To ask the Scottish Executive how economic growth is measured for any particular industry sector in Scotland.
The principal measure of economicgrowth is the Gross Value Added (Gross Domestic Product at basic prices) seriesfor Scotland published on a quarterly basis by the Scottish Executive.This publication provides measures of activity in real terms for the Scottish economyas a whole, presented as indices, in addition to a more detailed breakdown of theeconomic performance of industrial sectors within the Scottish economy. Economicgrowth is determined by calculating the rates of change of the activity indices.
The data sources used in thecompilation of the GDP series are varied. In the majority of cases, data collectedby the Office for National Statistics relating to the activities of a sample ofbusinesses located in Scotland are used. These data provide up to date measures of turnoverwhich are deflated (to remove the effect of price changes) and, in some cases, seasonallyadjusted to yield the true underlying growth rates.
For some industrial sectors,notably agriculture, electricity generation, banking and public administration,the estimates are based on information received directly from companies, industrybodies or other Government Departments.
Further information on the compilationof the quarterly GDP statistics is available on the Scottish Executive website http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/18879/GDPCalc.