Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment he has made of the effect of leaving the EU on the export of Scottish goods and services.

Since the vote to leave the EU, and the formation of DIT, Scottish exports of goods and services have risen substantially. In the year to 2018Q2, Scottish exports of goods and services (excluding exports to the rest of the UK) totalled £32.4bn, an increase of 14.2% from the year to 2016Q2, but Scottish exports as % of Scottish GDP was 20.6% compared to 30.4% for UK exports as % of UK GDP (Sources: Scottish Government, GDP Quarterly National Accounts 2018Q2, ONS GDP First Quarterly Estimate 2018Q3).

Reaching our UK aim of 35% and exploiting the benefits of post-EU trade deals will be helped by significant improvement in Scottish exporting performance, greater awareness of DIT services in Scotland and the constructive support of the Scottish Government.