SCOTLAND’s health, business and higher education sectors welcomed the publication of the First Minister’s options paper on Europe, underlining the benefits to the country from membership of the European single market.

Liz Cameron, chief executive of Scottish Chambers of Commerce, said: “We want Scotland’s businesses to be seizing every available opportunity to grow their exporting potential and businesses have told us that they value tariff-free access to the EU single market as one of their top asks.”

She also called for future flexibility in immigration and for the UK Government to “unilaterally guarantee” the right to remain and work for the estimated 181,000 EU nationals resident in Scotland, a view echoed by Dr Peter Bennie, chairman of the British Medical Association in Scotland.

He said: “It remains a real source of concern that the Westminster Government still refuses to clarify its intentions towards EU nationals who are already working in our health service. The last thing that the NHS in Scotland needs is for the recruitment and retention problems it already faces to be made significantly worse through any loss of medical staff caused by this ongoing uncertainty.”

RCN Scotland director Theresa Fyffe added: “Scotland depends on the contribution of EU nationals working in health and social care, and it will be important to continue to be able to rely on that contribution in the future.”