie.co.uk/about-hie/policies-and-publications/annual-reports.html

The volume of freight transported through the airport in each year since 2011 is:

Source: CAA

The passengers numbers as reported by the CAA between 2011 and 2015 are listed in the following table.

Source: CAA

The current Executive Management Team comprises:

• Ron Smith – Chief Executive Officer

• Derek Banks – Finance and Commercial Director

• Jules Matteoni – Operations Director

• Mike Stewart – Business Development Director

• Sonia Rafferty – Human Resource Director

The Chief Executive Officer, Chief Commercial Officer and Finance Director appointed by the previous owners left the business in September 2015, August 2015 and May 2016 respectively.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-04404 on 10 November 2016. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

The Scottish Government refreshes the economic strategy periodically, in light of changing economic circumstances. The latest version of Scotland’s Economic Strategy was published in March 2015. There are currently no plans to review the published strategy. However, while not planning a further Economic Strategy review at this stage, the Government will continue to monitor the developing economic situation post EU referendum, to ensure Scotland’s economic strategy is aligned to Scotland’s economic needs.

Scottish data on the labour market by sector is produced by the Office of the National Statistics (ONS) on behalf of the Scottish Government and we will continue to use these National Statistics for headline labour market and sector analysis. Scotland’s Labour Market Strategy has committed to work with relevant bodies to review the availability and robustness of Scottish labour market intelligence on skills, job quality and sectors to ensure we have the most accurate possible picture of the labour market.

The second phase of the Enterprise and Skills review will also consider how to improve data and evaluation functions to support the Enterprise and Skills system, including working to make the best use of labour market information from official sources and from the agencies direct engagement with businesses

There are currently no Scottish Development International staff in the Innovation and Investment Hub in Dublin. When our London Hub opens in 2017, the 8 people working for Scottish Development International and the 3 people working for Scottish Enterprise in London will transfer there.

The Hub in Brussels is supporting the development of a new approach to the way Scotland deploys its resources in Brussels. This builds on the existing partnership between staff in the Scottish Government EU office and the 9 people working for Scotland Europa in Scotland House in Brussels.