The adoption of digital technology offers not just an opportunity to streamline processes and services, it enables us to fundamentally change the relationship between government and citizens.
It puts the power of government services in the palm of every citizen’s hand and makes it easier than ever for people to use those services in ways that suits them. It is about much more than technological innovation, it’s a testament to our commitment to putting citizens at the heart of everything we do.
On Tuesday 18 November, the Scottish Government published a refreshed Digital Strategy for Scotland, and I am pleased to officially announce this alongside my colleague Councillor Katie Hagmann at Futurescot’s Digital Scotland 2025 conference, at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre.
The refreshed vision is both a consolidation of the ambitions of Scotland’s National Digital Strategy – A changing nation: how Scotland will thrive in a digital world – published in 2021, and a response to an ever evolving digital landscape. You may notice that I use the term “refreshed vision” rather than referring to a “new” strategy.
This is because our work is ongoing. We are delivering, and pushing further, on many of the commitments we set out back in 2021. The 2021 strategy talked about fundamental digital public infrastructure required to support all services and I am pleased to say we have made significant progress on this.
For example, all Scottish Public Pension Agency pension payments are now made through ScotPayments, and we have more than 50 services running on our Scottish Government Cloud Service infrastructure.
Our secure digital identity service ScotAccount is already saving Disclosure Scotland more than £1m per year and adding 11,000 new users a week. The use of ScotAccount is always optional and a citizen’s choice to do so.
These are foundational technologies that we own and operate and that will support many services across the public sector for years to come. Our refreshed vision summarises our joint long-term ambition for: inclusive access to digital opportunities, digital skills in education, a thriving digital economy and sustainable digital public services.
Alongside this vision, separate, subject-specific plans will set out the detail of the what and the how we will deliver in the medium term. The delivery plans will be regularly updated and become living documents that continue to be responsive to change in our digital world.
Our vision is a Scotland where digital is at the heart of empowering people, creating opportunities and enhancing the quality of our lives. It commits us to be a more modern and dynamic Scotland, and that includes us becoming a digital-first nation.
Only a small number of countries in the world have achieved this, but we have the capability to become part of that group.
In delivering our vision we want to see a Scotland where:
- Our people can connect to digital opportunities
Everyone has the chance to thrive in the digital world – whether it’s staying connected with friends and family, pursuing education, or accessing essential services. We are committed to ensuring that no-one is left behind; every individual should be empowered to seize all available digital opportunities and enjoy the benefits they bring. - Our businesses create economic growth
There is a vibrant tech ecosystem, where businesses work with academia, the public sector and each other to start, scale and expand internationally. We attract investment because we have the right people and ideas. - Our public sector delivers improved public services
Digital innovation transforms Scotland’s public services, making them smarter, faster, and fairer. By placing efficiency, high-quality customer service, and prevention at the core, we can transform how our nation delivers public services and achieves better outcomes for everyone.
At the same time, robust cyber security ensures everyone can trust and embrace digital services, confident their information is protected.
This is consistent with what the First Minister referred to in the 2025-2026 Programme for Government as improving the “quality of life for people in all corners of this land”. It will allow us to take forward the opportunities presented by a more effective and extensive use of digital technology in our delivery of public services and engagement with the public.
This is vitally important work and forms a core part of our ambition for public sector reform in the short and long term. Improving quality of life includes ensuring that we continue to support those who are digitally excluded or for whom digital access isn’t a viable option. We will always continue to provide digital and non-digital access to services.
Further, as we recently announced, we have opened applications for grant funding totalling over £440,000 and have launched a CivTech challenge with potential funding of over a million pounds. In the Public Service Reform (PSR) Strategy, which I launched in the summer, we committed to moving 25% of all government correspondence online by 2030 saving more than £100m each year.
Our new Mailbox service which also underpins the recently announced MyCare.Scot, the NHS Digital Front Door, will launch later this year. The Mailbox service also gives us the capability to meet another commitment in the PSR Strategy which is to develop and launch a Scottish Government app.
This app will serve as a one-stop platform, providing easy access to a wide range of services, in a secure and privacy promoting way. We are working towards having an early version of this technology available early in 2026.
Launching this refreshed digital strategy, I am mindful of the many individuals who hold responsibility for turning these ambitions into reality, and who have, consequently, been closely involved in crafting the strategy’s content.
As we look ahead to delivery, it is important to remember that the strategy is not just words on a page, a document to be read, filed and forgotten. Success will come from the willingness of many to work together, and coordinate their efforts in pursuit of a shared goal.
The refreshed vision is a document that is the product of a period of intensive joint work between the Scottish Government and local government (represented by COSLA and the Digital Office for Scottish Local Government), making a reality of the commitment for partnership government that is outlined in the Verity House agreement.
Co-designed, and co-written, the strategy will also be co-delivered. The strategy vision is the route map that guides our journey.
Our delivery plans are the tools that help us navigate change and measure our progress. Together, they lead us to a more modern and dynamic Scotland for all.
