Total spending on the proposed Heat in Buildings Bill: FOI release

Information requested

Please confirm total spending on the proposed Heat in Buildings Bill in each year during the current session of the Scottish Parliament beginning in 2021. Please include details of all spending on the public consultation launched in November 2023 and the analysis of responses.

Response

The total expenditure on the proposed Heat in Buildings Bill since Session Six, Parliamentary Year 1 (commencing 13 May 2021) is outlined below:

Year Total
2021-2022 £0.00
2022-23 £240.36
2023-24 £95,317.47
2024-25 £46,868.03
2025-26 £1,106.11
Grand Total £143,531.97

It is not possible to determine the overall internal Scottish Government costs associated with staff time spent on the Heat in Buildings Bill policy proposals, and these costs are therefore not included in the grand total. Scottish Government officials work flexibly across a range of policies and programmes, responding to the specific requirements of their roles at any given time. As a matter of course, they do not record the proportion of time spent on individual matters.

However, I can confirm the grades of staff who have led on Bill-related work since 13 May 2021, as set out below:

Grade	2021	2022	2023	2024	2025
C1	0	0.5	1	1	0.75
B3		0.25	1	1	0.75
B2					0.25

1=full time

The Scottish Government pay and grading scales for the years 2021 to the present are publicly available on the Scottish Government website, at the links below, through previous Freedom of Information (FOI) publications.

Scottish Government Main pay ranges 2023 to 2025: FOI release - gov.scot

Scottish Government Legal Directorate (SGLD) grades, roles and competencies: FOI release - gov.scot

Regarding the allocation of spending for the public consultation launched in November 2023, no direct media advertising was undertaken. Instead, a commissioned public engagement campaign was delivered across the following strands. Please note that this list reflects only engagement activities with associated spending commitments and does not represent all engagement carried out for the consultation.

Event costs
Citizens Advice Scotland - £18,000 (5 in-person events)
Taylor MacKenzie - £10,800 (2 online events)
Keep Scotland Beautiful - £46,255.44 (11 in-person events, + 2 online sessions)

Direct consultation costs
Disability Equality Scotland - £2,890 (consultation Easy Read Translation)
APS Group - £16,491.53 (consultation publication)
The Lines Between Limited - £49,095 (consultation analysis)

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.