Image source, PA

Scottish banks and financial services firms pay men far more than women on average, according to gender pay data.

All UK companies with 250 or more employees were required to publish the information earlier this month, including hundreds of firms based in Scotland.

BBC analysis showed financial giants such as Standard Life, Aberdeen Asset Management and Royal Bank of Scotland had some of the worst gender pay gaps.

Their average median hourly rate for women was 37% lower than for men.

That means an average woman at these firms earns 63p for every £1 the average man gets paid.

• Gender pay gap: Four things we've learnt
• What is the gender pay gap?
• What happens to companies that don't publish?

SNP MSP Gillian Martin asks about the gender pay gap reporting.

Mr Clark argues this would not have been required if the UK government did not want to close the gap.

We are doing what is needed to achieve the justice and full productive potential that lies behind the disparities, he says.

Ms Martin suggests the ceiling of 250 employees is too high as Scotland is an economy of small businesses.

Mr Clark confirms the government will look into whether the model can be extended to more firms.

Mr Clark says one of the consequences of leaving the EU is the UK has to leave Euratom, external.

Euratom aims to pursue nuclear research and training activities with an emphasis on continually improving nuclear safety, security and radiation protection, notably to contribute to the long-term decarbonisation of the energy system in a safe, efficient and secure way.

Image source, EC

The indirect actions of the Euratom Programme focus on two areas:

• nuclear fission and radiation protection
• fusion research aiming at developing magnetic confinement fusion as an energy source.

The UK minister says there is a nuclear safeguard bill going through Westminster to address the issues of withdrawal from Euratom.

SNP MSP Gordon Macdonald asks about the reliance of EU workers in engineering, particularly for nuclear energy.

Mr Clark says immigration policy post-Brexit will be an important part of the economy.

The result of the EU referendum was not to prevent talented people from coming to work in the UK, he argues.

"The future is to be exporting internationally, to have close relationships internationally", the business secretary says.

What impact will not being a member of the EU internal market have on energy consumers, asks Mr Macdonald.

"My aspiration and expectation is that we will be able to reach a joint agreement on energy", the business secretary explains.

Image source, Getty Images

Last October it was revealed that advanced digital technology could give UK manufacturing a huge boost and create hundreds of thousands of jobs..

An independent review, chaired by the head of Siemens UK, highlighted the benefits of robotics, 3D printing and artificial intelligence.

But Juergen Maier said the UK needed "greater ambition" to take advantage of such technology.

And he said a huge number of workers would need to be retrained.

Read more here.

SNP MSP Gordon Macdonald asks about the key risks economically for Scotland over the next ten years.

Mr Clark says Scotland must build on its strengths like science and in artificial intelligence.

The UK business secretary says: "We can't take anything for granted, we can't be complacent."

He insists there must be a long term strategy for planning, training and investment in infrastructure.

Mr Macdonald asks if the UK will remain a part of the EU internal energy market.

Mr Clark says these Brexit discussions are ongoing.

Image source, Getty Images

In April last year, Business Secretary Greg Clark announced that the government had set up the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, external, committing more than £1bn over the next four years.

Part of this has been allocated to battery technology research, under the Faraday Challenge, external launched in July 2017.

The four-year investment round will deliver a coordinated programme of competitions that will aim to boost both the research and development of expertise in battery technology.

The Faraday Challenge’s competitions are divided into three streams - research, innovation and scale-up - designed to drive a step-change in translating the UK’s world-leading research into market-ready technology.

Committee convener Gordon Lindhurst asks for examples where the industrial strategy has started to work.

Mr Clark offers the example of the automotive sector and the links with the renewable energy sector.

The focus on clean growth and related funding has attracted a "huge amount of investment", he says.

The Faraday Challenge is "commanding respect around the world", states Mr Clark.

Image source, PA

The government's industrial strategy shows little evidence of a long-term approach, MPs said in March 2017.

They called the plans a continuation of existing policies rather than the step change that's needed.

The Prime Minister highlighted the strategy as part of her plan to create an economy that works for everyone.

The government insists that the recent industrial strategy green paper, external represents an ambitious long-term vision for the UK.

The report by the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy select committee welcomed the government's "re-found commitment" to an industrial strategy.

Read more here.

Business Secretary Greg Clark says Scotland and the wider UK are "uniquely placed" to benefit from technological advances.

The approach taken in the industrial strategy is to "plan ahead", he explains.

This must be a collaborative effort using the expertise of business, trade unions, universities and "leaders of the economy", Mr Clark adds.

The secretary says the white paper is a "distillation" of all this.

Image source, bbc

Scotland's economy grew by 0.3% during the final three months of 2017, official figures have shown.

After four quarters of positive growth, Scottish gross domestic product (GDP) was up 1.1% by the end of the year compared to the same point in 2016.

Equivalent UK growth was 1.4% over the same period, and 0.4% for the quarter.

Scottish ministers welcomed "strong" performance, but the UK government said the gap between Scotland and the UK as a whole was "increasingly concerning".

TheScottish government figures, externalshowed that annual GDP growth - the measurement of the four quarters of 2017 against the four which came before, comprising 2016 - was 0.8% for Scotland, and 1.8% for the UK as a whole.

However it also highlighted a 1.1% increase in GDP between the final quarters of the two years - so for the period spanning 2017.

Read more here.

Image source, bbc

The Economy, Jobs and Fair Work Committee will shortly take evidence from UK Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy Secretary Greg Clark on Scotland's economic performance.

Mr Clark will be joined by Jenny Bates, the director of EU Exit and Economic Partnerships with the UK Government.

Hello from the Holyrood Live team on Thursday 19 April 2018.

MSPs will shortly take evidence from UK Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy Secretary Greg Clark on Scotland's economic performance.

After general questions, we will bring you extensive coverage for first minister's questions from noon.

After that, Tory MSP Alexander Stewart will make the centenary of the RAF with a members' business.

From 2:30pm until the end of the day, MSPs will debate safe injection facilities.

Image source, Science Photo Library