Seòmar agus comataidhean

Has any work been done on how we are doing in relation to that age bracket compared with the rest of the UK? Are we better, worse or just the same?

It is just that we often hear that our situation is much worse than everywhere else, because of Brexit. That does not seem to be the case.

I guess that the Government should focus on that area to reduce the brain drain from Scotland and to try to attract more people from the rest of the UK to Scotland.

Yes. I think that the convener has mentioned in previous meetings that, often, people leave Scotland to work and then come back to retire, which is something that we need to change.

In terms of the demographics, I think that Graeme Roy mentioned at the start of the session that what we are seeing in Scotland and the UK is not unique. How do we compare with other countries in Europe—France and Germany, for example? Has that work been done?

My other question—

I can understand that when it comes to things such as homes for Ukrainians or dealing with a pandemic but not with everything else. I am from a background where you had to have a business case, so why is it not the same in Government?

So we as a committee should be asking for a review of and a more formalised approach to record keeping in terms of who made decisions and how such things are stored. Do you agree?

I have a question about participation rates. I understand that the rate for the over-65s drops significantly, but has work been done on participation rates for those between 50 and 65? Where does Scotland stand in relation to the rest of the UK in respect of participation among that group? As Graeme Roy has said, they are probably the highest earners and the ones we want to keep feeding their tax income into the economy.

My last question is about the population of 16 to 64-year-olds. The figures for that age range in the rest of the UK seem quite constant, but we are dropping off quite considerably. Is that down to migration or is it down to the birth rate in the rest of the UK being higher than it is in Scotland?