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Every contribution to the Official Report — chamber and committee — searchable in one place. Pulled from data.parliament.scot, indexed for full-text search, linked through to every MSP.

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Showing 40 of 2,354,908 contributions. Latest 30 days: 0. Coverage: 12 May 1999 — 25 Mar 2026.

Michelle Thomson SNP Committee

Economic Recovery

I appreciate that it is very complex for you. I am conscious of time, so I will move on. My next questions are for both organisations, although I suggest that Adrian Gillespie might want to come in for Scottish Enterprise. We had quite alarming stats presented to us from Wome...

Michelle Thomson SNP Committee

Budget Scrutiny 2023-24

My next question concerns the disaggregation of data, which is a theme that I keep following. I ask organisations, including the SPCB, whether they routinely disaggregate all the data that they collect by sex, because we cannot effect change without that. However, every time I...

Michelle Thomson SNP Committee

Two examples spring to mind. I asked whether a business agency routinely disaggregated its research data so that it could understand the breakdown by gender, and the answer was that it did not. I also asked a commerce and development agency whether it routinely did that, and I...

Michelle Thomson SNP Committee

Scottish Fiscal Commission (Economic and Fiscal Forecasts)

My last wee question is about economic inactivity. I have previously asked about the extent to which you disaggregate data by sex, because that often gives interesting patterns. It makes me wonder to what extent we might see emerging patterns when we do that. Obviously, there ...

Michelle Thomson (Falkirk East) (SNP) SNP Committee

Pre-budget Scrutiny 2022-23: Public Finances and the Impact of Covid-19

I want to start by asking you a closed question, to which you can answer yes or no, before I go into the main thrust of my questions. Do you routinely disaggregate the data in your surveys, including those that you carry out and those that you have commissioned, by sex/gender?...

Michelle Thomson SNP Committee

Pre-budget Scrutiny 2022-23: Public Finances and the Impact of Covid-19

I will bring in David Eiser shortly, but I first want to bring out Susan Murray’s important point about what we can do. Although I recognise and agree with the point about the role of private businesses, perhaps the Government can use conditionality. People are talking about t...

Michelle Thomson SNP Committee

Scotland’s Supply Chain

My question follows on from the theme of the role of women and was triggered by Chris Brodie talking about economically inactive workers in his opening remarks. Here is another question about numbers: what percentage of the economically inactive population is made up of women?...

Michelle Thomson (Falkirk East) (SNP) SNP Committee

Tourism and Hospitality

Good morning, everybody. I apologise—I am remote, but I hope that you can hear me okay. I want to ask a couple of general questions, to which I will take answers from all of you. The committee continues to be interested in how women specifically in your sector have been affec...

Michelle Thomson SNP Committee

Tourism and Hospitality

Thank you for that, Marc, but before we move on, do you have hard data on women-led businesses, and do you routinely disaggregate that data in any surveys? I am heartened by the warm fuzzy feeling that I am getting from you, but data is everything.

Michelle Thomson (Falkirk East) (SNP) SNP Committee

Town Centres and Retail

I am mindful of what Bryan McGrath has been emphasising. I want to ask a couple of questions about women in enterprise in the concept of place, as well as in their place—that is, as thriving, active entrepreneurs in which an equitable number of women and men in businesses cont...

Michelle Thomson (Falkirk East) (SNP) SNP Committee

Business Investment

Before I ask Carolyn Currie a couple of questions, I have a standard question for the other witnesses. Do you routinely disaggregate all data in all surveys by gender?

Michelle Thomson SNP Committee

Business Investment

It is the last day before we all break up for Christmas and Santa has not arrived at my household yet, so could you give a public commitment on behalf of the SCDI that you will action that after this meeting, so that the next time that you come in front of the committee and I ...

Michelle Thomson SNP Committee

Budget Scrutiny 2023-24

Where you collect data, do you routinely disaggregate it for every data item? The issue flows into your procurement policy and so on. Only by collecting data can we start to move that forward. 10:45

Michelle Thomson SNP Committee

Budget Scrutiny 2023-24

I will leave that with you as something to think about. Whether you routinely disaggregate all data that is collected by gender is a valid question. It flows through into procurement, for example. Do you know whether you have equitability in your procurement with regard to wom...

Michelle Thomson SNP Committee

Effective Scottish Government Decision Making

Before I bring in James Black, I have a quick question for you. How much evidence do you see of proper risk management in terms of disaggregation and risk probability outcomes and so on, from an academic perspective? Do you see that being done routinely? I have come across exa...

Michelle Thomson (Falkirk East) (SNP) SNP Chamber

Scotland’s Finances and Wellbeing Economy

I welcome Neil Gray to his new role. It was a pleasure to hear from my colleague Ivan McKee, who delivered thought leadership at the rate of a Gatling gun. His presence here is the back benches’ gain. In our document written for Common Weal, we comment on the complexity of a...

Michelle Thomson SNP Committee

Pre-budget Scrutiny 2025-26

I will ask for a last word from Stuart Black, because I know that the convener is keen to move on. With regard to your focus on encouraging women-led businesses and diversity in general, do you routinely disaggregate data? How is that split looking?

Michelle Thomson (Falkirk East) (SNP) SNP Chamber

Violence against Women and Girls

In this debate to mark the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence, I think that we are united in our commitment to end violence against women and girls in all its forms, online and offline. As has been said, this is not just a women’s issue; it is a societal crisis ...

Michelle Thomson SNP Committee

Scottish Fiscal Commission (Fiscal Sustainability)

:You could also help me in what has ultimately been my failed mission to get the Scottish Government to routinely disaggregate and collect data by sex. It does so in many areas, but not in others.That is me, convener.

Michelle Thomson SNP Committee

As I said, we all await that report with great interest and anticipation, and, having had Mark Logan before the committee last week, I have high hopes for it. I have a follow-on question. Are you able to make it compulsory for any agency that receives money from the Scottish ...

Michelle Thomson SNP Committee

Proposed National Outcomes

Before your officials come in, I will build on that point a little. The root of the issue still lies with data collectors, in that we do not routinely collect disaggregated data. Indeed, in its response to the consultation, Engender noted the lack of such data. When your offi...

Michelle Thomson (Falkirk East) (SNP) SNP Committee

Economic Recovery

Good morning, everybody. It is nice to be able to reacquaint myself with some people whom I knew previously. I was very struck by Carolyn Currie’s comment about the disaggregation of data and how important that is. However, before I move on to ask Carolyn some questions about...

Michelle Thomson SNP Committee

Economic Recovery

I am sorry to interrupt you, Charandeep, but I am asking whether you disaggregate all data in all of your surveys.

Michelle Thomson SNP Committee

Scotland’s Economic Outlook

Because I am aware of the time—and I appreciate the witnesses giving up their time—I will direct my final question to Professor Chadha only. In talking about uncertainty, we talked about how to disaggregate data—Emma Congreve touched on that. Arguably, however, the past is a ...

Michelle Thomson SNP Committee

Budget Scrutiny 2024-25 (United Kingdom Context)

My last question concerns Brexit, which I know you have baked into numbers generally. For a period of time, it was difficult to disaggregate the data, given what was happening with wider geopolitical issues such as the energy crisis. My guess is that it is only the longer-run ...

Michelle Thomson SNP Committee

Pre-budget Scrutiny 2025-26

I will carry on. It is important that we disaggregate revenue and capital. David Melhuish, you commented in the Scottish Property Federation submission’s that the SPF has a “particular concern” about the “reduction in Capital Investment”. ICAS probably has a view on that issu...

Michelle Thomson (Falkirk East) (SNP) SNP Chamber

Community Wealth Building (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

I respect what Mr McKee is saying about setting those targets locally but, in his discussions with local authorities, is he also prepared to press them to disaggregate the data that they collect in order to show data about women-led businesses? That is an area of oversight, an...

Michelle Thomson SNP Committee

Economic Recovery

Okay—I will carry on for now then. The responses were illuminating. In relation to the disaggregation of data, I was extraordinarily struck by the data set that Carolyn Currie provided, and by her point about people who become entrepreneurs out of necessity versus opportunist...

Michelle Thomson (Falkirk East) (SNP) SNP Committee

Budget Scrutiny 2022-23

Thank you for joining us, cabinet secretary. There are only a couple of areas that I want to explore. I will try to be quick so that all committee members can get in. The first area is women in business, which the committee has discussed a number of times. It first came up wh...

Michelle Thomson SNP Committee

Financial Memorandum for the Children and Young People (Scotland) Bill (Post-legislative Scrutiny)

This is my final final question. One of the challenges that any organisation faces is silo working. Are you able to ensure that the learning from the process is cascaded throughout all departments of the Scottish Government? I am willing to bet that we will be in a similar pos...

Michelle Thomson (Falkirk East) (SNP) SNP Committee

Good morning, Deputy First Minister. Thank you for attending today’s meeting. I want to follow up on a deeply held interest of mine: the role of women and their contribution and entrepreneurialism. Our pre-budget calls mentioned disaggregation of data and progress on the wome...

Michelle Thomson SNP Committee

I do not know the data sets in their entirety, so it is hard for me to say that something is missing. That, perhaps, speaks to the problem, because if we do not collect the data routinely, we will not be able to see the complex patterns. In principle, I am asking you to, as a ...

Michelle Thomson (Falkirk East) (SNP) SNP Committee

Subordinate Legislation

I have to fess up and say that I find the thread of John Mason’s questions very interesting—I do not know whether that is good news or not. As I have been listening to all the questions, I have been thinking that, in general, the fulsome reports that have been provided are a ...

Michelle Thomson SNP Committee

Effective Scottish Government Decision Making

My last wee question is for Lucy Hughes. Your submission is excellent. I have asked about this a lot. I will quote you: “The collection and analysis of intersectional gender-sensitive sex-disaggregated data on women’s experiences is central” and it carries on. I feel that, i...

Michelle Thomson SNP Committee

Consumer Scotland

There is certainly much further to go. Before I move on to my main area of questioning, I want to ask about your research—David Eiser may be able to come in on this. What consideration have you given thus far to how specifically your research in whatever area you are focusing...

Michelle Thomson SNP Committee

Aggregates Tax and Devolved Taxes Administration (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

You are correctly introducing another complexity for the bill, but that is good because that is what we want to tease out. Have we got the data to draw on to arrive at some of these decisions? I am not sure what data your members will routinely gather and submit as part of the...

Michelle Thomson SNP Committee

Fair Work Convention

Thank you for your final point—I hear you strongly. I have a final wee question, and I will let Helen Martin come in as well. To what extent is all the data that is collected routinely disaggregated by sex? Although I fully accept your final comment, do you and all the agenc...

Michelle Thomson SNP Committee

Public Administration in the Scottish Government

I see that there is clearly the potential for tension in relation to the elected role of ministers. You will know that the civil service’s total operating costs have routinely been overspent by around 10 per cent in recent years. If ministers have limited potential to do som...

Michelle Thomson SNP Committee

Revenue Scotland

Taking a risk-based approach will be very wise for all the areas that you have outlined. I have a final wee question, which I also asked last year. Going back to the convener’s questions about digitisation, I asked you last year about your thinking on artificial intelligence....

Michelle Thomson SNP Committee

Scottish Fiscal Commission (Fiscal Sustainability)

:Getting back to the matter in hand, I want to ask about something that Liz Smith usually brings up—the behavioural impact of fiscal drag. I know that you routinely factor that in and make an assessment of it, but have you given any further thought to the quite stark different...

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Committee

Economy and Fair Work Committee 15 September 2021

15 Sep 2021 · S6 · Economy and Fair Work Committee

Item of business

Economic Recovery

Thomson, Michelle SNP Falkirk East Watch on SPTV

I appreciate that it is very complex for you. I am conscious of time, so I will move on. My next questions are for both organisations, although I suggest that Adrian Gillespie might want to come in for Scottish Enterprise. We had quite alarming stats presented to us from Women’s Enterprise Scotland, and I have a couple of questions off the back of that. The first one is incidental and a result of my also sitting on the Finance and Public Administration Committee. I was quite shocked to hear that only 1 per cent of private equity investment goes on women-led businesses, meaning that, obviously, 99 per cent goes on male-led businesses. Adrian Gillespie and Malcolm Roughead, do you routinely disaggregate your data by gender, and do you therefore interrogate that data to map out what your territory looks like in business support or business investment? On the back of that, we have had commentary that the ability of women-owned businesses to access enterprise agency support has been harder because they tend to operate in areas—the beauty sector, for example—that are not necessarily the focus for growth. I would like a bit of commentary on that. Do you routinely disaggregate data? If so, do you then interrogate it? Adrian Gillespie, perhaps you would like to go first. 10:30

In the same item of business

The Convener Lab

Our main public item of business this morning is an evidence session on support for economic recovery. I thank our first panel of witnesses for joining us to...

Douglas Colquhoun (Scottish Enterprise)

Yes, there are always lessons to be learned in a situation like that which we faced last year, but the criticism is a little bit unfair. Last year, we delive...

The Convener Lab

Audit Scotland published a report this morning. I appreciate you have possibly not had a chance to be made aware of it, but Stephen Boyle was on the radio ta...

Malcolm Roughead (VisitScotland)

I think that we benefited from coming late to the process for delivery of the funds. Certainly from our perspective, because the process was bespoke for the ...

The Convener Lab

Adrian Gillespie is back online. I will give him a chance to contribute as he has managed to join the meeting. I understand that he had connectivity issues.

Adrian Gillespie (Scottish Enterprise)

The Convener Lab

The question was about Audit Scotland’s comments this morning about transparency within the delivery of Covid funding, and I am asking whether you are confid...

Adrian Gillespie

I thank you, and I offer my apologies for missing the beginning of the meeting. I met the convener of our audit committee and he told me about the scrutiny t...

The Convener Lab

Can you briefly respond to the comments we had from the FSB and Scottish Chambers of Commerce, who raised concerns about continuing complexity around the fun...

Adrian Gillespie

Yes; I caught the beginning of that just before I lost connectivity. Obviously I was disappointed to read that. I am new in post and will be engaging very br...

The Convener Lab

Thank you. I will now hand over to Jamie Halcro Johnston.

Jamie Halcro Johnston (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Con

We have heard today that Scottish Enterprise continues to deliver growth, but throughout the pandemic there has been a focus on supporting existing businesse...

Adrian Gillespie

We will have to do that as a team with the other agencies by being very close to companies, and by being agile through the whole process. Some parts of the ...

Malcolm Roughead

We are in a hybrid situation in which some businesses have been unable to trade at all, some have had limited trading, and, happily, some are seeing green sh...

Jamie Halcro Johnston Con

You said that the agencies have had to do things differently. How much are you having to focus on supporting businesses to do things differently to the way i...

Malcolm Roughead

You are absolutely right; the industry has been behind the curve in terms of digital capability and competitiveness but, over the past 18 months, we have had...

The Convener Lab

Thank you. We need to make some progress so I am going to hand over to Michelle Thomson for the next questions.

Michelle Thomson (Falkirk East) (SNP) SNP

First, I will take us back a bit and explore budget positions. You have submitted written information, so I want to keep this snappy. I am interested in gett...

Douglas Colquhoun

On the current year position, as we set out in our submission, we established a business plan budget of just over £404 million. The figure increased marginal...

Michelle Thomson SNP

Okay. You have given a lot of very clear data—thank you for that. I want to establish what your confidence level is for your future projections in the light ...

Douglas Colquhoun

In terms of next year—2022-23—we received a five-year capital budget allocation for last year and this year. That has reset our capital budget at £80 million...

Michelle Thomson SNP

Yes, it does—thank you. I appreciate that Malcolm Roughead, given his role, might want to take it up a level. Please give me a sense of your current budget...

Malcolm Roughead

We look at quarterly reforecasts based on the intelligence that we are getting from the market. Obviously, our case is slightly different from Scottish Enter...

Michelle Thomson SNP

I appreciate that it is very complex for you. I am conscious of time, so I will move on. My next questions are for both organisations, although I suggest th...

Adrian Gillespie

Yes, we monitor that closely. Carolyn Currie has sent me the data that you saw and we will engage closely with her. You are absolutely right—more needs to ...

Michelle Thomson SNP

Thank you. Malcolm Roughead, would you like to come in at this point?

Malcolm Roughead

It is slightly difficult for us because there is no compulsory registration of businesses. If you think about the make up of the tourism industry with its be...

The Convener Lab

Thank you, Michelle. We will now move to Colin Beattie. I remind members that we have a busy agenda this morning, so it would be helpful if questions and ans...

Colin Beattie (Midlothian North and Musselburgh) (SNP) SNP

There are a couple of areas in which I would like to ask questions. The first question is for Malcolm Roughead. Can you provide an update as to where we are ...

Malcolm Roughead

I will take the second part of that question first. Phase 2 proposals have been submitted to the Scottish Government, so we await the response to that. Phas...