Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-00606 on 10 June 2026. 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 position is that Scottish universities should consider compulsory redundancies only as a last resort, after all other cost-saving measures have been fully explored.

The proposed total purchase price for the properties by Fife Council is expected to be £3.333 million which includes a discount on the home report valuation. This is based on information provided to date ahead of finalisation of the purchase by Fife Council.

The Scottish Government holds no records of any communication between the First Minister’s office and the Scottish National Party headquarters in March 2020 regarding Covid-19 public messaging, including on panic buying, supermarket shortages or public behaviour.

On 27 May, the Scottish Government announced that the first round of applications for the First Homes Fund will open by the end of June, providing first-time buyers with a £10,000 contribution towards a deposit on their first home at a property value of up to £300,000. The maximum contribution via the FHF is £10,000, this will be calculated as a percentage of the purchase price up to a maximum of the formal valuation.

Ministers did not receive any internal advice or briefing marked “official sensitive”, or a similar classification marking, before 9 March 2020 relating to panic buying, supermarket shortages or supply-chain pressures.

On 25 March 2026, the then Housing Secretary, Mairi McAllan, announced the Scottish Emergency Heating Oil Scheme. It launched on 1 April 2026.

Due to the pre-election period, which began on 26 March 2026, the Scottish Government was unable to advertise this scheme due to restrictions in Government business and communications activity

Advice Direct Scotland have utilised the heating oil and liquid petroleum gas supplier network and have contacted over 1,600 third sector organisations to raise awareness of the Scottish Emergency Heating Oil Scheme.

In March 2020, external sharing of any information including, briefings, plans and communication lines to take was governed by the general Information Governance Policies and Guidance in place for the Scottish Government at the time. These included the Records Management Plan, Data Protection Policy, Security Policy and Government Security classifications and our IT code of conduct.

The Scottish Government respects the independence of Local Government and the role of individual local authorities – as independent corporate bodies with their own powers and responsibilities – to manage their own budgets and workforce, including in relation to outsourcing of specific roles or services. As such, the Scottish Government has not made any assessment of the impact of outsourcing by local authorities. However, the Scottish Government would expect all local authorities to make decisions that meet their responsibility to secure value for money.

Scotland’s universities are autonomous institutions with responsibility for their own operational decision making and compliance with employment law, which remains a reserved matter under the Scotland Act 1998. Through its engagement with the university sector, the Scottish Government has made clear its expectation that compulsory redundancies should be considered only as a last resort, after all other cost-saving measures have been fully explored.

In line with its statutory responsibilities, the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) continues to monitor and seek assurances from Scottish universities regarding their compliance with the SFC’s Financial Memorandum, which is required as a condition of grant funding.