Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-25309

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 4 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it can instruct its enterprise agencies to engage with Gibson's Engineering Ltd, in light of its reported reopening of the St Rollox "Caley" Railway Works in Springburn.

Engagement between Scottish Enterprise and Gibson's Engineering Ltd led to a Business Gateway referral in 2022. In addition, the Find Business Support website ( findbusinesssupport.gov.scot ) provides information on the advice and funding offered by Scottish Enterprise and Business Gateway and I would encourage Gibson’s Engineering to consider the full range of support available.

Specialist support is also available through the Rail Cluster, an initiative designed and funded by Scottish Enterprise and Transport Scotland which is being delivered by Scottish Engineering. The aim is to connect Scottish SMEs with the country’s top manufacturing innovators and supply chain partners to help deliver the decarbonisation of Scotland’s railways. I understand that Gibson’s Engineering has already engaged with the Rail Cluster.

Question reference: S6W-25228

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 05 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 4 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the availability of qualified stonemasons to repair and maintain traditionally built homes, in light of Edinburgh College no longer delivering a stonemasonry apprenticeship.

The Scottish Government has been exploring the workforce demand for skilled stonemasons through engagement with the stonemasonry short life working group led by Historic Environment Scotland. The working group was set up to look at stonemasonry and traditional skills provision in Scotland with a view to identifying sustainable models of stonemasonry training for future delivery.

Additionally, Historic Environment Scotland ran a stonemasonry consultation in early 2023 to inform understanding of the size, shape and resilience of the stonemasonry sector in Scotland. The stonemasonry working group have since provided their report of findings and recommendations to Ministers for their consideration.

Regarding the cessation of stonemasonry apprenticeship training at Edinburgh College, the then Minister for Culture, Europe and International Development and I met Historic Environment Scotland in recent months to discuss stonemasonry and we await their proposals to address the skills issues in the sector.

Question reference: S6W-25172

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 02 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 4 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S4W-29691, S5W-22664 and S6W-01165 by Angela Constance on 2 March 2016, by John Swinney on 1 May 2019 and by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 28 July 2021 respectively, whether it will provide the figures for each year since 2020-21.

Table 1 provides information on average gross revenue expenditure in Scotland per child attending pre-school, and primary and secondary pupil alongside allocations (accounting for teaching and tuition fees funding) per college and university place.

Table 1: Average expenditure per place for each education level in cash terms
Education level	2020-21	2021-22	2022-23	2023-24
Pre-School	£9,366	£10,435	-	-
Primary School	£6,130	£6,550	-	-
Secondary School	£7,906	£8,174	-	-
College	£4,878	£4,952	£5,054	£5,506
University	£7,316	£7,433	£7,558	£7,613

Table 2 provides the same information in 2023-24 prices. Real terms conversions are based on HM Treasury’s GDP Deflator series, December 2023.

Table 2: Average expenditure per place for each education level in real terms (2023-24 prices)
Education level	2020-21	2021-22	2022-23	2023-24
Pre-School	£10,526	£11,824	-	-
Primary School	£6,890	£7,423	-	-
Secondary School	£8,885	£9,263	-	-
College	£5,482	£5,612	£5,362	£5,506
University	£8,222	£8,423	£8,019	£7,613

Methodology

The methodologies used to determine the average expenditure per place for each education level are provided in more detail below.

Pre-school: average gross revenue expenditure per child in pre-primary education is arrived at by taking the total gross revenue expenditure on pre-primary education, adjusted for inter-authority transfers, as reported by local authorities to the local financial return. These figures are then divided by the number of pupils in funded early learning and childcare as per the statistics reported in the early learning and childcare (ELC) census. The figures for per child expenditure on pre-primary education are likely to be overestimates due to the fact that September (when the figures for the ELC census are collected) is a point in the academic year when ELC registrations are at their lowest. This is because children starting funded ELC (usually when they turn three) start at the beginning of the term which starts after their birthday – so, in the Autumn term only some of the children who will become eligible for funded ELC during that academic year have already taken up their funded place. However, this issue applies every year, meaning that the above time-series comparison is reasonable.

Primary and Secondary school: average gross revenue expenditure per pupil in primary and secondary education respectively is arrived at by taking the total gross revenue expenditure adjusted for inter-authority transfers, reported by local authorities on primary and secondary education to the local financial return, divided by the number of pupils in primary and secondary education as per the statistics reported in the pupil census.

Colleges: The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) have supplied detail of the average cost of a College place (expenditure per full-time equivalent (FTE)). This is calculated by taking funding provided to Colleges for core teaching and assumed tuition fee income (see supplementary note 3) and dividing this by the number of student places.

Universities: The cost of an average University place, also provided by the SFC, is estimated by taking the total teaching grant awarded to Universities (excluding teaching grant associated with rUK students studying expensive strategically important subjects, who are not eligible for funding) and assumed tuition fee income associated with those places (see supplementary note 3) and dividing this by the total number of SFC funded places for Scottish and EU domiciled FTEs. Expenditure figures exclude funding for student support, and SFC’s research and strategic funds. Total FTE figures are SFC/SG funded places and do not include fees only and international places.

The methodology used in this PQ is similar to S6W-15187 answered on 7 March 2023 in that the average amounts for universities and colleges include assumed tuition fee elements and exclude certain funding elements related to rUK students studying expensive strategically important subjects for universities. Therefore, the answer is not comparable to PQs S4W-29691, S5W-22664 and S6W-01165.

Supplementary notes

1. “-“ indicates that there is no available data for this year.

2. 2022-23 figures for pre-school and primary and secondary school will be available after the publication of the 2022-23 Scottish local government finance statistics on the 5 th of March 2024.

3. Assumed tuition fees include income from SAAS, SDS, employers and students paying their own tuition fees for SFC funded programmes.

4. For 2020-21 the university allocation includes funded places and funding for childcare that were announced after the publication of the final funding announcement, to ensure consistency with other years.

5. For college and university figures, the funded places/weighted SUMS/credits figures used are taken from the final published main grant letters or outcome agreements, and do not take account of any subsequent adjustments.

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 .

Question reference: S6W-25647

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 1 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact of the (a) closure of the Irish Berth at Ardrossan and (b) transfer of the Arran service from Ardrossan to Troon on the Performance Regime in Part 3, Schedule 15, of the current Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services contract with CalMac Ferries.

Question reference: S6W-25638

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 1 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of East Dunbartonshire Council’s Local Transport Strategy 2020-25 and Local Development Plan 2 both committing to safeguarding land for an Allander rail station between Milngavie and Hillfoot, what its position is on whether it supports East Dunbartonshire Council’s aspiration for a new station at this location when funding and other factors allow.

Currently the Scottish Government has no evidence to support a new Allander rail station.

East Dunbartonshire Council undertook a transport appraisal in 2018 for the A81 corridor which concluded none of the rail options offered sufficient value for money. My officials at Transport Scotland engaged extensively with East Dunbartonshire Council as part of the Council’s work to develop their Local Development Plan. This included providing advice to the Council on the transport appraisal required to justify any new strategic transport infrastructure, including rail stations.

We are not aware of East Dunbartonshire Council having any plans to revisit their transport appraisal work. However, if a robust business case is presented for rail proposals, such proposals will be considered by Transport Scotland, subject to Scottish Government’s priorities, our rail investment strategy, affordability and other competing priorities.

Question reference: S6W-25588

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 16 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 1 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Scottish National Party manifesto commitment, what the cost would be in 2024-25 of bringing the Higher Property Rate into line with that in England, broken down by industry sector.

Table 1 presents the estimated cost of setting the Higher Property Rate at 54.6p (the rate at which in England, the Standard multiplier applying to properties with a rateable value equal to or over £51,000, will be set in 2024-2025), compared to 55.9p, after General Revaluation Transitional Relief is applied, in 2024-2025. The figures are not adjusted for any other relief. This is broken down by property class, as 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, and does not necessarily accurately reflect the use of a property.

This table is based on the valuation roll as at 30 March 2023, 1 April 2023, and 1 January 2024.

Figures in this table are rounded to the nearest £1,000, and may not sum due to rounding.

Table 1: Estimated cost of reducing the Higher Property Rate to 54.6p (£), adjusted for General Revaluation Transitional Relief, 2024-2025

Property class	Estimated additional gross revenue (£)
Shops	9,722,000
Public houses and restaurants	408,000
Offices	7,195,000
Hotels	2,581,000
Industrial subjects	9,898,000
Leisure and entertainment	2,199,000
Garages and petrol stations	403,000
Cultural	447,000
Sporting subjects	181,000
Education and training	6,935,000
Public service subjects	3,011,000
Communications	331,000
Quarries, mines, etc.	121,000
Petrochemical	1,718,000
Religious	76,000
Health and medical	2,348,000
Other	1,219,000
Care facilities	764,000
Advertising	55,000
Statutory undertaking	13,141,000
All	62,750,000

Question reference: S6W-25587

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 16 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 1 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how much additional revenue it estimates will be raised by the Budget decision to increase the Higher Property Rate by 6.7% in 2024-25, broken down by industry sector.

Table 1 presents the estimated additional gross income from setting the Higher Property Rate (HPR) at 55.9p, compared to keeping the HPR the same as in 2023-24 at 52.4p, after General Revaluation Transitional Relief is applied, in 2024-2025. The figures are not adjusted for any other relief. This is broken down by property class, as 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, and does not necessarily accurately reflect the use of a property.

This table is based on the valuation roll as at 30 March 2023, 1 April 2023, and 1 January 2024.

Figures in this table are rounded to the nearest £1,000, and may not sum due to rounding.

Table 1: Estimated gross additional revenue from the higher property rate (£), after General Revaluation Transitional Relief, 2024-2025

Property class	Estimated additional gross revenue (£)
Shops	26,176,000
Public houses and restaurants	1,101,000
Offices	19,370,000
Hotels	6,951,000
Industrial subjects	26,652,000
Leisure and entertainment	5,927,000
Garages and petrol stations	1,085,000
Cultural	1,204,000
Sporting subjects	487,000
Education and training	18,672,000
Public service subjects	8,108,000
Communications	892,000
Quarries, mines, etc.	325,000
Petrochemical	4,624,000
Religious	204,000
Health and medical	6,322,000
Other	3,281,000
Care facilities	2,056,000
Advertising	147,000
Statutory undertaking	35,391,000
All	168,975,000

Question reference: S6W-25591

Asked by: Roz McCall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 16 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 1 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the public statement by the trade union, Usdaw, of 5 February 2024, expressing significant concern regarding the 2024-25 Budget decision to consider the introduction of a non-business rates public health supplement on grocery retailers and the potential unintended consequences, including for shop workers' incomes and for retailers’ spend on training budgets.

Question reference: S6W-25545

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 1 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the devolution of empty property relief to local authorities.

Question reference: S6W-25548

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 1 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many instances of people drinking alcohol onboard ScotRail trains have been recorded in each of the last three years.

Chamber and committees