The Scottish Government

Class 8 - Business and Industry

The Scottish Government aims to create a more successful country with opportunities for all of Scotland to flourish through increasing long-term sustainable economic growth. There are a range of policies in place aimed at creating a supporting business environment that will actively encourage the innovation, entrepreneurialism and high skill levels necessary for the creation, growth and increased productivity of businesses.

In particular, information on the following is available:

• Business support, which includes details of business support available to manufacturing in Scotland, regulatory information (including all partial and final Regulatory Impact Assessments), PACE - Partnership Action for Continuing Employment, Scotland's Financial Services Industry, Skills for Business Network, including Investors in People and the National Training Awards.
• Science, Technology and Innovation, which includes a framework of policies to guide the detailed development of policy for the support and use of science.
• Enterprise, which includes information on the Enterprise Networks, strategy, Business in the Parliament events, and the Convention of the Highlands and Islands.
• Food, which includes: Choosing the Right Ingredients: The Future for Food in Scotland: Discussion Paper, and links to useful resources.
• Energy, which includes scoping reports, decision letters, energy consents, assessments of protected sites (where we are required to carry out such assessments), and renewable energy policy.
• The Water Industry in Scotland - who does what, how charges are set, proposed improvements, future pricing etc. In Scotland, public drinking water and sewerage services are provided by a public sector corporation, Scottish Water, which is accountable to Scottish Ministers and through Ministers to the Scottish Parliament.
• Grants available from the Scottish Government to provide financial assistance to new and existing businesses in Scotland, including regular reports on accepted grant offers and, in particular:
• Information about and grant recipients (published every 6 months) of SMART:SCOTLAND, which provides financial assistance to Small and Medium Enterprises to help support projects which represent a significant technological advance for the UK sector or industry concerned.
• Funding available and information about European Structural Funds.

Where the information within this class can be located

This class of information can be located within the ' Business and Industry' section of the Scottish Government website or through one of the alternative routes described under section 5 of this scheme.