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

The Scottish Government has so far invested over £190 million in pay uplifts for acute hospital doctors employed by NHS Scotland in 2024-25. This investment will ensure NHS Scotland remains the place of choice to work and train and is in recognition of the incredible contribution that they make within our health service.

We wrote to health boards in June 2024 on the findings and recommendations of the Improving Medical Retention Advisory Group to support the retention of consultants at the latter stage and peri-retirement career phase in particular - Recommendations to improve the retention of consultants at the latter stage and peri-retirement career phase.

There is strong evidence which demonstrates that positive wellbeing enhances staff retention, which in turn raises standards of patient safety and quality of care. In support, from 2024-25, Scottish Government are investing over £2.5 million annually to support health and social care staff wellbeing. This funding provides our workforce with access to psychological interventions and therapies, self-service resources through the National Wellbeing Hub and the National Wellbeing Helpline delivered by NHS 24. Registered staff including doctors also have access to confidential mental health services through the Workforce Specialist Service (WSS). Furthermore, the National Supporting work life balance policies provide staff with a range of flexible working options to help balance lifestyle whilst maintaining and promoting the best possible service.

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.

There is no direct link between infrastructure upgrades and passenger fares.

The Scottish Government welcomes IBD UK’s latest report, Crohn’s and Colitis Care in Scotland: A Vision for Change and is grateful for their work in this area.

We are committed to ensuring that all people living in Scotland with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) including Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis are able to access the best possible care and support, and benefit from healthcare services that are safe, effective and put people at the centre of their care.

Scottish Government workforce planning guidance requires NHS Boards to take a demand-led approach by determining future staffing requirements in line with healthcare needs within their locality.

We expect Boards to follow best practice and adhere to current guidelines and standards when providing psychological and nutritional support for people with IBD.

The Internal Market Act (IMA) was imposed on the Scottish Parliament without its consent, and radically undermines its powers. Every party in the Scottish Parliament, barring the Scottish Conservatives, voted for its repeal in October 2023, and the Scottish Government is clear that the IMA must indeed be repealed in line with the wishes of this Parliament. We therefore welcome the statutory review of the IMA announced by the new UK Government, which must now be used to undo the damage created by the Act, and ensure that the Parliament’s powers are fully restored.

Since 2021, Scottish Government officials have had over 40 meetings with officials and/or panel members from the Office for the Internal Market (OIM), some bilateral, others multilateral meetings with the other governments of the UK. Discussion at these meetings has included updates on the parliamentary progress of the Circular Economy Act

The Scottish Government continues to engage regularly with the OIM and has discussed measures already taken to restrict supply or manufacture single-use items, and will continue to do so in relation to any future policy.

A principal lesson learned from international comparisons is reflected in the Scottish Government’s rolling programme of electrification works to reduce unit costs and maintain secure employment. This key difference from the approach taken by the UK Government has contributed to the more efficient electrification costs delivered in Scotland.

Driving testing is a fully reserved matter to the UK Government but it is clear the consequences of years of delays and backlogs have been acutely experienced in Scotland. The previous UK Government undertook a consultation in early 2023 proposing changes, which have taken until December 2024 to implement.

On 18 December 2024, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) announced a 7-point plan to reduce driving test waiting times, which includes recruiting 450 driving examiners in Great Britain. As this is a reserved matter, the Scottish Government has had no input into the development of this plan. The DVSA did agree to meet with Transport Scotland officials in November 2024 but then cancelled these meetings.

Transport Scotland officials are currently seeking a meeting with DVSA to discuss the plan and to understand what implications there may be for Scotland.

The Scottish Government is currently working on a National Treatment Specification for Alcohol and Drug Treatment in Scotland.

This document will be informed by numerous sources including the forthcoming UK Clinical Guidelines for Alcohol Treatment and the recently published Public Health Scotland review into Alcohol Brief Interventions as well as key independent reports such as Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problem’s (SHAAP) paper on alcohol use disorder in the justice system.

Officials will work closely with colleagues within the Scottish Prison Service to ensure that the National Treatment Specification fully reflects the importance of the justice system including those resident in the prison estate as an integral part of Scotland’s alcohol treatment provision.

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: