Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the impact of the scotch whisky industry on levels of employment in Scotland.

Whilst no specific assessment has been made by the UK Government, according to the Scotch Whisky Association more than 11,000 people are directly employed in the Scotch Whisky industry in Scotland, and over 42,000 jobs across the UK are supported by the Scotch Whisky industry.

7,000 of these jobs are in rural areas of Scotland providing vital employment and investment opportunities to communities across the Highlands and Islands.

The Scotch Whisky industry continues to provide a significant contribution to the Scottish economy, with sustained export values of around £4.5 billion, and £5.5 billion in gross value added (GVA) to the UK economy, according to industry analysis. The 140 Scotch Whisky distilleries which operate across Scotland attracted around 2.2 million visitors in 2019 making this industry the third most popular tourist attraction.

In addition, 57% of distillers reported an increase in their number of staff in the past twelve months, with all respondents expecting to need to add to their workforces in the coming year. These figures outlined by the Scotch Whisky Association demonstrate the wide range of employment opportunities this industry provides to those in Scotland.