Request:
1. How many office properties are owned/occupied by Crown Estate Scotland and where are they located?
2. What is the total annual cost (rent, rates, utilities) of retaining these properties?
3. What is the total number of employees retained by Crown Estate Scotland and the annual payroll cost?
4. Have any bonuses been paid to Crown Estate Scotland executives since its creation as a devolved organisation? If yes, please specify how much and to whom?
5. Bidwells is responsible for managing all Scotland’s marine assets on behalf of Crown Estate Scotland. What were the costs of retaining Bidwells’ services in financial years 2022/23 and 2021/22?
6. What process led to the appointment of Bidwells as managers of Scotland’s marine assets and when did this happen?
7. Which minister(s) in the Scottish Government have primary responsibility for oversight of the work of Crown Estate Scotland?
8. What practical arrangements exist to facilitate the oversight process?
Response:
1. Crown Estate Scotland owns the Tomintoul estate office, and we lease and occupy an office in Edinburgh.
The location can be found on our website: https://www.crownestatescotland.com/contact-us.
2. The table below is the for the rented office space at Quartermile 2 in Edinburgh
| £ | |
| Cash Rent (FY22/23 | 146,413 |
| Service charge* | 44,588 |
| Electricity** | 8,112 |
| Rates (FY22/23) | 42,669 |
| 241,781 | |
| *Based on FY2022 service charge | |
| **Note Jan-Mar 23 estimated |
Below is information relating to our Tomintoul estate office for 2022/2023 financial year:
Rent – nil as Crown Estate Scotland owns the property
Rates - £5,186.68
Utilities – Heating - £5, 493.53, Water - £857.35, Electricity - £1,535.12
3. This information can be found in our annual report (page 37) –
at 31 March 2022 we had 64 employees.
Section 3.4 – Remuneration and Staff Report (page 47-51) of the annual report also has information on the annual payroll cost.
|
2021-22 |
2020-21 |
|
| £m | £m | |
| Wages and salaries | 3.1 | 2.8 |
| Social security costs | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Other pension costs | 0.8 | 0.7 |
| Total Costs | 4.3 | 3.9 |
4. As of 1 April 2019, Crown Estate Scotland removed the bonus scheme.
Therefore, only the financial year of 2017-18, and 2018-19 is there information relating to bonuses.
It can be found in our annual reports:
https://www.crownestatescotland.com/resources/documents/annual-report-and-accounts-to-31-march-2018 (page 48 - sum of £169,115)
https://www.crownestatescotland.com/resources/documents/annual-report-and-accounts-to-31-march-2019 (page 42 - sum of £125,469)
5. The total costs to Bidwells’ services are £591,822.25 for the 2021/2022 financial year; and
£730,339.71 for the 2022/2023 financial year.
6. The current appointment for Bidwells as part of a Multiple Lot Managing Agent open tender process carried out in 2020 and awarded in 2021.
Information is publicly available on Public Contract Scotland website and can also be found on OJEU.
• A PIN was published as part of market engagement on 26 June 2020
• The contract Notice was published on 3 August 2020
• The award notice was published on 19 May 2021
Links to each of these are below:
https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=JUN388594
https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=AUG391608
https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=MAY415581
7. The Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands, currently held by Mairi Gougeon.
8. Scottish Government’s Marine Scotland Directorate (the Sponsor Team) has drawn up a Framework Document.
This Framework Document sets out how Crown Estate Scotland will interact with Scottish Government.
As for practical arrangements to facilitate oversight, we don’t have information on this (section 17(1)(b) -no information held under FOISA applies); this information may be held by Scottish Government.
