- Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 23 January 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 6 February 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether its presentation of the local government settlement announced in its draft Budget 2026-27 as a fair deal risks overstating local authorities’ room for manoeuvre when they are facing ongoing cost pressures that were funded through in-year top-ups in 2025–26.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-43271 on 6 February 2026. 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
- Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 23 January 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 6 February 2026
To ask the Scottish Government whether it would expect independent analysts to be able to replicate its real-terms funding comparisons using published budget documents, and what steps it has taken to ensure that the calculation of the claimed 2% real-terms increase of its draft Budget 2026-27 can be independently verified.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-43271 on 6 February 2026. 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
- Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 23 January 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 6 February 2026
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide information on the reason why (a) it uses the Autumn Budget Revision (ABR) when presenting year-on-year changes in portfolio funding and (b) a different approach has been applied to local government funding in the calculation of the claimed 2% real-terms increase.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-43271 on 6 February 2026. 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
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 23 January 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 6 February 2026
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its decision to draw down a further £286 million from ScotWind revenues, whether it anticipates requiring additional drawdowns from the ScotWind fund to balance future spending reviews.
Answer
The planned deployment of ScotWind funding over the Spending Review period is set out in Tables A10 and A11 of the Scottish Budget report. As noted in the Budget report, as the funding outlook evolves, it is expected that future utilisation of Crown Estate income for day-to-day spending can be reduced. Decisions on further allocations of ScotWind funding will be taken at future fiscal events.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 23 January 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 6 February 2026
To ask the Scottish Government whether alternative accommodation options were considered for the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy’s attendance at the COP30 UN climate summit, and, if so, what the cost range was of these options.
Answer
The UK Government recommends a limited number of accommodation providers for devolved government’s attending COPs, in line with security considerations. The UK Government provided hotel and apartment options to Scottish Government, with all options requiring a ten-night minimum stay.
When exploring the restricted list of security-approved options, officials considered factors around value for money including proximity to the venue and suitability for officials and Ministers sharing accommodation. These options varied between approximately £17,000 to £26,201.
- Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 23 January 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 6 February 2026
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding its draft Budget 2026-27, what its position is on whether its presentation of a 2% real-terms increase in local government funding is consistent with recent independent analysis suggesting that local authorities may need to increase council tax by around 8% on average in order to maintain current levels of service.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-43271 on 6 February 2026. 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
- Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 23 January 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 6 February 2026
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reported suggestions from independent analysts of significant council tax rises, what assessment it has made of any impact on public understanding of local government finances of its presentation of a headline 2% real-terms increase in its draft Budget 2026-27.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-43271 on 6 February 2026. 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
- Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 23 January 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 6 February 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what value of in-year funding provided to local government in 2025–26 has been excluded from the baseline used to calculate the real-terms change in funding in its draft Budget 2026-27.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-43271 on 6 February 2026. 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
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 23 January 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 6 February 2026
To ask the Scottish Government how many nights of accommodation were booked for the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy for her attendance at the COP30 UN climate summit, and what the total accommodation cost was.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-43286 on February 2026. 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.
- Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 23 January 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 6 February 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether its standard practice is to use the latest available Autumn Budget Revision (ABR) as the prior-year comparator when presenting real-terms changes.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-43271 on 6 February 2026. 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