The Scottish Parliament

Question reference: S6W-43904

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 11 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in determining its hybrid working policy for Scottish Government employees, what specific consideration has been given to (a) rural and island employment, (b) rural and island population retention, (c) rural and island sustainable development, (d) the Public Sector equality duty, (e) the Fairer Scotland Duty, (f) the Action Plan to Address Depopulation and (g) the National Islands Plan.

The Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government has responsibility for the operational running of the organisation, including the workforce related hybrid working policy.

The Scottish Government’s hybrid working policy was developed following a detailed internal review and engagement with recognised trade unions, staff networks and colleagues across all Directorates. In developing the policy, a broad range of social, economic and equality considerations were taken into account.

The hybrid working policy is an internal operational matter that does not alter staff contractual terms and conditions. We will continue to monitor the policy in practice, including any impacts on colleagues across Scotland.

I would encourage the member to direct any further questions on this matter to the Permanent Secretary.

Question reference: S6W-43909

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 11 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that its employee recruitment and progression remains (a) based on merit and (b) unconstrained by proximity to work location.

The Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government has responsibility for the operational running of the organisation, including the workforce related location and resourcing policies.

All internal Civil Service vacancies within the Scottish Government are advertised through the internal jobs portal and are open to all eligible staff. While posts may indicate a preferred location, there are no restrictions preventing employees from applying for any internal role, regardless of their current place of work.

Work to clarify a location policy for Scottish Government core staff will consider a range of relevant factors and benefit from consultation with trade unions and engagement with staff and diversity networks across the organisation. Until the location policy has been reviewed, interim arrangements are in place for people who live distant from their contractual work location.

I would encourage the member to direct any further questions on this matter to the Permanent Secretary.

Question reference: S6W-43905

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 11 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether an equality impact assessment of its hybrid working policy for Scottish Government employees was published after the hybrid working policy was determined, and if so, what the reason was for this.

The Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government has responsibility for the operational running of the organisation, including the workforce related hybrid working policy.

A full Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) was undertaken during the internal review of the hybrid working policy (June 2024–March 2025) to inform policy development for core Scottish Government staff in roles compatible with hybrid working. The EQIA was published on the Scottish Government’s intranet on 28 July 2025 and is maintained as a live document. Engagement with Staff Equality Networks helped ensure the needs and experiences of colleagues were reflected.

I would encourage the member to direct any further questions on this matter to the Permanent Secretary.

Question reference: S6W-43908

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 11 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that its employees who live in rural and island communities have equitable access to (a) promotion, (b) redeployment and (c) career development opportunities.

The Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government has responsibility for the operational running of the organisation, including the workforce related location and resourcing policies.

All internal Civil Service vacancies within the Scottish Government are advertised through the internal jobs portal and are open to all eligible staff on a lateral move or promotion basis. While posts may indicate a preferred location, there are no restrictions preventing employees from applying for any internal role, regardless of their current place of work.

Work to clarify a location policy for Scottish Government core staff will consider a range of relevant factors and benefit from consultation with trade unions and engagement with staff and diversity networks across the organisation. Until the location policy has been reviewed, interim arrangements are in place for people who live distant from their contractual work location.

In relation to redeployment, the Scottish Government applies a consistent, centrally managed approach to matching staff to suitable alternative roles. This includes assessing vacancies against employees’ skills, experience and circumstances, ensuring location does not disadvantage those affected by organisational change.

In relation to career development our learning offer is delivered primarily through our digital learning platform and Microsoft Teams, enabling colleagues in rural and island communities to participate fully in training and career development without the need for travel.

I would encourage the member to direct any further questions on this matter to the Permanent Secretary.

Question reference: S6W-43898

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 10 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the potential closure of the butchers in Inverurie, Donald Russell, when it last met with the affected (a) trade unions and (b) employees to discuss this.

The company has indicated that there is no trade union involved in the consultation process. The Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform & Islands and myself met with Donald Russell’s Interim CEO on 19 February to understand how the Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise can work with the company to explore all options to support a positive outcome for the business and the workforce.

The local Partnership Action for Continuing Employment (PACE) Team has contacted the company to make them aware of the assistance available to employees if a positive outcome cannot be found and they are facing redundancy.

Question reference: S6T-02933

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 02 March 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether Scottish publicly owned infrastructure, such as Prestwick or Wick John O' Groats airports, has been used by the US Airforce for the recent strikes on Iran.

Question reference: S6F-04709

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Monday, 23 February 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 February 2026

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to the outcome of the University of Aberdeen UCU ballot, which resulted in 83% of those voting in support of strike action and 90% in favour of action short of a strike.

Question reference: S6W-43528

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 17 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to recommendations in the Just Transition Fund for the North East and Moray: final evaluation report, in relation to (a) extension of application timeframes, (b) earlier notice of funding rounds to applicants, (c) transparency of decision-making processes and (d) strength of monitoring of applicant project progress for applications to the Just Transition Fund.

We have secured £15.9m capital and £1m resource for the JTF in the 2026-27 budget. We will announce plans for managing this spend imminently, including the publication of full criteria and guidance for applicants.

The commissioned independent research Just Transition Fund for the North East and Moray: final evaluation report, evaluated the impact of the first two years of the Just Transition Fund. We used the opportunity of the FY 2025-26 funding round to develop our processes. We engage with each project team regularly and ask for progress updates including monitoring against project specific milestones and indicators.

We remain committed to making improvements in how the Fund is managed, to help ensure that it supports the net-zero transition, helps to diversify the regional economy away from carbon-intensive sectors, creates jobs and prosperity, and delivers measurable benefits for workers, businesses, and communities.

Question reference: S6W-43526

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 12 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recommendations in the report, Just Transition Fund for the North East and Moray: final evaluation, in relation to the financial administration and payment delays to applicants to the Just Transition Fund.

We commissioned independent research to evaluate the impact of the first two years of the Just Transition Fund for the North East and Moray (JTF). This study noted several project delivery challenges and included suggestions from project partners on how Scottish Government should address these challenges.

We agree terms and conditions with each grant recipient individually, using the Scottish Government Model Offer of Grant as a basis. Under this Model Offer, grant payments are made in arrears and we are not able to make payments upfront. We have changed our processes between the FY 2022-23 round and the FY 2025-26 JTF round, and now process grant payments on a monthly basis rather than a quarterly basis.

Question reference: S6W-43527

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 12 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government (a) what engagement it has had with and (b) when it last met with representatives from (i) the offshore oil and gas sector, (ii) the offshore renewables sector and (iii) trade unions in Scotland following the publication of the report, Just Transition Fund for the North East and Moray: final evaluation.

We regularly engage with stakeholders, including the offshore oil and gas sector, offshore renewables sector and trade unions, on a variety of subjects, including on the Just Transition Fund. The last time we met with the offshore oil and gas sector was 10 February when officials met with OEUK. The last time officials met with the offshore renewables sector was 10 February. The last time officials met with STUC was on 15 January, to discuss the work STUC carries out to support just transition capacity within the trade union movement.

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