Seòmar agus comataidhean

Royal Mail and postal delivery services are reserved to the UK Government.

The First Minister visited the Glasgow Mail Centre on 22 December where he reiterated the importance of maintaining high service standards across Scotland.

The Scottish Government engages regularly with Royal Mail to provide constructive challenge and ensure that services meet the specific needs of communities in Scotland.

Royal Mail and postal delivery services are reserved to the UK Government. It is the UK Government’s responsibility to conduct risk and impact assessments of its postal policies on Scottish communities.

The Scottish Government engages regularly with Royal Mail to provide constructive challenge and to ensure that postal services meet the specific needs of communities across Scotland.

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) has recently written to the Scottish Government with its concerns around the provision of Royal Mail services and we will provide a considered response to that communication.

On 14 March, the First Minister announced a financial package worth up to £10 million to help businesses rebuild and renew the part of Glasgow affected by the Union Corner fire. Glasgow City Council will administer the scheme based on engagement with local businesses to understand how they have been affected.

In addition, up to £1 million will be made available to help the council with demolition costs.

Local authorities can also award up to 100% non-domestic rates Hardship Relief to ratepayers if they are satisfied that the ratepayer would be in financial difficulty without it and awarding it is in the interests of local people.

Scottish Government’s contribution to discretionary non-domestic rates Hardship Relief in Glasgow City Council for those impacted will increase from 75% to 95%.

As it is the UK Government which has responsibility for energy regulation and transmission charging, the Scottish Government has not carried out any formal analysis on how transmission charges are expected to change over the next decade.

Forecasts are produced by the National Energy System Operator (NESO).

We are clear that the current system of transmission charging is entirely unfit for purpose and unfairly penalises Scottish generators, putting them at a significant commercial disadvantage.

Successive UK Governments have failed to set out a long-term solution to this issue, and the current UK Government must urgently do set out plans on how they rectify the situation, as well introducing short to medium term measures to address the impact of unfair transmission charges on Scottish generators.

The Scottish Government is supportive of extending the operating lifespan of Torness if strict environment and safety criteria continue to be met.

The Scottish Government remains confident in the strength and long-term potential of Scotland’s world-leading university sector, while recognising that institutions across the UK are managing a challenging financial situation. We also appreciate the pressures currently impacting the sector across the UK, due to a range of factors including the impact of inflation and energy prices, UK Government immigration policies hampering international student recruitment, and UK Government increases to employer National Insurance contributions.

Under the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 2005, the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) has a statutory duty to secure the coherent provision of high-quality further and higher education and research. In line with this duty, and on behalf of the Scottish Government, the SFC monitors financial health across the sector, engages directly with institutions on sustainability, and considers appropriate forms of support. We receive regular and timely updates from the SFC on delivery and financial performance as part of robust assurance arrangements.

Alongside this, the Scottish Government and Universities Scotland have jointly launched the Framework for the Sustainability and Success of Scotland’s Universities, which is exploring long-term options to help the sector adapt, innovate and remain competitive in a rapidly changing global landscape.

Despite current financial pressures, universities continue to take proactive steps to reform, improve efficiency and strengthen their future position. For Scotland’s universities, Government investment will exceed £1.4 billion this year, which includes a combined increase of over £55 million in resource and capital funding via the SFC, the equivalent to a 5% uplift on last year’s budget.

With this level of investment and continued commitment to protecting free tuition, we remain focused on providing stability and supporting the sector to build on its considerable strengths in the years ahead.

While the Scottish Government is responsible for the legislation underpinning the Renewables Obligation Scotland (ROS), Ofgem are responsible for the operation and administration of the scheme and consequently hold the operational and administrative data.

To date, the Scottish Government has not carried out any formal analysis of how the total cost of the ROS is expected to change over the next 5 or 10 years. However, it is expected that the total cost of the scheme will steadily reduce between 2027, when the first generators begin leaving the scheme, and 2037 when the scheme closes.

Energy pricing is fully reserved to the UK Government, and despite Scotland being an energy rich country, bills remain £73 higher than at the last election. The UK Government must set out how it will deliver its promised £300 reduction.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-44147 on 19 March 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.