Douglas Lumsden

23 Jan 2025 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body how much has been spent on new and replacement (a) televisions and (b) monitors in each of the last 10 years.

Answer · Claire Baker (on behalf of the SPCB): The information held by our Building Maintenance, Mechanical and Engineering contractor, shows the following spend on TVs via the FM Works Requests budget.2015-2016 - £1317.602016-2017 - £1784.602017-2018 - £2962018-2019 - £6393.882019…

23 Jan 2025 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what bee disease mitigation measures it has in place.

Answer · Claire Baker (on behalf of the SPCB): The beekeeper takes measures to prevent diseases and pests, maintains the hygiene and safety of the bee colonies  and ensures that all disease prevention treatments are provided. This includes checking for notifiable pests and diseases, which if found wo…

23 Jan 2025 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what the total cost of gardening and landscaping services has been in each of the last five years.

Answer · Claire Baker (on behalf of the SPCB): The total cost for gardening and landscaping maintenance services in the last five years including financial year 24-25 is as follows. Costs exclude VAT.2024/25 - £17,435.562023/24 - £17,144.112022/23 - £16,067.582021/22 - £14,593.6220…

23 Jan 2025 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body how many desk chairs it has purchased, and what the total cost of this has been, in each of the last five years.

Answer · Claire Baker (on behalf of the SPCB): During the last five years 500 desk chairs have been purchased – these include chairs for Local Offices, Holyrood and Homeworkers (which include the covid years). We cannot provide the costs due to commercial confidentiality.

23 Jan 2025 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body how many of any flags that it owns have (a) gone missing and (b) been wilfully damaged in each of the last 15 years.

Answer · Claire Baker (on behalf of the SPCB): We are unable to provide information predating 2024. In 2024, we had one flag which was stolen.

23 Jan 2025 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body how many flags it owns, and whether it will publish a list of them.

Answer · Claire Baker (on behalf of the SPCB): The Parliament currently owns 180 flags for external and internal use. There is not a published list of which flags we own. 

23 Jan 2025 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it has conducted a review into the environmental impact of supplying sauce sachets and salt and pepper sachets.

Answer · Claire Baker (on behalf of the SPCB): We consistently monitor and review the use of single-use items throughout the catering services with our contractor, with sauce sachets now only available by request at the till to minimise waste. We have previously tried using pump-style dispensers to reduce…

23 Jan 2025 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what the cost of operating the Parliament crèche has been in each of the last five years.

Answer · Claire Baker (on behalf of the SPCB): The operating costs for the crèche over the last five years has been as follows –2023/24        £108k2022/23        Service closed 2021/22     &n…

23 Jan 2025 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body how many flagpoles it owns and operates, what the height is of any flagpoles that it owns, and what the total maintenance cost has been for any such flagpoles, in each of the last 15 years.

Answer · Claire Baker (on behalf of the SPCB): The SPCB owns and operates five number flagpoles, and they are approximately 8.2 metres in height. There has been no general maintenance works needed to the flag poles in the last 15 years with the only cost for each being the annual LOLER inspection. LOLER s…

23 Jan 2025 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what the total cost has been of maintaining any flags that it owns in each of the last 15 years.

Answer · Claire Baker (on behalf of the SPCB): No cost for maintenance of flags has been incurred in the past 15 years. If a flag is damaged it is replaced with a new one. 

23 Jan 2025 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what the average occupancy rate of the Parliament crèche has been in each of the last five years.

Answer · Claire Baker (on behalf of the SPCB): We can’t easily calculate an occupancy rate for the creche, as the overall capacity of the creche varies depending on the ages of the children using it and the required staffing ratios (i.e. 0-2 years requires 1 staff member to every 3 children, 2-3 yea…

23 Jan 2025 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what the cost has been of providing (a) tea, (b) coffee, (c) fruit and (d) biscuits in (i) the Members’ lounge and (ii) committee rooms, in each of the last 10 years.

Answer · Claire Baker (on behalf of the SPCB): We do not hold information on individual catering items that have been served at meetings, as meeting room hospitality is often ordered in a package format without specific item breakdowns being recorded. The costs for internal hospitality within the building…

23 Jan 2025 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what the total cost of maintaining the Parliament's lift system has been in each of the last five years.

Answer · Claire Baker (on behalf of the SPCB): The total cost for maintenance of the lift system for the past four years including financial year 24-25 is as follows. For financial year 20/21 we do not hold information in a format that allows us to identify the costs of maintaining the lifts as it was inc…

23 Jan 2025 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what the cost of PAT testing Christmas decorations in the Parliament building has been in each of the last five years.

Answer · Claire Baker (on behalf of the SPCB): Christmas tree decorations are stored and delivered onsite by our service provider, with PAT testing costs covered by the contractor.

23 Jan 2025 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body how many sachets of (a) sauce and (b) salt and pepper (i) it and (ii) its suppliers have procured, and what the average cost was for each item, in each of the last 10 years.

Answer · Claire Baker (on behalf of the SPCB): Our catering services contractor holds data from 2015 onwards: Salt & Pepper sachets Quantity Average value 2015 60,000 0.00341p 2016 62,000 0.0034p 2017 62,000 0.0036p 2018 58,000 0.003595p 2019 64,000 0.0036p 2020 24,000 0.0036p 2021 22,000 0.0037p 2022…

23 Jan 2025 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what the total cost of window cleaning services has been in each of the last five years.

Answer · Claire Baker (on behalf of the SPCB): Window cleaning services at the Scottish Parliament are carried out by both Mitie Cleaning and Environmental Services Ltd (general cleaning contract) and TRAC International Ltd (High-level Building Maintenance Contract). We do not hold information in a format…

23 Jan 2025 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body how many flags it has purchased in each of the last 15 years, and what flags were purchased.

Answer · Claire Baker (on behalf of the SPCB): We do not hold this information.

23 Jan 2025 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body how many (a) plastic, (b) paper, (c) metal and (d) glass straws (i) it and (ii) its suppliers have procured, and what the average cost of each straw was, in each of the last 10 years.

Answer · Claire Baker (on behalf of the SPCB): Our catering services contractor does not hold data on straws that were purchased prior to 2022. We do not procure plastic straws for use in the catering services, the table below shows the data held for paper and metal straws. Paper straws Metal straws Year …

23 Jan 2025 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body how many Parliament passes have been reported lost or stolen in each of the last five years.

Answer · Claire Baker (on behalf of the SPCB): The total number of Parliament passes that have been reported as lost or stolen for the last five calendar years are set out below: 2020 – 142021 – 122022 – 152023 – 202024 – 21 These numbers do not include passes that were repor…

22 Jan 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what measures are in place to prevent counterfeit whisky from damaging the reputation of Scotch whisky globally, in light of a 2018 report by Rare Whisky 101, which reportedly found that, of 55 selected bottles acquired from different sources, 21 proved to be fake.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Geographical Indication status for Scotch Whisky provides high levels of protection to the whisky sector, both in the UK and across the globe. Scotch Whisky has a global reach, and the industry itself through the Scotch Whisky Association has the expertise an…

22 Jan 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support is available for distilleries facing challenges from international trade tariffs or regulations.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government’s Vision for Trade and Scotland: a Trading Nation clearly set out our ambitions for international trade, which is vital to the whisky sector.The Scottish Government works closely with the UK Government to address and prevent mark…

22 Jan 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that any profits from whisky production benefit local communities in (a) Scotland and (b) rural areas.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The sector provides employment opportunities in some of the most rural communities and can bring visitors from Scotland and around the world, to these areas. The Deputy First Minister recently opened the Cabrach distillery which is focused on community develo…

22 Jan 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what strategies are being employed to safeguard the economic interests of small and independent distilleries in Scotland.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government, Scotland Development International and the Scotland Food & Drink Partnership’s activities focus on three markets: Scotland, Rest of UK, and International. Small and independent distilleries are represented in all these activ…

22 Jan 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider introducing an indicative marker for the end consumer of whisky, showing that it is guaranteed to be of Scottish origin.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009, coupled with inclusion in the GI scheme already provides this guarantee and the GI mark is available to be used by producers meeting the specification should they wish.

22 Jan 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it supports the use of traditional methods in whisky production, while encouraging innovation.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The use of traditional methods is what makes Scotch Whisky unique and the methods that must be used, including the types of stills and ageing requirements, are set out in law. In addition to this the Scottish Government provides funding to support delivery of…

22 Jan 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to foster improved trust from distillers and small-scale spirits producers, in light of the reported issues with the Deposit Return Scheme.

Answer · Gillian Martin: Scotland’s DRS was due to launch in March 2024 and we would have been enjoying the benefits of a DRS now if the previous UK Government had agreed a full Internal Market Act exclusion to our scheme.The Scottish Government continues to engage with busines…

22 Jan 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the current regulations are for the (a) labelling and (b) marketing of Scotch whisky, and how these are enforced.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 set out requirements for the marketing and labelling of whisky alongside the Food Labelling (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 1989 and The Spirit Drinks Regulations 2008. This is enforced by the relevant food authority in the…

22 Jan 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many times it has met with the Scotch Whisky Association in the last 12 months.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Ministers and officials have met 26 times with the SWA since 24 January 2024. Officials have a close and collaborative working relationship across the SWA and have regular informal engagement on areas of mutual interest.

22 Jan 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it is ensuring the protection of Scotch whisky as a heritage product.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government, as well as the whisky industry itself, takes the protection of Scotch Whisky seriously. Scotch Whisky is defined in UK law through the Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 which provide comprehensive protection covering the making, bottling…

16 Jan 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it complies with the General Data Protection Regulation requirements in relation to the use of government-issued mobile phones.

Answer · Ivan McKee: The Scottish Government complies with the General Data Protection Regulation requirements in relation to the use of mobile phones by ensuring where applicable that Data Protection Impact Assessments and Privacy Notices are completed.