Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-32193

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 17 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-22849 by Angela Constance on 21 November 2023, whether the "review of the suite of Preparing Scotland guidance" was completed in spring 2024 as proposed, and when any new guidance on responding to emergencies will be published.

The review of the Preparing Scotland guidance has been completed by officials within Civil Contingencies Division in early 2024 as initially planned. Due to a number of competing demands on the time of responder agencies, and a range of other consultations and requests for participation in working groups etc, the draft document has not yet been circulated for consultation and approval. This decision has also been influenced by the fact that the existing guidance is still current, valid and fit for purpose and therefore there is no immediate disadvantage or danger in postponing the circulation in favour of other work. It is expected to consult on the refreshed guidance by summer 2025.

Question reference: S6W-32060

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 17 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it can detail what legal advice SEPA received regarding any impact of suggested changes to SEPA's out-of-hours contact service on reporting requirements of licenses given under the (a) Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2011, (b) Waste Management Licensing (Scotland) Regulations 2011, (c) Pollution Prevention and Control (Scotland) Regulations 2012 and (d) Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Regulations 2018.

Question reference: S6W-32116

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 17 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-31685 by Jenny Gilruth on 9 December 2024, which of its officials attended the meeting.

Question reference: S6W-32018

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 17 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government which third sector organisations it has given funding to since 2023-24, including the current financial year to date, broken down by organisations that received funding from (a) its third sector budget and (b) each portfolio area that has allocated funding to third sector organisations.

Scottish Government grant making is allocated across portfolios to various parts of the third sector to improve a wide range of outcomes. Some Scottish Government funding will be issued through third sector intermediary organisations. Spending is not all specifically classified as to whether or not it is allocated to third-sector organisations to deliver services. Consequently the information requested is not available.

Question reference: S6W-31982

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 17 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding how many abandoned lead mines there are in each local authority area, also broken down by how many have been identified as being contaminated by the lead; what date this identification was made, and how many remain contaminated.

Question reference: S6W-31997

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 17 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how much it estimates will be raised by the intermediate property rate in 2025-26, and how much has been raised by it in each year since its introduction, broken down by industry sector.

The Intermediate Property Rate was introduced from 1 April 2020. It applied to properties with a rateable value above £51,000, up to £95,000 until 31 March 2023, and to properties with a rateable value above £51,000 and up to £100,000 from 1 April 2023. In 2020-2021, 2022-2023, and 2023-2024 it was charged at 51.1p; in 2021-2022 this was 50.3p; in 2024-2025 increased in line with inflation to 54.5p, and in 2025-2026 it is planned to increase in line with inflation to 55.4p.

Table 1 shows the total estimated gross income since 2020-2021. This is the total gross bill (net of General Revaluation Transitional Relief in 2023-2024, 2024-2025 and 2025-2026) charged to properties with a rateable value between £51,001 and £95,000 up to 2022-2023, and between £51,001 and £100,000 from 2023-2024 onwards, as noted above.

Table 2 shows the total estimated net income from the Intermediate Property Rate since 2020-2021. Net figures for 2023-2024 are not available due to the absence of property-level reliefs data. Figures for 2025-2026 are estimated using reliefs data from 1 June 2024, with a calculation for General Revaluation Transitional Relief based on rateable values. The net estimates include adjustments for reliefs, as well as in-year adjustments such as reductions due to proposals or appeals and write-offs.

The Scottish Government does not hold property-level data on industry sectors. “Property class” is a classification used by Scottish Assessors to describe the type of property, but may not necessarily accurately reflect the actual use of a property.

Figures are based on the Scottish Assessors’ Valuation Roll as at 1 October 2024 in each financial year, for 2025-2026 this is based on the Valuation Roll of 1 October 2024. Figures are gross of all reliefs, except for the General Revaluation Transitional Relief in 2023-2024 and 2024-2025. Figures are rounded to the nearest £100,000.

Table 1: Estimated gross income from the Intermediate Property Rate since 2020-2021, by property class (£)

Source: Scottish Assessors’ Valuation Roll as at 1 October in each year (1 October 2024 for 2025-2026)

Property class	2020-2021	2021-2022	2022-2023	2023-2024	2024-2025	2025-2026
Shops	73,900,000	73,500,000	76,000,000	77,000,000	81,600,000	82,800,000
Public houses and restaurants	14,000,000	13,700,000	14,100,000	14,500,000	15,500,000	15,800,000
Offices	58,500,000	57,400,000	59,100,000	62,800,000	66,700,000	67,600,000
Hotels	12,300,000	12,100,000	12,300,000	13,400,000	14,300,000	14,800,000
Industrial subjects	71,000,000	69,600,000	71,800,000	86,200,000	92,500,000	93,900,000
Leisure, entertainment, caravans, etc.	13,900,000	13,800,000	14,300,000	16,600,000	18,100,000	18,500,000
Garages and petrol stations	5,600,000	5,400,000	5,200,000	6,600,000	7,500,000	7,700,000
Cultural	2,600,000	2,300,000	2,500,000	2,800,000	3,400,000	3,400,000
Sporting subjects	600,000	500,000	600,000	1,500,000	1,700,000	1,800,000
Education and training	26,300,000	25,400,000	25,700,000	27,400,000	29,000,000	29,500,000
Public service subjects	17,000,000	16,000,000	16,200,000	17,700,000	19,000,000	19,200,000
Communications	900,000	1,100,000	800,000	1,300,000	1,500,000	1,500,000
Quarries, mines, etc.	1,500,000	1,200,000	1,100,000	1,600,000	1,800,000	1,900,000
Petrochemical	300,000	300,000	300,000	400,000	300,000	300,000
Religious	2,400,000	2,400,000	2,600,000	3,000,000	3,200,000	3,300,000
Health and medical	8,200,000	7,900,000	8,100,000	9,500,000	10,100,000	10,200,000
Other	5,800,000	6,200,000	6,200,000	6,000,000	6,500,000	6,600,000
Care facilities	16,700,000	16,600,000	16,900,000	18,500,000	19,100,000	19,300,000
Advertising	400,000	500,000	500,000	500,000	600,000	600,000
Statutory undertaking	4,300,000	4,300,000	4,500,000	5,300,000	5,600,000	5,800,000
All	336,100,000	330,100,000	338,700,000	372,400,000	398,200,000	404,500,000

Table 2: Estimated net income from the Intermediate Property Rate since 2020-2021, by property class (£)

Source: Scottish Assessors’ Valuation Roll as at 1 October in each year (1 October 2024 for 2025-2026); local authorities’ billing information from 1 July 2020, 1 June 2021, 1 July 2022, and 1 June 2024

Property class	2020-2021	2021-2022	2022-2023	2023-2024	2024-2025	2025-2026
Shops	5,600,000	30,900,000	69,000,000	[not available]	79,000,000	82,700,000
Public houses and restaurants	400,000	3,000,000	13,100,000	[not available]	15,400,000	16,200,000
Offices	47,100,000	45,800,000	47,800,000	[not available]	58,100,000	60,700,000
Hotels	300,000	1,900,000	11,100,000	[not available]	13,300,000	14,100,000
Industrial subjects	63,500,000	63,100,000	67,400,000	[not available]	88,200,000	92,200,000
Leisure, entertainment, caravans, etc.	900,000	2,600,000	8,200,000	[not available]	11,100,000	11,700,000
Garages and petrol stations	2,400,000	3,100,000	5,300,000	[not available]	7,500,000	7,900,000
Cultural	200,000	300,000	600,000	[not available]	1,000,000	1,000,000
Sporting subjects	100,000	200,000	400,000	[not available]	800,000	900,000
Education and training	22,200,000	21,800,000	22,500,000	[not available]	25,300,000	26,400,000
Public service subjects	9,500,000	9,100,000	10,500,000	[not available]	12,600,000	13,200,000
Communications	800,000	1,100,000	1,100,000	[not available]	1,500,000	1,500,000
Quarries, mines, etc.	1,400,000	1,200,000	1,200,000	[not available]	1,800,000	1,900,000
Petrochemical	300,000	300,000	300,000	[not available]	300,000	300,000
Religious	600,000	500,000	500,000	[not available]	500,000	600,000
Health and medical	6,000,000	5,900,000	6,000,000	[not available]	7,700,000	8,100,000
Other	3,800,000	4,100,000	4,300,000	[not available]	5,300,000	5,600,000
Care facilities	1,300,000	2,000,000	2,600,000	[not available]	3,000,000	3,200,000
Advertising	400,000	500,000	500,000	[not available]	600,000	600,000
Statutory undertaking	3,700,000	3,100,000	3,200,000	[not available]	4,000,000	4,300,000
All	170,400,000	200,500,000	275,600,000	[not available]	337,000,000	353,100,000

Question reference: S6W-31926

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 17 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether an environmental report has been conducted into the impact of the closure of the Queensferry Crossing due to risks of falling ice.

No specific environmental report has been undertaken in relation to the impact of the closure of the Queensferry Crossing due to risks of falling ice. However, a detailed investigation has been undertaken by Transport Scotland, which tested solutions and mitigation measures for ice accretion on the Queensferry Crossing. This has been subject to a detailed review by a Peer Review Panel of experts from around the world on ice accretion on major bridges.

The investigation discounted physical measures such as heating of cables or mechanical removal of ice, due to impracticality and cost. Measures taken forward include bridge instrumentation, advanced weather forecasting and regular cleaning of cables. The conclusion of the investigation was that when ice accretion occurs, the best mitigation measure is to divert traffic onto the Forth Road Bridge until the risk from falling ice has passed.

Question reference: S6W-32024

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 17 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what impact the reported £13.3 million reduction in the budget of the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) that has been proposed in the 2025-26 draft Budget could have on the operation of SCTS, including from what areas of this operation this reduction will be met.

The prior year 2024-25 Budget comparator figures are based on the latest in-year budget numbers which were revised at the Autumn Budget Revision. The 2023-24 Scottish Budget comparator figures reflect the outturn numbers for that year.

It is not the case that the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) budget has been reduced by £13.3m. The SCTS budget is subject to revision and adjustment via the Scottish Government Autumn Budget Revision (ABR) and Spring Budget Revision (SBR) processes, as such a direct comparison with the published comparator figures does not provide a true reflection of SCTS 2025-26 budget position. Compared to the opening 2024-25 budget, an additional £11.5m Resource funding and £2m Capital funding has been provided to the SCTS.

In addition to the funding allocation in the Budget Bill, the SCTS receives income primarily from civil court fees and retained fines; in-year funding from the Scottish Government related to non-baseline areas that are still highly variable such as the recently devolved tribunals; and through the Recovery, Renewal and Transformation (RRT) budget, receives additional funding to increase criminal court capacity and take forward a range of initiatives to improve service delivery and realise longer term efficiencies.

In the 2023-24 Budget Bill, SCTS was allocated £147.6m, following the adjustments at ABR and SBR the final year outturn figure was £191.1m.

In the 2024-25 Budget Bill SCTS was allocated £165.9m, following the adjustment at ABR the revised budget was £190.3m. A further revision will take place at SBR and will be published in January 2025.

The 2025-26 allocation to SCTS is £177.0m, in addition SCTS will receive RRT funding of £20.3m and, as in previous years, additional in year funding to cover non-baseline costs.

Question reference: S6W-31993

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 17 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how much it expects to raise from each (a) industry and (b) business sector from the higher property rate in 2025-26.

Table 1 shows the estimated net income from properties liable for the Higher Property Rate in 2025-2026, broken down by property class. The net estimates include adjustments for reliefs, as well as in-year adjustments such as reductions due to proposals or appeals and write-offs.

The Scottish Government does not hold property-level data on industry sectors. “Property class” is a classification used by Scottish Assessors to describe the type of property, but may not necessarily accurately reflect the actual use of a property.

Figures are rounded to the nearest 100,000, and may not sum due to rounding.

Table 1: Estimated net income from the Higher Property Rate in 2025-2026, by property class (£)

Source: Scottish Assessors’ Valuation Roll as at 1 October 2024; local councils’ billing information as at 1 June 2024

Property class	Estimated net income from the Higher Property Rate
Shops	398,600,000
Public houses and restaurants	17,700,000
Offices	279,000,000
Hotels	108,400,000
Industrial subjects	405,900,000
Leisure, entertainment, caravans, etc.	47,200,000
Garages and petrol stations	16,900,000
Cultural	2,900,000
Sporting subjects	6,800,000
Education and training	217,600,000
Public service subjects	114,400,000
Communications	12,500,000
Quarries, mines, etc.	5,100,000
Petrochemical	64,000,000
Religious	1,500,000
Health and medical	85,200,000
Other	59,800,000
Care facilities	3,900,000
Advertising	2,400,000
Statutory undertaking	542,200,000
All	2,392,000,000

Question reference: S6W-31955

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 17 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what support is available for those in rural areas, who would like to access telehealth appointments but lack the digital skills to do so.

In addition to the answer provided to question S6W-31954 on 17 December 2024, Near Me video consulting access has been expanded into local community hubs and libraries, providing additional accessibility and support from staff for people who wish to access services in this way. An information resource is available here for patients to understand where they can go to get additional support to attend a Near Me appointment.

In addition, in 2022 the Digital Health and Care Innovation Centre (DHI), secured a £5 million investment from Moray Growth Deal to establish a Rural Centre of Excellence for Digital Health and Care Innovation. This seeks to address health and care issues across rural areas including understanding of skills requirements and local capabilities.

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

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