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The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes an annual report on Research and Development (R&D) expenditure by government departments. The latest report was published on 9 April 2025 and can be found at: Research and development expenditure by the UK government - Office for National Statistics. Please see Table 14 for data on Scottish Government purchased R&D (or funding provided for R&D) by receiving organisation for the 2023 financial year.

Comparable data for the 2022 financial year and the 2021 financial year are available at the following links. Earlier years data are not strictly comparable due to the reclassification of a research performing organisation.

2022 data:

https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/economy/governmentpublicsectorandtaxes/researchanddevelopmentexpenditure/datasets/scienceengineeringandtechnologystatisticsreferencetables/current/previous/v11/goverd2022.xlsx

2021 data:

https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/economy/governmentpublicsectorandtaxes/researchanddevelopmentexpenditure/datasets/scienceengineeringandtechnologystatisticsreferencetables/current/previous/v10/rftgoverd2021.xlsx

No funding has been provided to any private business this parliamentary session to pilot a 4 day working week and there is currently no planned funding for Private Sector Pilots. The Scottish Government recognises the environmental, health and wellbeing benefits, and efficiency gains that a four-day working week could bring and have taken forward unique pilots in public sector organisations in Scotland.

This information is not held centrally. Under the Education (Scotland) Act 1980, education is the responsibility of local authorities.

The Scottish Government does hold information on entries to courses and qualifications. This is not necessarily the same as the number of schools offering these courses as a school may offer a course, but no learners choose to take it.

The following table shows the number of (a) publicly funded and (b) grant-funded schools with entries to Economics courses at (i) National 4, (ii) National 5, (iii) Higher and (iv) Advanced Higher level in 2024.

In 2025-26 the Ministerial element of all Ministers' pay remains frozen at 2008-09 levels. This is the seventeenth consecutive year in which Ministerial pay has been frozen. In 2025-26, it is estimated that, as a result of the Ministerial pay freeze, Ministers will contribute £166,000 to public spending from their own pay packets. This is on top of the estimated £2.23 million Scottish Ministers contributed to public spending from their own pay packets between the start of the pay freeze on 1 April 2009 and 31 March 2025.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

The Scottish Government have not issued any guidance in relation to enforcement or prosecution of the sale of illegal vapes.

The Scottish Government has not had any engagement with the Bank of England, regarding support to train and recruit more economics teachers in Scottish schools.

We are aware of the Bank of England’s new jointly funded initiative with the University of Manchester, which will see existing teachers offered training to deliver A Level economics alongside their core subject. We will note feedback as the pilot programme progresses and consider if there is applicable learning for the Scottish education sector.

Data on full-time equivalent (FTE) secondary teachers by main subject taught and Local Authority is available in the Teacher Census Supplementary Statistics, here:

https://www.gov.scot/publications/teacher-census-supplementary-statistics/

The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

The Scottish Government recognises the vital importance of tourism to Scotland’s economy. Whilst, several funds were created as part of our covid recovery plan in the previous parliamentary session, no specific funds have been created during this session.

The Scottish Government has continued to provide funding support to the sector through the enterprise agencies and VisitScotland, as well as support to Creative Scotland which also provides benefits to wider tourism through support for cultural events.

For example: In its first five years South of Scotland Enterprise (SOSE) has invested around £28m in supporting projects connected to Tourism and the Visitor Economy in the South of Scotland, supporting over 200 projects with enterprises and community groups.

In addition we have allocated £4 million in the 2025-26 Scottish Budget to the Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund (RTIF) for projects which enhance transport links and infrastructure in areas that experience high visitor numbers. This will help communities to reap the rewards of their tourism offer, driving growth and sustaining vital jobs.

A further £2 million, will be provided to VisitScotland in 2025/26, to support activity to spread visitor numbers more equally across Scotland, including by promoting some of the country’s lesser-known beauty spots and attractions. It will also support activity to grow direct international connectivity.

Growth Deal Funding is also helping to support the tourism sector. For example the Destination Tweed project received £10 million from the Scottish Government to create a trail allowing options for both cycling and walking along the River Tweed. The 113 mile route will connect Berwick upon Tweed to Moffat and will showcase some of the South of Scotland’s most scenic areas.