What information it holds regarding the growth of microbreweries in Scotland, and how many people are employed in this sector.

The Scottish Government does not have access to specific information on the growth of microbreweries in Scotland due to the structure of the Standard Industrial Classification.
For statistical purposes, data is collected for businesses where their main activity is in the manufacture of beer. The following tables set out the number of enterprises and number of employees within the category of Manufacture of Beer Enterprises by employee size band in Scotland for the period March 2011-2016. This data is sourced from the Inter-Departmental Business Register (IDBR). The IDBR, maintained by the Office for National Statistics, is a database of all enterprises registered for VAT and/or PAYE. Those excluded are small businesses with no employees and an annual turnover below the VAT threshold (£82,000 as at March 2016).

Number of 'Manufacture of Beer' enterprises by employee sizeband*, Scotland March2011-2016
Employee Size
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
0-9 Employees
30
40
45
55
60
75
10+ Employees
10
10
10
10
15
15
Total
40
50
55
70
75
90

Employment in 'Manufacture of Beer' enterprises by employee sizeband*, Scotland March2011
- 2016
Employment Size
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
0-9 Employees
^
110
120
160
190
190
10+employees
^
480
520
560
620
750
Total
580
590
640
730
810
950

Note: Totals may not equal the sum of the consitiuent parts due to rounding.
^ Not available due to confidentiality constraints
* Sizeband is based on the number of employees that the enterprise employs across the UK