Chamber and committees

Ofcom’s Connected Nations 2016 report, published in December 2016, indicates that superfast broadband coverage has reached 83% of all homes and businesses in Scotland. This includes both commercial coverage by BT and other providers, and that delivered through the rollout of the Scottish Government’s £400 million investment through the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband (DSSB) Programme.

The Scottish Government’s £400 million investment through the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband Programme is having a significant impact across Scotland with around 679,000 homes and businesses now able to access fibre broadband services. Over 90% of these are able to receive superfast speeds.

Measurements of progress in delivering the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband Programme are generally expressed in terms of enabling connection to fibre broadband. As has been made clear, this will provide superfast broadband access for the great majority of, but not all, premises connected.

The Scottish Government is committed to delivering 100% superfast coverage by 2021. This will include any and all premises currently unable to achieve superfast speeds.

Scottish Enterprise have worked extensively with the games industry for a long period. In the last 4 years (to the end of 2015-2016) Scottish Enterprise has invested nearly £10 million (£9.8 million) in 38 video games companies of which more than half (£5.5 million) was through the Scottish Investment Bank and the remainder largely split between innovation grants and regional selective assistance.

The Scottish Government supports and encourages research, testing and development of autonomous vehicles in Scotland, subject to ensuring the safety of road users.

Most of the relevant legislation is reserved to the UK Government and Transport Scotland is working closely with the Department for Transport and the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles in this area.

Transport Scotland is also liaising with other roads authorities across Europe on the introduction of driverless vehicles, in order to ensure that road authorities and operators are in a position to make informed decisions on facilitating automated driving as and when the technology develops.

Regulation of mobile telephony is reserved to the UK Government. Nevertheless, the Scottish Government is seeking to engage with the UK Government at the earliest opportunity to ensure that the investment announced in the Autumn Statement supports early 5G trials and deployment in Scotland. On 25 October 2016, I wrote to Matt Hancock MP, Minister for State at the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, on 25 October seeking a meeting to progress a range of digital issues, including 5G.

A key aim of our digital infrastructure programmes is to ensure that Scotland has the underlying connectivity infrastructure that can support the future evolution of digital technologies such as 5G. We are already collaborating with other key partners, including the 5G Innovation Centre at the University of Surrey and Ofcom, who will help create the regulatory environment governing 5G. Our aim is to ensure that Scotland is at the forefront of 5G development and deployment.

Scotland has a thriving tech community with home grown digital technology companies like Skyscanner and Rockstar North achieving global success – we want more of them to do so. We are trialling new methods of supporting business innovation, including a digital sector pilot project in Edinburgh, which is being developed by members of the Scotland CAN DO Innovation Forum.

We also know that right now in Scotland we need several thousand new entrants a year into digital professions to meet both replacement and growth demand – a need that our labour market cannot currently meet. We are therefore working with partners to deliver the ICT & Digital Technologies Skills Investment Plan – a range of projects that aims to meet the immediate needs of industry and broaden the future talent pool.

We believe that the adoption and use of digital technologies by business will assist growth across all sectors. We want to ensure that all of our businesses have access to the skills and connectivity which will enable them to reach new customers and markets, to innovate and grow and importantly create more highly paid, highly skilled, job opportunities.

We expect delivery of our 100% superfast broadband commitment to involve a number of different interventions, utilising a range of technologies and commercial solutions. Further details will be provided during 2017 once we have analysed the results of the recently launched Open Market Review – a consultation with broadband suppliers to determine their commercial investment plans over the next 3 years, and undertaken further market engagement.

While further investment in digital infrastructure is to be welcomed, it is important that Scotland benefits from this new funding to reflect the greater challenges associated with delivering telecoms here.

The Scottish Government is engaging with UK Government to obtain more information on the Autumn Budget statement announcements and to highlight opportunities for collaboration, particularly around 5G trials and delivery of our 100% superfast broadband commitment.

The Scottish Government is engaging with UK Government to obtain more detailed information on the Autumn Budget statement announcements and to seek opportunities for collaboration. We will work closely with the UK Government to ensure that Scotland benefits from this new funding, given the unique challenges that we face in deploying telecoms networks.

As business rates are devolved to the Scottish Government, we will examine the UK Government’s announcement regarding 100% Business Rates Relief for new
full-fibre infrastructure and consider Scotland’s position.

In February 2015 I announced that £10 million had been allocated within the Scottish European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Programme for 2014-2020 for collaborative projects to make all of Scotland’s cities smarter. The £10 million in ERDF grant (which is matched with funding from the cities) is part of the ‘Scotland’s 8^th City – the Smart City’ Strategic Intervention.

The Scottish Government is working with the cities via the Scottish Cities Alliance (the unique collaboration of Scotland’s seven cities and the Scottish Government) to deliver a number of projects funded via this intervention.

Our shared ambition is to make a step change in the use of smart technology for integrated city management across the seven cities, not just individually but collectively, so creating the 8^th city.

The first phase of smart projects was announced by the Scottish Cities Alliance on 13 December see: http://www.scottishcities.org.uk/media/press-releases/alliance-launches-smart-cities-projects