Chamber and committees

I visited Abu Dhabi (10-11 November) and Dubai (11-13 November) in the United Arab Emirates and Doha in Qatar (13-14 November) where I undertook an intensive programme of meetings and engagements to strengthen business, education, cultural and government ties with the region.

During the visit I led Scotland’s largest ever delegation to the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC), with over 40 Scottish companies and Higher Education Institutions represented at one of the largest oil and gas events in the world.

My attendance at ADIPEC also provided a significant platform for me to raise the profile of Scotland's wide-ranging strengths across the oil and gas sector to the broader Middle East audience, notably via my participation in a conference panel discussion and Q&A on the importance of skills and training in the industry and my meetings with both the UAE Energy Minister, H.E Suhail Mohammed Al Mazrouei, and with the President of the Abu Dhabi Petroleum Institute. These discussions reiterated the significant opportunities which exist for partnership and collaboration between Scottish and Middle Eastern companies and resulted in an agreement to hold a joint Scotland Abu Dhabi workshop in Abu Dhabi in 2014. I also met with the CEOs of major energy companies including Bob Dudley of BP and Carl Sheldon of TAQA.

To date, five companies, Scotmas, Doosan Babcock, FoundOcean, Peak Consultancy and SafeHouse Habitats (Scotland) Ltd have confirmed new partnerships with local Emirate partner organisations, cementing the companies’ foothold in a key global oil and gas market and establishing the basis for continued growth of their Scottish operations. Further detail on these partnerships:

Kelso-based water and air specialists, Scotmas Ltd, finalised a £300,000 contract for the delivery of a water disinfection system for the Qatar Electricity and Water Company(QEWC) expected to treat up to a quarter of Qatar’s drinking water. The company also formed an Egyptian Joint Venture company focused on delivering the company’s unique chlorine dioxide water disinfection technology into the rapidly developing Oil and Gas Sector in North Africa.

Doosan Babcock and Abu Dhabi-based Emirates Link Technology Group formed a Joint Venture Company to provide maintenance and shut down solutions to the oil and gas industry in the region. This partnership will bring significant growth opportunities to the company’s Renfrew facility.

FoundOcean, whose expanded offshore service base in Livingston was officially opened by Minister Fergus Ewing last year, announced the opening of their newest office in the Middle East in partnership with Emdad LLC.

Aberdeen based Peak Consultancy Ltd signed an MoU with Abu Dhabi’s Almansoori Specialised Engineering to provide services to the regions oil and gas sector.

Dundee-based Safehouse Habitats (Scotland) Ltd signed a strategic agreement with Al Yaseah Group on 13th December at ADIPEC to provide Safehouse’s Positive Pressure Habitat Solutions to the Oil and Gas sector in Abu Dhabi.

In addition, Glasgow based MJB International also announced during ADIPEC that the company has secured a multi-million Euro, six year contract to provide support services for gas turbines in the Netherlands

I visited the fit up for the Abu Dhabi Science Festival, which is being managed by the Edinburgh Science Festival and met with His Excellency Ahmed Al Calily, Director General, Abu Dhabi Technology Development Committee who fund the Abu Dhabi Science Festival.

In Dubai, I took part in an Open Conversation organised by the Emirates Festival of Literature, attended by 16-18 year old students from local schools, discussing the role of young people in democracy.

I met with more young people when touring the new extension to the Dubai Heriot-Watt campus. I announced Heriot-Watt’s new PHD progammes in the following schools in Dubai: Management and Languages, Engineering and Physical Science and Built Environment.

In Qatar I met with Qatar Airlines in order to seek assurances on their commitment to establishing a new flight route to Edinburgh following a period of significant activity to support this from Team Scotland partners and following your own meeting with the company last year. During our discussion, the company confirmed their commitment to launch the route and announced six days later that flights would commence on 28 May 2014.

I also met the Minister for Culture, Arts and Heritage HE Dr Hamad bin Abdulaziz al-Kuwari. I also met with the Qatar Foundation to discuss links around renewable energy, education and research, and met with Sumantro Ghose, the Head of Cultural Diplomacy projects at the Qatar Museums Authority where I discussed potential collaboration between our galleries and museums. I met with the general manager of Katara Village, Dr Khalid bin Ibrahim al-Sulaiti, to discuss how we can further embed cultural collaboration between our countries. My visit finished with Scotland Day celebrations at Katara, featuring Scottish landscapes, music, food and dancing.

I undertook four broadcast interviews throughout the visit with Sky News Arabia (TV), BBC World News, ME Business Report (TV), Dubai Eye Drive time radio show at Arabian Radio Network and CNBC Arabia (Radio). Engagement with print media resulted in widespread coverage across the Gulf.

National Records of Scotland has today published Scotland’s Census 2011: Release 2C. (Laying number: SG/2013/258). This report presents the third part of the second release of results from the 2011 Census in Scotland, which was held on 27 March 2011. Release 2C consists of the key and quick statistics tables for the living arrangements and travel to work/study topics at all levels of census geography.

The Children and Young People (Scotland) Bill contains provisions that will offer a range of benefits to children and families. For example the move to increase the early learning and childcare entitlement from 475 hours to 600 hours for 3 and 4 year olds and our most vulnerable two year olds will benefit around 121,000 children, saving families up to £707 per child per year.

The Bill will also ensure better permanence planning for looked after children and ensure there is a single planning approach for children who need additional support from services.

Independence would benefit children and families in a number of ways as set out in Scotland’s Future. For example 240,000 children and 212,000 families will benefit from the expansion to 1,140 hours of childcare a year for all children from age one to starting school. This will save families up to £4,600 per child per year, the equivalent of £770 million each year overall.

As well as increasing the number women who are able to work, it will create up to 35,000 jobs in the childcare sector - doubling the current workforce. An increase in female labour market participation would significantly boost tax revenues, for example if participation reached Swedish levels - an increase of 6% - tax revenues could increase by £700 million (1.5%).

The First Minister visited China and Hong Kong from 2-7 November 2013, leading a delegation of 30 Scottish companies in the oil and gas and construction sector on a trade mission. During his time in country he announced partnerships worth £40 million over the next ten years between Scotland and China. He also took the opportunity to meet and support members of the Scottish Seafood delegation visiting Beijing on their way to the Seafood Expo in Dalian. The visit helped meet the ambitions set out in the Scottish Government’s China Strategy to increase engagement with China and build on recent business successes that have seen exports from Scotland to China increase by 88% over the past five years (£265 million to £498 million from 2007-2012).

Business announcements made during the First Minister’s visit included a deal struck by the Scottish Professional Football League to see Scottish football being screened live in China for the first time, bringing in £20 million to Scottish clubs as part of a global broadcast deal and seeing matches broadcast to a potential Chinese audience of 60 million.

The First Minister conducted senior-level meetings with major oil companies Sinopec and the China National Offshore Oil Corporation, both of which have substantial interests in the North Sea, opening the door for Scotland’s vastly experienced supply chain companies at the very highest level and encouraging further investment in North Sea operations. He also held a meeting with Hainan Group senior leadership to promote the benefits of a direct air route between Scotland and China.

The programme provided significant opportunities for talks at the highest level of Government, emphasising the importance of developing cultural understanding between Scotland and China.

These opportunities included meetings with State Councillor Yang, the holder of China’s most senior foreign affairs office and the Director General of Hanban, Madam Xu Lin where the First Minister witnessed the signing of a deal between Hanban and Heriot Watt University to establish Scotland’s fifth Confucius Institute.

The First Minister made two key note speeches during his visit, the first at the prestigious Tsinghua University in Beijing address where the First Minister’s address drew on the twin examples of Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations and Theory of Moral Sentiments to outline why social progress must accompany economic progress. In response Professor Alan Miller, Chair of the Scottish Human Rights Commission said:

“I warmly welcome this speech of the First Minister which speaks to the times in which we are all living. It grounds human rights in Scotland’s relationship with China and in Scotland’s own journey”. (SHRC, News Release 6 November 2013)

The First Minister also spoke at a Financial Times Forum in Hong Kong and highlighted Scotland’s strengths in the financial services sector to an audience of 150 senior banking and finance professionals.

While in Hong Kong the First Minister had an excellent introductory meeting with Chief Secretary Carrie Lam. After that meeting he witnessed the signing of agreement between the Universities Grants Committee of Hong Kong and the Scottish Funding Council to work together on future research collaborations focusing initially on the global challenges in energy and life sciences. The First Minister then visited Confucius Hall Secondary School: School of Rugby to follow up on the process of developing stronger sporting links through rugby, launched during his visit to Hong Kong in 2011.

Scottish food, drink and culture, the Year of Homecoming and the Ryder Cup were promoted during the First Minister’s time in China to over 300 key business contacts, decision makers and influencers at two Scottish business focused receptions.

The Scottish Government works closely with organisations such as the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, the Child Accident Prevention Trust and Volunteer Development Scotland and provides financial support for work on home safety, injury prevention and community safety initiatives.

These invaluable initiatives include community first responders, who are volunteer members of the public, trained up to use the equipment, and who come to the aid of those who need emergency attention while an ambulance is on its way. Scotland has public access defibrillators located in a range of places, thanks to the work of the Scottish Ambulance Service and a range of charities. Volunteers are trained to use the equipment.

First aid awareness and training is also available in schools and communities and the Curriculum for Excellence, introduced in 2010, has been designed to enable children and young people to become successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors.

Considerable progress has been made on the report’s 15 recommendations, which I shall detail in a letter to the member. A copy of that letter will be placed on SPICe (Bib no. 55477)