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The Chief Entrepreneur has had 9 meetings with education institutions since his appointment, not including daily engagements through email, social media and wider events. These engagements reflect the urgency and drive which the Chief Entrepreneur has brought to his work in government as well as the broad base of engagement and relationship building required in order to successfully embed entrepreneurship across all sectors of the Scottish economy. A list of all engagements undertaken by the Chief Entrepreneur in this time will shortly be published through the FOI process.

The Chief Entrepreneur has had 24 formal meetings with businesses since his appointment, not including daily engagements through email, social media and wider events. These engagements reflect the urgency and drive which the Chief Entrepreneur has brought to his work in government as well as the broad base of engagement and relationship building required in order to successfully embed entrepreneurship across all sectors of the Scottish economy. A list of all engagements undertaken by the Chief Entrepreneur during this period will shortly be published through the FOI process.

The Chief Entrepreneur will be remunerated at a rate of £2,000 per day for a maximum of 100 days per year. He is entitled to be reimbursed for expenses incurred in relation to travel and subsistence and will be supported by a small team providing diary management and support with correspondence.

Professor Logan was selected for this role in line with the Scottish Ministerial Code, which enables Ministers to make appointments providing they are satisfied that the preferred candidate is being appointed on the basis of merit. Professor Logan was selected from a list of outstanding candidates on the basis of his exceptional experience in growing companies to scale, advising and investing in Scottish start-ups, his strong relationship across industry and investors, and his work in teaching entrepreneurship at the University of Glasgow. This list was assembled, and the decision made, following discussions with key figures in industry, academia, the entrepreneurial ecosystem and public sector leaders.

The Chief Entrepreneur ensures entrepreneurship is embedded in the economy, and that partnerships with industry and investors are prioritised and strengthened. A full remit was published at the time of his appointment and can be found in the following press release: Appointment of Chief Entrepreneur - gov.scot (www.gov.scot).

The main source of insight into e-commerce in Scotland is the Digital Economy Business Survey (DEBS), which has been conducted approximately every three years since 2014. We are currently considering the scope and frequency of future surveys, which will provide important data for our understanding of progress of key elements of the National Strategy for Economic Transformation (NSET).

Data is not collected in this way, because many firms engaged in e-commerce are likely to also be trading in other ways. However, in 2021, 35% of businesses in Scotland made sales via e-commerce, compared to 30% in 2017. (Source: Digital Economy Business Surveys (DEBS); 2017 and 2021. DEBS has been carried out approximately every three years since 2014. Note that sole traders were not included in these surveys.)

The Scottish Government understands that 13,000 new recruits are needed every year to fill digital technology roles, including roles in e-commerce. That is why we have invested over £4 million since 2020, via Skills Development Scotland, to broaden the digital talent pool. This has included the delivery of reskilling programmes such as the Digital Start Fund, a programme which supports people on benefits or low incomes, and the Digital Skills Pipeline, a modular set of courses running from beginner level all the way through to advanced coding. By giving grant funding to Code Your Future, another training organisation, we have also helped vulnerable people, including refugees, with the skills and networks necessary to progress in education and employment. Going forward, a new Digital Economy Skills Action Plan for Scotland, which is being developed in partnership with industry and stakeholders, will identify the activity that will best support the needs of the digital economy going forward, aligning with the recommendations from Scottish Technology Ecosystem Review (STER) and National Strategy for Economic Transformation (NSET).

Data is not collected in this way, because many firms engaged in e-commerce are likely to also be trading in other ways. However, the Digital Economy Business Surveys (DEBS) carried out in 2017 and 2021 offers some insight. These surveys contain estimates of the proportion of total business sales were made via e-commerce in the previous 12 months.

Skills Development Scotland (SDS) has operational responsibility for the Modern Apprenticeship programme and administer funding, on behalf of the Scottish Government.

SDS have confirmed that no Modern Apprenticeship contracts have been terminated in line with clause (a) 22.1.2.1, (b) 22.1.2.2 and (c) 22.1.2.3, as set out under section 22, Termination for Reputational Damage in the Modern Apprenticeship Programme Conditions.