Seòmar agus comataidhean

I refer the member to the answer to the question S6W-36472 on 1 May 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

The table below show the occupancy levels at Scottish Government (SG) core office buildings for which there is an available data set. The average daily desk occupancy rate has been calculated by dividing the number of unique building pass users recorded over a 24 hour sample period by the number of available desks. A sample is taken on one day of each week and totalled together with the other sample days in the year then divided by how many weeks occurred.

The Scottish Government estate is under review to allow us to plan for affordable, inclusive, accessible, modern, secure, energy efficient buildings of the right size to meet our changing needs and net zero ambitions, as well as to ensure best value for taxpayers’ money.

The Scottish Government established a small team of civil servants in the months following the publication of the 2019 Programme for Government until 18 March 2020 which had work to update Scotland’s Future as part of its remit. We cannot provide you with a specific figure on the costs of that work as a full financial year was not completed.

The staffing costs of the Constitutional Futures Division (CFD), for the years that a full financial period was completed, have previously been published in response to an FOI request and in response to question S6W-22623:

2022/23 - Written question and answer: S6W-22623 | Scottish Parliament Website

2023/24 - Various questions relating to Independence: FOI release - gov.scot

The CFD disbanded on 17th January 2025 and therefore, as advised above, we are unable to provide details of staffing costs as a full financial year was not completed.

I refer the member to the answer to the question S6W-36472 on 1 May 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

As set out in the Memorandum submitted to the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee on 30 September 2024, the Scottish Government’s view is that the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill, in its current form, is outside the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament and that further processes would have to be gone through in order to bring it within competence.

If the Bill passes at Stage 1, the issue of what steps will be required to bring the Bill within competence will need to be revisited.

The memorandum to the Committee can be found on the Scottish Parliament website at: Assisted Dying Bill for Terminally Ill Adults SG Memorandum.

The Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill is a Member’s Bill, not a Scottish Government Bill.

The UK Government will be aware of the Scottish Government’s view, as set out in the Memorandum submitted to the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee, that the Bill as introduced is outside the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament and that further processes would have to be gone through in order to bring it within competence. That Memorandum sets out that the issue of what steps will be required to bring the Bill within competence will require to be revisited should the Bill pass the Stage 1 vote.

The memorandum to the Committee can be found on the Scottish Parliament’s website at: Assisted Dying Bill for Terminally Ill Adults SG Memorandum.

The Scottish Government has not carried out modelling of this type.

The Scottish Government appreciates the unique challenges faced by remote, rural and island communities across the country. As such, a Task and Finish Group focussing on supporting sustainability of health services across Scotland has been created. Utilising a population-based planning approach, the Group aims to improve access to safe, quality healthcare for our population.

Working with stakeholders across the Remote, Rural and Island landscape, this Group will determine a framework for a sustainable model of care in these areas, acknowledging the unique challenges faced by patients and Health Boards within these regions.

Guided by the eighty-three recommendations of the 2008 Delivering for Remote and Rural Healthcare Report, and aligning to the principles of the National Clinical Strategy and forthcoming National Clinical Framework, the Group will develop a sustainable operating model for the provision of high-quality, efficient healthcare services, offering parity of care across these communities.

Over the last two months, the Group has facilitated two workshops with a variety of key Remote, Rural and Island stakeholders, including healthcare and policy professionals. Through examination of current ways of working, the Group has identified a number of areas where improvements to service delivery may be possible.

This work forms the basis of the Group’s Remote, Rural and Islands Action Plan, which will be further developed and implemented over the coming months.

We are providing this information as at 31 December 2024 using data from the most recent official publication of the Scottish Government's workforce statistics. As at that date, the total number of staff employed within SG Core was 9,349. Of these staff, 8 were Senior Civil Servants who were registered as taxpayers elsewhere in the UK which represents less than 0.1% of staff and includes staff who are based in Scotland House, London or in overseas postings.

There is an expectation that individuals will relocate to live in Scotland if they are employed by us, however this is not a legal requirement unless there is an occupational reason to reside within a certain travelling distance of the workplace. Employees are required to attend their contractual work location in Scotland as required for business need.

This information has been compiled with reference to address information held on our HR systems as at December 2024. It is therefore a snapshot as at that date and does not, for example, reflect where individuals may have since relocated to Scotland following their appointment to the Scottish Government or where a revised tax code is awaited from HMRC.

The Scottish National Investment Bank Act 2020 and the Shareholder Relationship Framework Document outline the relationship between the Bank and Scottish Ministers as the Shareholder, including measures to ensure appropriate controls and accountability, and to ensure the administrative and operational independence of the Bank.

These are available online:

Scottish National Investment Bank Act 2020

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