Chamber and committees

The information provided in the answer given to question S4W-24246 in relation to eight hub projects that had been due to reach financial close by 31 March 2015 remains up to date.

In relation to 2015-16, the Scottish Government has already advised Parliament that twelve hub projects are currently affected by the need to consider classification issues, including six of the projects referred to in the answer to question S4W-24246.

The answer given to question S4W-26458 contained an error. The meeting referred to was held on 23 June 2015; this was arranged on 5 June 2015.

Detailed information about all projects being delivered through the hub programme is available on the Scottish Futures Trust website at: www.scottishfuturestrust.org.uk.

The relevant legal advice was provided on a confidential basis.

Legal and financial advice has been sought at various stages since 2010 by procuring authorities on projects and by the Scottish Futures Trust.

All bodies listed in the attached link are required to follow the Scottish Government’s public sector pay policy:

http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Government/public-sector-pay/staff-pay/public-bodies-covered.

Registers of Scotland (RoS) delivers customer-focussed registration and information services that create value for Scotland. Operating as a trading fund since 1996, the fees paid by its customers must be sufficient to cover its expenditure, including cyclical downturns in the property market, compensation payments under the keeper’s warranty, and investment in the business.

The financial arrangements for RoS are set out in section 9 of Public Finance and Accountability (Scotland) Act 2000. This provides that the sums received by the Keeper of the Registers of Scotland are to be retained and applied to meet expenditure on the keeper’s functions, such as to maintain and improve the registers under the keeper’s control. In doing this, the keeper must operate within financial objectives set by Scottish Ministers, who also set the statutory fees that can be charged by RoS.

As an accountable public body, RoS lays its audited annual report and accounts before the Scottish Parliament. Their framework document and corporate plan are also held in SPiCe.

The annual retained profit and/or loss levels since RoS became a trading fund are displayed in the following table.

Scottish Ministers' pay policy for 2016-17 which will be published alongside the draft budget. A range of options to provide some flexibility for employers to address local issues in their pay systems, whilst maintaining affordability, are being considered.

The Scottish Government will publish its pay policy alongside its draft budget, following the publication of the UK Government spending review.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S4W-27757 on 27 October 2015. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.