John Swinney MSP

Written 56 posts

Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Covid Recovery (Previously: Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth; Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Constitution and Economy; Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills)

Scotland is a fertile ground for entrepreneurs

26th November 2012

Scotland is a nation that is rich in talent with a great reputation in innovation and enterprise. Those that claim Scotland invented the modern world, are not far off. From the telephone, to the television, to the more recent Pelamis Wave Energy converter, the inventive spirit of Scotland has created so many of the products that are now part of our daily life.

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A budget for Scotland’s economy

20th September 2012

Global economic conditions continue to impact on economic confidence. Business investment remains considerably below pre-recession levels, and household income remains under pressure. I am therefore focussed on enhancing confidence in order to encourage private sector investment and growth.

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Scotland’s Digital Future

19th September 2012

Digital technology has changed the way we view the world and there is no doubt that it can also change the way we do things in delivering public services. Today I launched a strategy to help shape Scotland’s Digital Future in the Delivery of Public Services.

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Pre-Budget update on Government Economic Strategy

10th September 2012

A year has past since we refreshed our Government Economic Strategy (GES) and today we’ve published a report demonstrating progress in our actions to drive growth and develop a more resilient, adaptable economy.

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Plans for future tax regime

8th June 2012

From April 2015, through the Scotland Act, the Scottish Parliament will be able, to introduce and manage taxes relating to the purchase or leasing of land and buildings, and a replacement for Landfill Tax.

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Opportunities for Scotland’s Economy Lecture – 11 June

6th June 2012

Later this month I will be discussing my view of the challenges and opportunities to business in the context of the current economic climate and the recent developments in the global economy and Euro Area.

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Showcasing Scotland in Korea

20th April 2012

The final day of my trip to Korea begins with a media conference to explain the purpose of the trip – to pursue Korean investment and to promote Scottish business interests. I am accompanied by Frank Boyland and Howard Jang (both of SDI in Asia), Adrian Gillespie (Energy Director of Scottish Enterprise) and Ewen Cameron (SDI Head of Food, Drink and Textiles).

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Swinney visits Samsung in Korea

19th April 2012

Daylight on Geoje Island in Korea revealed an amazing sight – the Samsung shipyards. It is hard to convey how overwhelming is their presence. In one dry dock, the size of six football pitches, four container vessels were under construction. And that was just one relatively small part of the site.

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Exploring new opportunities in Osaka

18th April 2012

The third and final day of the Japan leg of my trip started with a call to Rolto, an existing investor in Scotland who own Mentholatum in East Kilbride. We talked over the expansion of the company’s product range and will work with them to try to make the most of this opportunity in Scotland.

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Scottish produce top of the menu in Japan

17th April 2012

An early start to day two of my Japan visit and the focus continues to be on Scotland’s growth industries. Over lunchtime, Scottish Development International put together an excellent event to showcase Scotland’s wonderful food and drink – one of our largest export successes.

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