Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to the question S6W-33492 on 28 January 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

Modern software subscriptions are usually multi-year deals to spread cost and maximise the return on investment. Most agreements include elements of support and integration costs. As the Scottish Government has over 400 validated instances of software, to extract annual costs for every software subscription or agreement could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Complying with this request would breach the upper cost limit of £600 due to the analysis of significant amounts of data split by supplier and type in a 5-year period between 2019 and 2024.

However, working within the upper cost limit, we are providing details of spend on major elements of software to provide illustrative costs of delivering shared services for the Scottish Government and 50+ public bodies. Please note that the annual figures provided may be averaged over the length of the contract and may also include bundled support and integration costs.

There are 6 buildings with Solar PV, 1 building with an air source heat pump, 2 buildings with biomass heating.

The solar PV provides approximately 5% of each of the building’s total electricity use.

The air source heat pump replaced a gas boiler.

The biomass boilers replaced gas and oil heating at rural locations.

The Scottish Government is committed to supporting the delivery of national emissions reduction targets, directed by our new Carbon Management Plan. As part of ongoing maintenance and upgrades within our buildings, we aim to incorporate energy efficiency improvements alongside these works wherever possible.

A wide range of public bodies and infrastructure providers have compulsory purchase powers, which can be used to support the delivery of projects in the public interest. Bodies with compulsory purchase powers are known as ‘acquiring authorities’. As set out in Circular 6/2011: Compulsory purchase orders,https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-planning-series-planning-circular-6-2011-compulsory-purchase-orders/, acquiring authorities are expected – where practicable – to seek to acquire land by agreement before making a compulsory purchase order (CPO). In this context, it is not possible to predict how many CPOs will be made over the next twenty years.

Remote and rural communities can be hugely impacted by wildfire incidents, which can cause significant environmental and economic damage. SFRS works closely with a number of key partners to establish a common understanding of the risk, prevention measures, and response procedures to wildfire in Scotland. The Service works closely with land managers, communities and other safety partners to prevent these incidents ever occurring.

SFRS will always maintain fire cover and ensure it continues to attend at every emergency. As a national service, SFRS also has the capacity and flexibility to operate as a network. SFRS has strategically placed wildfire resource capability within the following tiered locations, and these resources can be deployed as a network to support rural areas where required.

Tier 2 Stations

New Galloway, Langholm, Fort Augustus, Kingussie, Aviemore, Kyle of Lochalsh, Fortrose, Gairloch, Dunbeath, Insch, Alyth, Callander, Coldstream, Lauder, Lybster, Balintore, Cromarty, Carrbridge, Newtonmore and Spean Bridge.

Tier 2 Wildfire Stations with 4x4 Support Vans

Alford, Oban, Galashiels and Dornoch.

Tier 3 Stations

Helensburgh, Kilwinning, Ballater, Elgin, Invergordon, Ullapool, Dunblane, Pitlochry, Stornoway and Musselburgh.

The Scottish Government recognises the positive contribution older people make to their communities. We aim to enable better access to services for older people as and when they need them, and to ensure people are financially secure and supported as they age.

Our 2021 Population Strategy sets out our ambition that as Scotland’s population lives longer - which is to be celebrated - that people are healthy and active, while ensuring the long-term sustainability of our public services.

An example is NHS Education for Scotland's National Centre for Remote and Rural Health and Care, launched in October 2023. The Centre is working with Health Boards and Health and Social Care partnerships to drive improvements in sustainability and the capability of rural and island primary and community care services, aligned to the specific needs of communities.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-32584 on 14 January 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.

The Scottish Government’s compulsory purchase web page contains information, guidance and advice relating to compulsory purchase order procedures and compensation arrangements: https://www.gov.scot/publications/compulsory-purchase-orders-introduction/. This includes Compulsory purchase in Scotland: guide for property owners and occupiers: https://www.gov.scot/publications/compulsory-purchase-scotland-guide-property-owners-occupiers/. This contains guidance on the statutory requirements regarding the payment of compensation.

The Scottish Government estate is always under review to allow us to plan for accessible, modern and secure, energy efficient buildings to meet our changing needs and net zero ambitions, as well as to ensure best value for taxpayers’ money.

Estate decisions are informed by key estate data, for example the condition, usage, carbon emissions, accessibility and capacity. We prioritise funding towards ensuring our buildings are fit-for-purpose, inclusive and accessible for all staff and stakeholders and contribute to our net zero ambitions.