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Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S6W-32823

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 06 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 14 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it holds time series data on the annual number of households and dwellings in Glasgow from the start of the 20th century to date.

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

Question reference: S6W-32802

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 06 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 14 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether there are any reports of the Softer Landing, Safer Care programme making a difference to any international medical graduates experiencing microaggression or racial abuse.

There are no reports on the impact of the Softer Landing, Safer Care Programme however NHS Education for Scotland (NES) works with service leads to ensure all learners work within inclusive environments. A comprehensive strategy exists through NES’s ‘Advancing Equity in Medical Education’ workstream that ensures trainees are not exposed to discriminatory behaviours. Trainees can report such behaviours through the trainee surveys and there is a mechanism within the NES Quality Management structures to address such concerns. NES offers a range of interventions to support inclusive workplace behaviours.

Question reference: S6W-32559

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 14 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-32000 by Shona Robison on 18 December 2024, after taking account of the expected in-year transfers and budget revisions considered in its answer, what difference it expects there to be between level 1 funding for each portfolio as stated in its draft Budget 2025-26 and the final actual funding for these portfolios.

As with all previous years, level 1 funding for each portfolio will be adjusted following the Autumn and Spring Budget Revision to reflect changes in funding and expenditure plans such as in-year transfers between portfolios.

The transfers identified in Table 4.12 of the 2025-26 Scottish Budget would reduce Education and Skills portfolio budget by £689.6 million, reduce the Justice and Home Affairs budget by £1.0 million, reduce the Health and Social Care portfolio budget by £593.0 million, reduce the Social Justice portfolio budget by £179.7 million and increase the Finance and Local Government portfolio budget by £1,463.3 million compared with the published 2025-26 budget position.

Any new funding commitments or changes to existing funding will also be adjusted at Autumn or Spring Budget Revision, following approval through the formal financial governance process which requires agreed recommendations from the joint Scottish Government and COSLA Officers’ Settlement and Distribution Group and political agreement from Scottish Ministers and COSLA political Leaders.

Table A.07 in the 2025-26 Scottish Budget shows an adjusted 2024-25 resource position removing the impact at portfolio level of the recurring transfers actioned at ABR, to allow a like-for-like comparison against the 2025-26 initial allocations. The table shows the year-on-year movement at portfolio level in cash and real terms on a comparable basis.

Question reference: S6W-32600

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 14 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has consulted with (a) unions and (b) industry stakeholders regarding the reported delayed timeline for the decarbonisation of the railway network.

Question reference: S6W-32596

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 14 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how the reported decision to delay the decarbonisation of the railway network will impact Scotland’s wider climate targets for 2045.

Question reference: S6W-32576

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 14 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many passengers have used the Caledonian Sleeper in each of the last five years, and what the corresponding subsidy per passenger was.

Question reference: S6W-32344

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Claire Baker (on behalf of the SPCB) on 14 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what the cost of maintaining the Parliament's bees has been in each of the last five years.

The total cost of maintaining the Parliament’s bees on-site for the last five years in total is £20,219.68. This includes the installation and maintenance of 15 beehives since March 2020.

The costs per year are given in the table below:

Hoods Honey Costs per year
Year	Ex VAT	Gross Amount
2023/24	£ 4,349.90	£ 5,219.88
2022/23	£ 3,199.92	£ 3,839.90
2021/22	£ 3,199.92	£ 3,839.90
2020/21	£ 3,600.00	£ 4,320.00
2019/20	£ 2,500.00	£ 3,000.00

Question reference: S6W-32346

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Claire Baker (on behalf of the SPCB) on 14 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what the total repair and maintenance cost for the Parliament building was in (a) 2024 and (b) each of the last five years.

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

2019/20	£654,720	2019/20	£117,319.60
2020/21	£793,088	2020/21	£31,644.30
2021/22	£803,292	2021/22	£39,611.92
2022/23	£851,724	2022/23	£34,639.00
2023/24	£948,231	2023/24	£56,423.41

High Level Maintenance

Planned Reactive/Repair

2019/20	£692,913	2019/20	£20,906.15
2020/21	£710,180	2020/21	£15,120.41
2021/22	£720,441	2021/22	£17,300.00
2022/23	£764,075	2022/23	£15,799.16
2023/24	£829,583	2023/24	£17,254.74

Question reference: S6W-32256

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Claire Baker (on behalf of the SPCB) on 14 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, further to the answer to question S6W-31550 by Claire Baker on 11 December 2024, how many email and domain accounts for MSP spouses who are not in paid employment by MSPs there are on the Parliament IT system, and what the average annual cost is of administering any such accounts.

Question reference: S6W-32345

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Claire Baker (on behalf of the SPCB) on 14 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what the total cost was of the recent replacement of the heating and window control systems in MSP offices in the Parliament building.

The works referred to in your question is part of an existing project to upgrade the Parliament’s Building and Energy Management System (BEMS). The BEMS is a business-critical tool which provides visibility and control of building services, principally the heating, ventilation, air conditioning and domestic hot water systems in all areas of the Holyrood site. The new BEMS replaces an existing system which was installed 20 years ago and at end of life.

The estimated total value for the BEMS project is £3,900,000. This information is published on the Scottish Parliaments Contracts Register under the contract reference NIC-SER-486 at the following link - Contract register | Scottish Parliament Website.