Scottish Government overseas offices: FOI release

Information requested

1. Can you tell me what benefits and return on these large investments Scotland is receiving from these countries due to setting up offices?

2. What is their role?

3. Ie Is it only promotion of Scotland in general without benefits of the costs involved?

4. Has any trade agreements been agreed with long standing ones and with more being opened is there more trade yet to come?

5. Has there been investment from these countries in terms of business set up and job creation?

Response

1. Can you tell me what benefits and return on these large investments Scotland is receiving from these countries due to setting up offices?

3. Ie Is it only promotion of Scotland in general without benefits of the costs involved?

1 & 3. The Scottish Government does not estimate the economic benefit of each of our individual overseas offices. The Scottish Government overseas offices measure activities, output and successes using a range of qualitative data, such as feedback provided by stakeholders, media articles or case studies, and quantitative data such as social media performance, event statistics and investment data. Additionally colleagues both in Scotland and in our overseas offices across Scottish Government and Scottish Development International contribute together towards trade and investment measures for international sales and jobs. Our offices work across geographies and on a sectoral basis to engage in
the wide range of activities which contribute to trade and inward successes.

The scale, scope and focus of this activity varies depending on the specific opportunities in a particular location. However, as a whole, the network will make connections in the development of policy priorities for us to exchange good practice.

Specifically the network is tasked with:

• improving Scotland’s international profile
• attracting investment to Scotland
• helping businesses to trade internationally
• promoting and securing Scottish research and innovation capability, partnerships and funding
• protecting and enhancing Scotland’s interests in the EU and beyond.

Each Scottish Government International Office submits a monitoring and evaluation report for each financial year in order to monitor the offices’ effectiveness; to ensure they are achieving their objectives; and that they provide value for money.

Five shared outcomes, as agreed by the International Board, inform the activity and evaluation of the network. The five outcomes, against which the External Network reports, are as follows: 1) Scotland’s international reputation is improved; 2) Scottish businesses are trading internationally more effectively; 3) Scottish research and innovation capability is promoted and further partnerships and funding secured; 4) Investment to Scotland has increased; and 5) Scotland’s interests in the EU and beyond are protected and enhanced. When reporting against these outcomes, offices use a range of both qualitative and quantitative indicators to measure their performance.

The M&E report for 2020/2021 has been previously released under FOISA. Please refer to the attachment to the FOI request in the link here for ease of reference. Total cost associated with the International Office Network: FOI release - gov.scot (www.gov.scot). The M&E report for 2021/2022 is awaiting publication.

2. What is their role?

2. You can find out the roles in the link provided where you can click on each of the international office’s site. International relations - gov.scot (www.gov.scot).

4. Has any trade agreements been agreed with long standing ones and with more being opened is there more trade yet to come?

4. International Trade Agreements are a reserved matter and handled by the UK Government.

5. Has there been investment from these countries in terms of business set up and job creation?

5. Work to attract investment by the Scottish Government offices both at home and overseas has helped increase foreign direct investment into Scotland by 14% in 2021, compared to 5.4% across Europe, and just 1.4% across the UK as a whole, according to EY’s 2022 Attractiveness Survey. SDI statistics published in May 2022 (Inward investment drives jobs and economic growth in Scotland (sdi.co.uk) also revealed more than 7,500 planned real living wage jobs had been generated by inward investment in 2021/22, with 113 investment projects in Scotland supported, 39 of which were investors locating in the country for the first time. Further information on inward growth and inward investment can
be found at https://www.gov.scot/publications/trading-nation-progress-review-2022/ and https://www.gov.scot/publications/shaping-scotlands-economy-inward-investment-plan-progress-report-2022/.

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