- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 3 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-37224 by Ivan McKee on 13 May 2025, what the annual running cost was for each of its offices from January to December 2024.
Answer
The following table shows the annual total running costs for each of the leased Scottish Government offices as per the response to question S6W-37224. These figures include all associated costs for running each office building and cover January to December 2024.
Property | Total running costs |
10 Commerce Street (Fraserburgh Fishery Office) | £29,809.00 |
28 Cunzie Street (Anstruther Fishery Office) | £32,356.75 |
40 Hall Street (Campbeltown Fishery Office) | £25,895.50 |
5 Atlantic Quay | £3,982,638.25 |
7 Ferry Terminal Building (Kirkwall Fishery Office) | £36,320.00 |
AB1 Building | £77,675.50 |
Alexander Fleming House | £139,131.50 |
Alexandra Buildings (Lerwick Fishery Office) | £64,520.00 |
Bothwell House (Ground and First Floors) | £50,159.25 |
Brooms Road - Dumfries | £379,197.75 |
Caley Building (Peterhead Fishery Office) | £94,501.00 |
Charlotte House | £205,861.75 |
Compass House | £107,486.25 |
Culag Pier (Lochinver Fishery Office) | £17,765.75 |
Custom House (Stornoway Fishery Office) | £48,248.50 |
Denholm House | £231,818.50 |
Fishmarket Building (Eyemouth Fishery Office) | £29,355.75 |
Hadrian House | £125,719.50 |
Harbour Buildings (Mallaig Fishery Office) | £18,971.75 |
Inchbraoch House | £69,534.75 |
Kinlochbervie Fishery Office - Number 5 | £1,985.00 |
Kinlochbervie Fishery Office - Number 7 | £17,557.75 |
Office at Tarbert Fish Market | £3,759.50 |
Russell House | £529,154.00 |
Scotland House - Brussels | £282,994.08 |
Scotland House - London | £753,112.00 |
St Ola House (Scrabster Fishery Office) | £83,325.25 |
Strathearn House | £954,122.75 |
The Douglas Centre (Buckie Fishery Office) | £17,243.25 |
The Island Centre, Crossapol | £31,108.75 |
The Links, Golspie | £42,587.00 |
Unit 4B Kinlochleven Business Park | £157,549.00 |
Unit 5, Old Quay - Campbeltown | £3,884.50 |
West Shore Street (Ullapool Fishery Office) | £41,350.25 |
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 3 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what studies it has commissioned to ascertain what long-term impact water abstraction through (a) dams and (b) borehole abstraction has on the (i) dynamics and (ii) water flow of streams and rivers.
Answer
The Scottish Government supports a wide range of research projects investigating the impacts of water abstraction, including on river dynamics and water flow.
The Scottish Government’s Strategic Research Programme (2022-2027) is modelling future drought risks and ecosystem service impacts using water abstraction data. Between 2023-2025, the Scottish Government funded Centre of Expertise for Waters completed three research projects providing evidence considering the effect of impoundments on river dynamics and water flow.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) conducts its own assessments which evaluate the effects of licenced abstractions. These include borehole monitoring to assess groundwater levels and impacts on river flow.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 3 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many working groups currently exist within its (a) departments and (b) agencies, and how this compares with each year since 1999.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-24570 on 29 January 2024.
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: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 3 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any evidence that shows whether restocking Scottish rivers with brown trout reared in hatcheries is more successful than releasing hatchery reared salmon fry and parr.
Answer
The Scottish Government is not aware of any direct comparison of outcomes between stocked brown trout and salmon.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 3 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether the Minister for Business and Employment met representatives of PetroChina during his visit to Beijing on 9 April 2025, and, if so, for what reason, and what the outcomes of the meeting were.
Answer
On 9 April, the Minister for Business and Employment met the vice president of PetroChina and the China National Petroleum Cooperation to discuss our shared ambitions for the future of the Grangemouth refinery site. It was agreed that the Scottish Government and PetroChina will continue to explore all routes to deployment of new industrial and employment opportunities at Grangemouth.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 26 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 3 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Royal College of Radiologists report, Clinical Oncology: Workforce Census 2024, how it plans to reduce any reliance by NHS boards on the outsourcing of radiology reporting, in light of the reported forecast that outsourcing spend could reach as much as £30 million per year by 2029.
Answer
As stated in the answer to question S6W-38508 on 18 June 2025, whilst Scottish Ministers are responsible for determining the strategic policy of the NHS in Scotland, NHS Boards are responsible for delivering their services, including making decisions to outsource NHS contracts to the independent sector where appropriate to meet the Board’s needs.
Scottish Government has committed to reduce the radiology backlog so that 95% of referrals are seen within six weeks by March 2026, through expanding to seven-day services, recruitment, and using mobile scanning units. More than £106 million has been allocated to NHS Boards in 25-26 to help address waits for procedures and operations, with £21 million for imaging.
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: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 3 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what work it is engaged in to address the increase of 16% in shoplifting incidents recorded in 2024-25 compared with 2023-24, and how it will work with local authorities to protect retailers and their staff.
Answer
The Scottish Government recognises the significant impact of shoplifting and retail crime on victims.
Our budget for 2025-26 includes an additional £3 million for Police Scotland to work in partnership with the retail sector to help tackle retail crime.
Furthermore, the government continues to back the Scottish Partnership Against Acquisitive Crime (SPAACE), led by Police Scotland alongside retailers and organisations like Retailers Against Crime and Neighbourhood Watch Scotland. The strategy focuses on prevention, deterrence, and enforcement, aiming to reduce crime opportunities, protect businesses and individuals, and provide clear prevention guidance.
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 3 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Clan Donald Lands Trust regarding identifying a new owner for the South Sleat Estate, in light of reports that it has been placed on the market for sale.
Answer
The Scottish Government has not had any discussions with the Clan Donald Lands Trust regarding identifying a new owner for the South Sleat Estate.
- 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 Angela Constance on 3 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many prisoners convicted of violent offences were released under the early release scheme between February and March 2025.
Answer
I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:
SPS have proactively shared the data analysis for those released under the early release scheme between February and March 2025, and the full breakdown can be accessed on our website here Data, Research and Evidence | Scottish Prison Service.
The offence categories analysed were in line with Scottish Governments official Index Offence statistics. There were 152 individuals released during this process with offences within the Nonsexual crimes of violence category.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 3 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made in the development of a national system of pre-scaler hubs to stimulate early-stage entrepreneurship.
Answer
The Scottish Government is stimulating early-stage entrepreneurship through a range of measures. In 2024, South of Scotland Enterprise led a £1.5m regional pilot of the pre-start approach set out in the recommendations of Ana Stewart and Mark Logan Pathways report. This work is widening access to entrepreneurship and supporting new businesses to start and grow. Discussions are underway on an extension of the South of Scotland Pre-Start pilot and expansion to other regions of Scotland.
In addition, as set out in the Programme for Government, and building on 2024’s Pathways and Entrepreneurial Education Funds, further rounds of competitive funding will support our entrepreneurial ecosystem to widen entrepreneurial participation and develop the conditions needed for entrepreneurs to thrive.
