Scotland's Economy

  • Green ports letter to UK Government

    24th March 2021 by

    Trade Minister Ivan McKee has written to Chief Secretary to the Treasury Steve Barclay outlining his disappointment that the joint bidding process for green ports will not be launched ahead of the Scottish Parliament elections. Full text of the letter: Dear Steve, Delivering green ports in Scotland I am disappointed to have received no response...

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  • Green ports update from Trade Minister

    12th March 2021 by

    Trade Minister Ivan McKee has written to Scottish business organisations to update them on work to establish green ports in Scotland. Full text of letter: Dear Colleagues, I wanted to write to you to provide an update on our work to establish green ports in Scotland, and to reassure you of this government’s intent to...

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  • Green ports – Scotland’s focus on Fair Work First and net zero

    24th February 2021 by

    Trade Minister Ivan McKee: The COVID-19 pandemic has radically changed what we once knew as normal and has made us all think about how we want to live our lives in future. As we rebuild our economy, we have an opportunity to build a fairer, greener, more prosperous and inclusive Scotland that delivers for every...

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  • Ministerial Statement: The contribution of place-based economic development zones

    21st January 2021 by

    Trade Minister Ivan McKee: Presiding Officer, today, I have published findings from a survey conducted at the end of 2020 on “Scotland’s Economic Performance: The Contribution of Place-Based Economic Development Zones” and I welcome the opportunity to set out some of those findings and next steps to Parliament. The survey sought the views of businesses,...

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  • Selling Scotland on the global stage

    12th November 2019 by

    Scotland is to be one of 192 countries represented at a global event aimed at driving innovation and collaboration across the world. World Expo Dubai 2020 will showcase Scotland as a global trading nation and world-leading destination for business, education and tourism. The World Expo is one of the world’s longest-running and largest international events....

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  • Internet of Things at Crookston Castle

    9th August 2019 by

    As Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity, I was invited to visit historic Crookston Castle this week to learn about the Internet of Things (IoT) and see some of this exciting new technology in practice. The Internet of Things is about connecting physical devices, like sensors and actuators (i.e., devices that do things, such...

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  • Mobile coverage must reflect far higher level of ambition

    18th March 2019 by

    Mobile coverage in Scotland will continue to lag behind the rest of the UK unless Ofcom sets more ambitious coverage targets, the Scottish Government and Scottish Futures Trust have warned. In a joint response to Ofcom’s consultation on the forthcoming 700 MHz spectrum auction, both organisations have urged the regulator to look at all options...

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  • This week: 01/03/19

    1st March 2019 by

    Fair Work Action Plan A range of measures to support employers to embed fairer working practices have been set out in a new Fair Work Action Plan. Business and Fair Work Minister Jamie Hepburn said the action plan includes a commitment to a new benchmarking tool to help employers assess their current practices and to...

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  • Concrete from carrots – now that’s really clever!

    31st January 2019 by

    Low CO2 concrete, made with by-products of the carrot industry. Sustainable, nutritional salmon feed generated from by-products from the whisky industry. Just two unlikely examples of the innovative technologies powering Scotland’s burgeoning biotech industry. In a nutshell, turning environmental challenges into opportunities and delivering real results to help us meet our climate change targets. I’m...

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  • Scotland and Poland: European partners

    23rd January 2019 by

    Despite the uncertainty over Brexit, Scotland remains open for business and the EU remains our single largest market for international exports. During a recent trade show in Germany, an emerging consortia of Polish Energy majors and trade bodies expressed an interest in learning more about Scottish experience and expertise in planning, developing, and managing major...

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