- Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi McAllan on 22 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many new build homes have been (a) started and (b) completed in the Scottish Borders in each year since 2003.
Answer
The Scottish Government publishes quarterly figures on all homes started and completed throughout Scotland, which can be found online here: Housing statistics quarterly update: new housebuilding and affordable housing supply - gov.scot
Figures specific to new build homes started and completed, broken down by local authority area and by financial and calendar year, can be found in the table ‘New house building – All sectors starts and completions’
- Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 22 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-38295 by Jenni Minto on 18 June 2025, how much of the £39 million has been awarded to NHS Borders.
Answer
The Scottish Government has provided funding of £70,100 to NHS Borders to support the thrombectomy service to the end of financial year 2024-25. A further £115,495 has now been provided in financial year 2025-26 to support the referral of patients for thrombectomy procedures.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 22 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is regarding the role of nuclear energy in supporting industrial growth and reducing energy costs.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-38932 on 22 July 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.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 22 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding Scotland’s participation in the nuclear energy programme, which was announced in the UK Spending Review 2025.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-38932 on 22 July 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.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 23 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 22 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether any additional Barnett consequential funding is
available as a result of the UK Government’s reported additional investment for
dealing with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in English schools,
and whether it has profiled any capital spend for dealing with RAAC in school
estates in Scotland.
Answer
Although it is the statutory duty of all local authorities to manage and maintain their schools, the Scottish Government continue to provide them with significant funding towards improving the school estate. For example, the £2bn Learning Estate Investment Programme (LEIP) is being delivered in partnership with local authorities and will benefit tens of thousands of pupils across Scotland.
Schools that still have reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) are taking appropriate measures to manage it and have longer term plans to address it. Furthermore, through the LEIP, the Scottish Government will provide funding support to replace a number of schools which contain RAAC.
The proportion of schools in “good” or “satisfactory” condition has increased from 62.7% in April 2007 to 91.7 % in April 2024, and our investment through the LEIP will build on this remarkable progress.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 26 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 22 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) university training placements for dental therapists there currently are across Scotland in total and (b) students are currently studying dental therapy.
Answer
The dental therapy degree, BSc (Oral Health Science), is delivered by Glasgow Caledonian University, University of Dundee, University of Highland and Islands and University of Edinburgh. The Scottish Government had an agreed annual target of 40 dental therapists across Scotland in a year with all four institutions. The University of Edinburgh indicated in December 2023 that it no longer wished to offer this qualification after 2027. We are continuing to look at how we can expand the capacity in other universities to make up for this future loss of places.
The Scottish Government does not hold information on current student numbers.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 26 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 22 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many dental therapists work in (a) Scotland in total and (b) general dental practices that offer NHS services, as of 2025.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally. However, we have been able to access the latest workforce survey, published by NHS Education for Scotland (NES) on 31 December 2024. There are approximately 267 WTE dental therapists currently employed in Scotland, with around 200 working in practices alongside independent contractor dentists. A further 55 are employed by the NHS in Public Dental Services (PDS), providing dental services for people who cannot access care from an independent dentist due to special needs, while the remaining 12 work in hospital services.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 22 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the ministerial statement on the 2024-25 provisional outturn on 24 June 2025, and the response by the Minister for Public Finance regarding whether he will report to the Parliament before making any awards under phase 2 of the Public Sector Heat Decarbonisation Fund, which closed for applications on 27 May 2025, whether it will publish details of all the applications received, including the address of the building, a brief description of the works to be undertaken, the value of the building, the amount of the grant sought and the amount of any grant being considered, and whether it will propose the scheduling of a ministerial statement on this matter prior to any decisions being taken on the awarding of grants.
Answer
This funding supports public bodies to lead by example and take early and sustained action to achieve the priorities of the forthcoming Heat in Buildings Bill and decarbonise the public sector estate to reach net zero by 2045. It is anticipated that funding awards will be issued in August 2025 and details of successful projects – including recipient organisation, building location(s), grant awarded, and project overview – will be published later in 2025.
The value of building(s) in scope will not be published. The rateable value of a building is not the only measure of value for money and there are other relevant factors to consider when assessing options for how best to achieve a decarbonised public sector estate. It is also imperative that public bodies have quality, efficient premises which reduce energy costs and that they reside in areas which meet the needs of the essential services they provide.
The Scottish Government does not publish details of unsuccessful projects; however, all applications undergo robust technical assessment, and funding is offered only to projects that clearly meet the objectives of the scheme and have the potential to progress to deployment, driving value for money from our investment.
Parliament will be informed of the outcome of Phase 2 of Scotland’s Public Sector Heat Decarbonisation Fund once the application assessment process has concluded.
- Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi McAllan on 22 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to consult on the proposed measures in the revised Heat in Buildings legislation before its publication.
Answer
We consulted on proposals for a Heat in Buildings Bill between November 2023 and March 2024, in response to which we received a wide a range of views. We recently outlined our intention to introduce a revised Heat in Buildings Bill during this Parliamentary session, which builds upon many of the issues raised in response to the consultation – including ensuring that it does not negatively affect those in or at risk of fuel poverty. There may be some elements on which we decide to seek further views; however, we will do this directly with key stakeholders to ensure that we meet legislative timeframes.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 22 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many jobs it estimates have been lost in Scotland due to its policy against the building of new nuclear power stations under current technologies.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold the information requested and has not had any recent discussions with the UK Government regarding Scotland's participation in the nuclear energy programme.
The Scottish Government has been clear that it does not support the building of new nuclear power stations under current technologies due to the legacy of radioactive waste that is created and the cost of nuclear development. Regarding cost, the Seventh Carbon Budget, published in March 2025, shows that the unit cost of onshore wind capacity in 2025 is £1410/KW compared to £12920/KW for nuclear.
The Scottish Government is instead focussed on supporting the deployment of renewables, which are both cheaper and faster to deploy than nuclear. This focus is delivering benefits to Scotland’s people and economy, with the Fraser of Allander Institute Report, published in May 2025, finding that Scotland hosts a thriving renewable energy sector, which supported approximately £15.5 billion of output, £6.6 billion of Gross Value Added (GVA), and more than 47,000 jobs in 2022.
