- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 13 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many people with a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease have been admitted to hospital because of mental health symptoms in each of the last three years.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 13 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what the current waiting time is to see a (a) neuropsychiatrist and (b) neuropsychologist in each NHS board.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 28 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 13 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of all leases that are currently held by the Scottish public sector, broken down by (a) cost and (b) department or agency.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold information on all public sector leases centrally. The following table shows all current Scottish Government leased properties and the cost of each lease.
Property | Total lease cost | Department |
10 Commerce Street (Fraserburgh Fishery Office) | £14,674.00 | Scottish Government |
28 Cunzie Street (Anstruther Fishery Office) | £12,223.00 | Scottish Government |
40 Hall Street (Campbeltown Fishery Office) | £8,839.00 | Scottish Government |
5 Atlantic Quay | £543,546.00 | Scottish Government |
7 Ferry Terminal Building (Kirkwall Fishery Office) | £2,500.00 | Scottish Government |
AB1 Building | £49,607.00 | Scottish Government |
Alexander Fleming House | £48,559.00 | Scottish Government |
Alexandra Buildings (Lerwick Fishery Office) | £26,392.00 | Scottish Government |
Bothwell House (Ground and First Floors) | £23,165.00 | Scottish Government |
Brooms Road - Dumfries | £259,827.00 | Scottish Government |
Bute House | £87,500.00 | Scottish Government |
Bute House Car Park | £8,250.00 | Scottish Government |
Caley Building (Peterhead Fishery Office) | £24,688.00 | Scottish Government |
Charlotte House | £83,645.00 | Scottish Government |
Compass House | £45,634.00 | Scottish Government |
Culag Pier (Lochinver Fishery Office) | £7,502.00 | Scottish Government |
Custom House (Stornoway Fishery Office) | £18,817.00 | Scottish Government |
Denholm House | £107,818.00 | Scottish Government |
Fishmarket Building (Eyemouth Fishery Office) | £10,688.00 | Scottish Government |
Garage No.2 Lockup, North St, Fraserburgh | £15,260.00 | Scottish Government |
Hadrian House | £96,061.00 | Scottish Government |
Harbour Buildings (Mallaig Fishery Office) | £4,037.00 | Scottish Government |
Inchbraoch House | £5,983.00 | Scottish Government |
James Street | £503.00 | Scottish Government |
Kinlochbervie Fishery Office - Number 7 | £2,609.00 | Scottish Government |
Ocean Trade Centre | £141,572.00 | Scottish Government |
Office at Tarbert Fish Market | £788.00 | Scottish Government |
Russell House | £285,238.00 | Scottish Government |
Kinlochbervie Fishery Office - Number 5 | £1,400.00 | Scottish Government |
Saughton House - land | £160,000.00 | Scottish Government |
Scotland House - Brussels | £373,930.00 | Scottish Government |
Scotland House - London | £439,230.00 | Scottish Government |
St Ola House (Scrabster Fishery Office) | £20,000.00 | Scottish Government |
Strathearn House | £393,722.00 | Scottish Government |
The Douglas Centre (Buckie Fishery Office) | £5,767.00 | Scottish Government |
The Island Centre, Crossapol | £6,300.00 | Scottish Government |
The Links, Golspie | £16,845.00 | Scottish Government |
The Zoology Building | £162,441.00 | Scottish Government |
Unit 4, Seagate, Peterhead | £5,946.00 | Scottish Government |
Unit 4B Kinlochleven Business Park | £5,416.00 | Scottish Government |
Unit 5, Old Quay - Campbeltown | £1,000.00 | Scottish Government |
West Shore Street (Ullapool Fishery Office) | £6,750.00 | Scottish Government |
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 17 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 13 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has undertaken any analysis, or cost-benefit study, into the viability of taking Grangemouth refinery into public ownership.
Answer
The Scottish Government has considered the Grangemouth Refinery’s historical financial performance and, from the information available, has concluded that the asset is loss-making with significant capital investment required to retain operations.
Noting the fiscal constraints within which Scottish Ministers are required to operate, such an intervention would require the UK Government to intervene.
I continue to call on UK Government to leave no stone unturned to ensure a long term and sustainable future is secured for those who work and live at Grangemouth.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 13 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will ask the Scottish Funding Council to revise its teaching grant methodology, in light of reports that the current methodology does not adequately reflect institutional financial needs.
Answer
The Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 2005 establishes an important separation of roles between the Scottish Funding Council and Scottish Government, whereby the statutory responsibility for decisions on funding to individual institutions sits with the SFC - not with government. However the Scottish Government continues to engage with the SFC and sector bodies on matters concerning funding allocations, including the SFC’s teaching grant.
Following discussions between the Scottish Government, SFC and Universities Scotland, the SFC’s indicative allocations for 2025-26 met an ask from Universities Scotland to remove 2,500 additional ‘SQA’ places introduced in academic year 2021-22 and repurpose the associated funding to enhance the teaching unit of resource – teaching subject prices for 2025-26 have therefore increased by 3.3% across all six subject price groups.
The Scottish Government is open to exploring the future funding model of our universities with the sector, from the clear starting point that we will not reintroduce tuition fees. The Cabinet Secretary for Education and I will continue to engage with Universities Scotland on the sector's future funding, and we welcome contributions from all stakeholders.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 13 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to reduce the reported overreliance of universities on international student markets for financial stability.
Answer
The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) has a statutory duty set out in the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 2005 to secure the coherent provision by the post-16 education bodies (as a whole) of a high quality of fundable further education and fundable higher education. As autonomous institutions, universities have the key role in mitigating financial pressures and external risks.
The SFC monitors and assesses the financial health and the sustainability of universities through regular engagement and analysis of financial returns, which universities are required to submit to SFC each academic year. This includes consideration of a wide range of factors, including international enrolments.
We need an immigration system that supports our higher education sector to deliver the best learning, research and student experience. That is why the First Minister announced proposals for a Scottish Graduate Visa - to support a clear pathway for international students to build their careers in Scotland and contribute to our economy and wider society.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 13 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with universities regarding the enforcement of academic integrity policies, in light of the increased use of generative AI tools.
Answer
Universities are autonomous institutions with responsibility for their own academic misconduct policies, including in relation to students’ use of generative Artificial Intelligence tools.
The Scottish Government has engaged with key sector stakeholders, including the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) and Quality Assurance Agency (QAA), on the ways in which these bodies are supporting universities with use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools and adaptations to academic integrity policies.
The SFC, as the body with statutory responsibility for quality assurance of provision by colleges and universities, has worked alongside the QAA to develop guidance and share best practice across the sector to address the risks and opportunities presented by generative AI tools, and their potential impact on assessments, academic integrity and standards.
- Asked by: George Adam, MSP for Paisley, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 12 May 2025
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 13 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any implications for Scotland’s public services of the UK Government’s proposed reforms to the immigration system.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 13 May 2025
- Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 12 May 2025
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 13 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the announcement that NHS Grampian has been escalated to stage 4 of NHS Scotland's National Performance Framework for finance, leadership and governance.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 13 May 2025
- Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 12 May 2025
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 15 May 2025
Question to be taken in Chamber.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 15 May 2025
