Chamber and committees

Assessors, who are responsible for the valuation of domestic and non-domestic properties, are independent of Scottish Government and Local Government. They are all chartered surveyors accountable to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, and are accountable for individual valuation decisions through the appeals function delivered by the Scottish Courts and Tribunals System.

Assessors use the established legal framework to determine premises’ rateable values based on the notional rental value that they could be expected to attract on the open market if they were vacant and to let. They follow applicable statute and case law in making their decisions on non-domestic property valuations

The Scottish Government supports the principle of assessor independence and the value of a property valuation system that is founded on local knowledge and expertise. A property valuation system based primarily on rental values is likely to produce valuations that reflect evidenced differences in rents in different parts of Scotland.

We recognise, however, the disquiet expressed by some business sectors about non-domestic rates. We will soon undertake a comprehensive review of non-domestic rates which builds on our commitment to examine the impact and configuration of all our reliefs in advance of the next revaluation on 1 April 2029, and we will engage with businesses, working with them to shape the rates system into the future.

The Scottish Government is a partner in Transforming Communities Glasgow alongside Glasgow City Council and Wheatley Homes Glasgow.

Partners are working collaboratively to progress the site at Red Road, recognising the challenges relating to viability, remediation and infrastructure. A detailed business plan is being progressed by partners, setting out the preferred delivery model, funding approach and key actions required to unlock the development of the site.

There is a shared commitment among partners to identify a deliverable and sustainable solution that will support the regeneration of Red Road and facilitate the construction of new homes.

Any small business owner who experiences harassment or online abuse can report these to Police Scotland for consideration of investigation.

The Scottish Government engages regularly with key business support agencies, including Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, South of Scotland Enterprise and Business Gateway, to ensure that appropriate advice and support and guidance are available to small and medium-sized enterprises facing a range of challenges.

Guidance has included signposting to cyber resilience and business continuity advice.

Through Scotland’s enterprise and skills agencies, businesses can access advice, digital capability support and resources aimed at strengthening online presence and recovery planning including responding and recovering from cyber incidents.

All businesses – wherever they are in the country – can access support from a wide variety of public sector organisations through the Find Business Support website.

Many civil disputes are settled through alternative dispute resolution mechanisms such as mediation or arbitration. Where court action is necessary, the courts and tribunals system is designed to ensure that disputes are resolved in the most proportionate way possible. This may be through free to the user tribunals or lower cost court actions such as Simple Procedure which is used for disputes with a value of less than £5000 and legal advice is often unnecessary

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-00409 on 9 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 has no current plans to review Planning Advice Note 50.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-00181 on 5 June 2026. 42 homes were delivered through the Rural and Islands Housing Fund between 1 April 2025 and 31 December 2025 in 7 local authorities. This data is based on management information and may be subject to change. Figures for 1 January 2026 to 31 March 2026 are not yet available.

The Rural and Islands Housing Fund is a demand-led scheme open to a range of organisations, including community organisations, development trusts, private landowners, private developers, and traditional housing providers.

The Scottish Government is delivering the strongest package of winter support in the UK. Child Winter Heating Payment is an automatic payment unique to Scotland that helps families and carers of disabled children under 19 with winter heating costs. It is paid to those who receive the highest rate of the care component of Child Disability Payment or the enhanced rate of the daily living component of Adult Disability Payment.

Official statistics published on 19 May 2026 shows that as of 31 March 2026, over 44,000 Child Winter Heating Payments were made to eligible clients, with the vast majority paid automatically in December 2025. The information requested for April 2026 is not yet published.

Further details are available on Social Security Scotland’s website at: Winter Heating Benefits: Statistics for Winter 2025/2026 - Social Security Scotland.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the price of electricity currently generated by Torness nuclear power station or by Hunterston B prior to its closure. Both stations sell or sold electricity into the wholesale market and the specific prices received by the operator are a commercial matter.

The Scottish Government’s running costs are reported in the annual consolidated accounts in note 5f Outturn Income and Expenditure - Operating Costs (2019-20: note 6f). The consolidated accounts can be found here: Financial reports and accounts - Government finance - gov.scot.

The table within the 2022-23 annual consolidated accounts restates the 2021-22 figures, therefore this should be used instead of the data in note 5f to the 2021-22 accounts.

Information is provided on a financial year basis which is consistent with our annual accounts publications. Therefore, the running costs for 2025-2026 will be published in the same location when available.

In 2019-20, a change in approach to operating costs was implemented, which means that comparable figures for earlier years cannot be provided. Previously, costs, including staffing, were held centrally as part of the administration budget and also as part of portfolio budgets for staff who were implementing and delivering specific public services. Since 2019-20, Total Operating Costs have been aligned with the portfolio budgets they support, replacing the dual system where both administration and portfolio budgets funded operating costs.