If the Scotland vote is in favour of independence then companies and organisations based in Scotland will immediately fall foul of the EU Data Directive as Scotland will not be a member of the EU and will, therefore. not be permitted to transfer the data of other EU member country nationals. With significant UK government departments operating in Scotland – including HMRC, not to mention the back-office operations for many financial services sector businesses, and contact centres, there will be rapid migration of these functions to England, Wales & Northern Ireland. Pundits suggest that at least 12,000 jobs in Scotland will be in jeopardy. Further, according to a report in the 17/9/14 edition of the Daily Telegraph, a Spanish government official is reported to have said that if an independent Scotland wanted to join the EU it would face a five year wait and even then not necessarily be accepted.
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