Select committee: Scottish Affairs Committee
Recommendation 14
Eighth Report - Promoting Scotland Internationally
Published 13 Sep 2023
Paragraph 64
Addressed to Scotland Office
Scottish Affairs Committee Promoting Scotland Internationally All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
The UK and Scottish Governments share many of the same priorities for Scotland on the international stage and there is an important role for the Scottish Government to play in promoting Scottish interests overseas in areas of devolved competence. Despite recent publicised tension between the two governments surrounding international activity, we found there to be positive and constructive collaboration between officials during our visit to Washington DC earlier this year, where UK and Scottish Government officials are co-located in the British Embassy. This kind of collaboration should be encouraged across the wider Embassy network where teams are co-located. In locations where Scottish Government officials are not co-located or based, it is important to embed regular communication between the teams to facilitate or identify any opportunities for joint initiatives between the governments. We encourage the UK and Scottish governments to work constructively and cooperatively on Scottish interests internationally. Whilst recognising that foreign affairs and international trade are reserved to the UK Government, the Scottish Government have international interests in devolved policy areas.
From: Scottish Affairs Committee, Eighth Report - Promoting Scotland Internationally (HC 625), paragraph 64, 13 September 2023
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 30 November 2023 (deadline 13 November 2023).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government's response recognises the importance of promoting Scotland internationally but, in several areas, describes existing arrangements as the right approach rather than adopting the Committee's proposals.
- On a strategy for marking Scotland's key dates, it says that "Issuing prescriptive guidance to the overseas network does not necessarily provide the most effective way to promote the best of Scotland", so Posts keep discretion.
- On an international strategy, it says the Scotland Office and FCDO "will continue to provide leadership", but that this "remains a cross-government endeavour". It notes that horizon scanning is "a continual process" and that the Delivering for Scotland Board includes promotion of Scotland internationally.
- On Tartan Week, it says departments are discussing potential collaboration for 2024 in New York, and that "Detailed plans for this will be developed during the autumn/winter 2023."
- On trade, it says DBT works with the Scottish Government and SDI so that "services aren't duplicated", and says the UK Exports Minister and senior DBT officials "can appear before the Committee" to provide an update.