Scottish Enterprise will be without a chief executive until the summer, the Scottish Government has confirmed.

Former chief Lena Wilson stepped down last July after nearly eight years in the job, meaning the economic development body will go without a chief executive for nearly a year.

In response to a parliamentary question, Economy Secretary Keith Brown said the application deadline was 5 January 2018 and the appointment process would take around six months, “subject to the successful candidate’s notice period”.

Shadow Economy Secretary Dean Lockhart, of the Scottish Conservatives, said the year-long gap would be “damaging for the economy, and for the many start-ups who rely on the organisation”.