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Building maintenance of the site is carried out through two separate contracts. Noted below is both the planned and reactive/repair maintenance costs for the last 5 years for each contract. Overall total for both contracts being £8,117,010.95 excluding VAT.

Building Maintenance

Planned                                                                                                                           Reactive/Repair

High Level Maintenance

Planned                                                                                                                           Reactive/Repair

In the last 5 years, from January 2020 – January 2025, 144 jars of honey have been received and sold in the Parliament shop, each weighing 227g. The shop was completely closed from March 2020 – April 2022 and no honey was received or sold in that period. No honey was received in 2023.

The beeswax isn’t harvested by the Parliament, it remains the property of our beekeepers, and therefore, we do not have the cost information.  The beeswax is harvested by the beekeepers who provide the wax for the Great Seal of Scotland under a separate contract.

The Scottish Government does not have a specific policy, however we don’t currently own or use personalised number plates on official vehicles and have no future plans to do so.

I have asked Alison Byrne, Chief Executive of National Records of Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows:

Annual estimates of households and dwellings by local authority area are published by the National Records of Scotland. The statistics on households are available for each year back to 1991 for households and to 2001 for dwellings. The household and dwelling estimates for 2001 to 2023 are available in Tables 1 and 2 respectively in the Data file for Households and Dwellings in Scotland, 2023. Household estimates for 1991 to 2000 are available in Table 1 of Household Estimates for Scotland 2006. Statistics on the number of households and dwellings in different areas are available in the reports of the 1901 and subsequent decennial censuses

We assume the question refers to the recent analytical report, Storm Overflows in Scotland, published by Environmental Standards Scotland.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) considers 87% of our water environment to be high or good quality - up from 82% in 2014.

Measures and regulations to protect and improve water quality are regularly reviewed to ensure they remain appropriate. This includes, for example, considering changes to European legislation and the introduction of new environmental standards. The Scottish Government is committed to alignment where it is in the interests of Scotland to do so and is considering the new rules (Directive 2024/3019) on the treatment of Urban Wastewater which came into force on 1 January 2025. This Directive seeks to further protect the environment by driving improvements to the collection, treatment and discharge of urban wastewater. We also recently issued directions to SEPA that update the Environmental Quality Standards, which underpin our efforts to protect and where necessary improve the water environment.

In addition, Scotland’s River Basin Management Plan (RBMP) is our route map for protecting and improving the water environment. SEPA is responsible for developing the RBMP, which is reviewed and updated every six years. SEPA has published a statement which sets out the steps it will take to engage stakeholders in reviewing and updating the RBMP for Scotland over the next three years. SEPA’s statement is available here: SEPA | River Basin Management Planning in Scotland, Statement of Consultation Steps

Scottish Government promotes community-led action and works to embed community resilience through a number of connected policy areas which enable collaboration between community resilience groups, voluntary sector organisations, Government and statutory responders. Scottish Government has committed up to £5.5 million, in 2024-25, to fund a network of Climate Action Hubs to transition to low carbon, reduce emissions, and improve resilience in the face of ongoing climate change and extreme weather events. Community groups, charities and social enterprises lead climate action hubs across Scotland.

The Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009, sets out the minimum requirements for SEPA and local authorities to consult as part of the Flood Risk Management Planning Process. It also sets out the specific requirements for consultation related to flood protection schemes.

More broadly Scotland’s National Planning Framework 4 is clear that our places can only work for everyone if the views of all users are properly understood.

Planning authorities are preparing new local development plans (LDPs). Planning authorities should consider how these plans can best meet the needs and aspirations of the different people who have an interest in a place. Requirements for community engagement are set out in detail in the LDP Guidance. That guidance makes clear that the planning authority is expected to involve a range of people at all stages in the preparation of the LDP. The authority must engage with the public at large as well as specific organisations and societal groups.

The Scottish Government encourages use of the National Standards on Community Engagement as best practice.

The Scottish Government’s international network delivers tangible benefits to our people, businesses and organisations, including higher education institutions and those in the cultural and creative sectors. From attracting overseas investment and growing exports, to facilitating cultural exchanges, our active engagement on the global stage supports the delivery of Scotland’s domestic policy objectives.

We must keep our precious resources in use as long as possible, in line with our circular economy ambitions and reusing and recycling materials has an important part to play in Scotland’s response to tackling the climate crisis. I have not held discussions with academia or private sector companies regarding rare earth materials but would welcome any discussions to make progress in this area.

Scottish Enterprise (SE) has undertaken research to understand the implications for Scotland on accessing Critical Raw Materials and Technologies (CRM&T), including rare earth materials. This research will allow SE to further understand how Scottish companies can remain competitive. SE will continue to engage with academia, private enterprises, and beyond to fully understand the implications for Scotland.

The National Flood Resilience Strategy sets out a long-term vision for a flood resilient Scotland through to 2045, this will continue to require significant public and private investment.

Scottish Government already provides substantial funding to support flood resilience. Since 2008, the Scottish Government has made available £42 million per year to local authorities to invest in flood risk management actions and the 2020 Programme for Government committed an additional £150 million over the course of this Parliament for flood risk management actions. In addition, £15 million has been provided in the draft 2025-2026 Scottish Budget to support the delivery of the Strategy’s actions, wider flooding resilience and coastal adaptation work.

The Strategy will be delivered via an implementation plan which will be developed with partners over the coming months.