As already stated, the Scottish Government will publish further material on independence to give the people of Scotland the information they need to make an informed choice about their constitutional future.

The Scottish Government estate is under review to allow us to plan for affordable, inclusive, accessible, modern, secure, energy efficient buildings of the right size to meet our changing needs and net zero ambitions, as well as to ensure best value for taxpayers’ money.

The Scottish National Investment Bank Act 2020 and the Shareholder Relationship Framework Document outline the relationship between the Bank and Scottish Ministers as the Shareholder, including measures to ensure appropriate controls and accountability, and to ensure the administrative and operational independence of the Bank.

These are available online:

Scottish National Investment Bank Act 2020

73888039.7

The fixed facilities management contract running costs of Scottish Government buildings focus on ensuring buildings are operational, compliant and secure in line with our building management responsibilities. The costs cannot be varied with changing occupancy levels.

Age restrictions for non-surgical cosmetic procedures are one of a number of issues that are being considered as part of our wider consultation on how best to further regulate non-surgical cosmetics procedures in Scotland.

In addition to the consultation, we will prepare a Child Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment in accordance with section 17 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child 15 (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024. This will reflect feedback on how to best put in place protections whilst still respecting the competence of young people.

We will continue to review the need for any further engagement as we consider the evidence gathered to date.

We will publish the analysis and announce next steps which I have committed to doing before the Scottish Parliament’s summer recess in late June.

We are providing this information as at 31 December 2024 using data from the most recent official publication of the Scottish Government's workforce statistics. As at that date, the total number of staff employed within SG Core was 9,349.

As at that date, 115 Scottish Government staff were registered as taxpayers elsewhere in the UK and earning over £50,000 (inclusive of any pay allowances). This represents 1.2% of staff and includes staff who are based in Scotland House, London; are in overseas postings; or are in off-shore Marine seafaring roles (where it is a feature of that labour market for the workforce to be resident in a range of different countries).

This information has been compiled with reference to address information held on our HR systems as at December 2024. It is therefore a snapshot as at that date and does not, for example, reflect where individuals may have since relocated to Scotland following their appointment to the Scottish Government or where a revised tax code is awaited from HMRC.

The Scottish Government estate is under review to allow us to plan for affordable, inclusive, accessible, modern, secure, energy efficient buildings of the right size to meet our changing needs and net zero ambitions, as well as to ensure best value for taxpayers’ money.

Our consultation on proposals for a Social Housing Net Zero Standard estimated the total upfront costs of installing clean heating systems and improving energy efficiency in social housing would be around £6 billion by 2045, with an average cost per home of around £14,000.

Financing the clean heat transition for social housing will require both public and private contributions, with the recent Green Heat Finance Taskforce Part 2 report exploring how to attract greater private investment including through mechanisms which spread repayment costs over a longer timeframe. The Scottish Government will respond to the Taskforce report in the coming months.

The Scottish Government is aware of concerns that have been raised on this important matter. We ran a consultation between December 2024 and February 2025, to seek views on how best to further regulate non-surgical cosmetics procedures. Over 2200 responses were received which the Scottish Government is carefully analysing.

We have also already engaged with, and will continue to engage with, a range of stakeholders including healthcare professionals as we consider the evidence gathered to date.

Our proposals aim to be both robust and proportionate, protecting the public and our precious NHS whilst supporting reputable business to operate safely.

We will publish the analysis and announce next steps which I have committed to doing before the Scottish Parliament’s summer recess in late June.

Our consultation last year on a new Social Housing Net Zero Standard (SHNZS) asked for views on proposals to require social landlords to improve fabric efficiency and install clean heating where it is technically feasible and cost-effective to do so. Feedback from this consultation estimated the total upfront costs for the sector to 2045 of installing clean heating systems and improving energy efficiency would be around £6 billion, with an average cost per home of around £14,000.

We continue to discuss next steps for the proposed Standard and longer term financing options with key stakeholders from the social housing sector. I refer the member to the answer to questions S6W-36595 on 24 April 2025 and S6W-36596 on 1 May 2025 for further context.

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