Kate Forbes

1 month ago | thenational.scot | Kate Forbes

Is it any wonder the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has amended its forecast, slashing growth for this year in half? I WAS fortunate enough to serve as Scotland’s cabinet secretary for finance for just over three years. And so while I can’t claim to know the ins and outs of Rachel Reeves’s job, I imagine I understand some of her challenges. Competing priorities, unexpected headwinds and an overwhelming pressure to balance the books – it’s a lot for anyone to handle.

1 month ago | dailybusinessgroup.co.uk | Terry Murden |Kate Forbes |Scottish economy

Scotland’s economy made a strong start to the year against geopolitical uncertainty and ongoing price pressures, according to Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes. Data from the chief statistician shows onshore GDP was 0.3% higher in January, following a 0.5% uplift in December 2024 (revised from 0.6%) . In the three months to January, GDP is estimated to have grown by 0.5% compared to the previous three-month period. This follows GDP remaining flat in the fourth quarter of 2024.

2 months ago | thenational.scot | Kate Forbes

WHEN we think of booming business here in Scotland, what thriving sectors come to mind? Energy, of course, which has contributed so much to Scotland’s story and will do so for a long time to come, given the Scottish Government’s bristling ambition to make us the clean energy capital of Europe (an ambition, I might say, we’re very proud to be delivering on). Increasingly, we might think of AI, or life sciences, or emerging technologies.

2 months ago | thenational.scot | Kate Forbes

EVERY ministerial visit is a delight and a privilege, but I can’t hide that my trip on Thursday to the BBC left a particularly big smile on my face. I was lucky enough to drop by the BBC’s Pacific Quay studios in Glasgow with Meredith Brook, the brilliant actress behind the character Sìne Maclean in BBC Alba’s brand new series An t-Eilean (The Island).

Feb 6, 2025 | dailybusinessgroup.co.uk | Terry Murden |Kate Forbes |Scottish Budget

Startup companies participating in the Scottish Government’s techscaler programme have raised more than £118 million since the scheme was launched at the end of 2022. It raised £54.1m in its first year from both private and public sources. Of the total, the government has invested just under £13m in grants, described by Deputy First Minister and Economy Secretary Kate Forbes today as “a good return”.