Green Freeports Programme Board Meeting One Summary Minutes: July 2022

Attendees and apologies

Present

Scottish Government (SG)

• Louise Macdonald, Director –General (DG) Economy (chair)
• Colin Cook, Senior Responsible Officer (SRO) for the Green Freeports Programme, Director of Economic Development (DED)
• representative deputising for Director of International Trade and Investment
• Alex Doig, Directorate of Tax and Revenues
• Ellen Leaver, Deputy Director covering for Director for Local Government and Housing
• Kersti Berge, Director of Energy and Climate
• Helena Gray, Director for Fair Work Employability and Skills
• Michelle Rennie, Chief Executive Officer, Transport Scotland
• Green Freeports Programme Director, DED
• Green Freeports Team Leader, DED

UK Government (UKG)

• Sue Gray, Second Permanent Secretary to Cabinet Office
• Carmen Suarez, SRO for UK Freeports Programme, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC)
• Kris Krasnowski, Scotland Office
• Helen Evans, Home Office
• representative for Her Majesty’s Treasury (HMT)
• Ruth Hopkinson, HMT
• Sally Beggs, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC)
• representatives for Department for International Trade
• Freeports Programme Director, DLUHC

Apologies

• Andrew Scott, Director of Tax and Revenues
• Will Davis, HMT, UKG

Items and actions

Welcome and introductions

The chair welcomed board members to the first meeting of the Green Freeports Programme Board and introductions were made. The chair highlighted that, while the board had an important formal function to support in her role as accountable officer for the programme in Scotland, it had been carefully set up as a joint forum, bringing together the key strategic policy interests across both the Scottish and UK governments in support of a joint programme.

Discussion on board terms of reference

As the programme is being taken forward jointly by the Scottish and UK governments, it was agreed that the board would be co-chaired going forward. The board agreed the terms of reference subject to an amendment to clarify it would be co-chaired.

Assessment process and timeline

The SG and DLUHC Green Freeport Programme Directors gave the board a summary of the joint SG and UKG assessment process for the Green Freeport bidding process, next steps and the timetable. It was noted that final decisions about bids will be made by the SG Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy and the UKG Secretary of State for Levelling Up. However, both may wish to consult colleagues, so both governments need to think about how best to do this while still making decisions as quickly as possible.