Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S4W-08042

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 June 2012
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 27 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what reduction there has been in the length of police training for new recruits in each of the last eight years.

Question reference: S4W-07798

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 June 2012
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 27 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether HM Revenue and Customs has indicated that it is likely to (a) inhibit or (b) veto decisions of the Scottish Government in respect of fiscal policy and whether any similar discussions have taken place with the (i) Bank of England or (ii) Treasury with respect to a Scotland separated from the rest of the UK using sterling.

In evidence to the Scottish Parliament’s Finance Committee on 30 May 2012, HMRC set out the limitations of the role they would play in the collection and administration of the two replacement taxes devolved by the Scotland Act 2012:

“If it (the Scottish Government) wants something that has a different framework or different rates, we would have to look at the details of what it wanted to do and decide whether it made sense for us to try to adapt our systems to operate that or whether we would need to say that it was so different that there would be no point in our trying to operate it.”

The Scottish Government engages in discussions with the Bank of England and UK Government on matters of importance to the Scottish economy.

Under independence fiscal policy would be the responsibility of the Scottish Government.

Question reference: S4W-07555

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 May 2012
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 21 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer about the appointment of external members to the Bank of England's monetary policy committee.

Question reference: S4W-07551

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 May 2012
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 21 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the Deputy First Minister's comments on the BBC Scotland programme, The Big Debate - Choosing Scotland's Future, on 27 May 2012 that “there is no Scottish representation on the monetary policy committee, something that would change if Scotland was independent”.

As the First Minister set out in First Minister’s Questions on 31 May, the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee has nine members, including four external members appointed by the Treasury. As part of a formal monetary union we would expect to be a part of that appointments process. There is nothing unusual about that. In addition, the Treasury has a non-voting observer on the Monetary Policy Committee, to ensure effective co-ordination of monetary and fiscal policy, and we expect to have the same representation.

Question reference: S4W-07553

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 May 2012
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 21 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the (a) Bank of England and (b) UK Government regarding the representation that a Scotland separated from the rest of the UK would seek to have on the Bank of England's monetary policy committee.

As I set out in the answer to oral question S4O-01106 on 7 June 2012, the Scottish Government engages in discussions with the Bank of England on matters of importance to the Scottish economy. The Scottish Government also engages in discussions with the UK Government on matters of importance to the Scottish economy.

The Official Report can be viewed at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28862.aspx?r=7064.

Question reference: S4W-07793

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 June 2012
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 21 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the statement by a representative of HM Revenue and Customs to the Finance Committee on 30 May 2012 that it had not provided estimates of costs as it had “not yet been told what kind of tax the Government wants to introduce” (Official Report, c. 1291) was accurate.

As the official from HMRC confirmed to the Finance Committee of the Scottish Parliament, HMRC has not provided cost estimates for administering the devolved tax described in the Scottish Government’s consultation document.

HMRC has provided indicative cost estimates for administration of “like for like” replacement taxes for Stamp Duty Land Tax and Landfill Tax. These estimates are included in my note to Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 54051).

Question reference: S4W-07557

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 May 2012
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 21 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how a Scotland separated from the rest of the UK would influence the Bank of England's monetary policy committee.

Question reference: S4W-07552

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 May 2012
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 21 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to Deputy First Minister's comments on the BBC Scotland programme, The Big Debate - Choosing Scotland's Future, on 27 May 2012 that “there is no Scottish representation on the monetary policy committee, something that would change if Scotland was independent”, what form this representation would take.

Question reference: S4W-07558

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 May 2012
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 21 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether a Scotland separated from the rest of the UK would be able to appoint external members to the Bank of England's monetary policy committee.

Question reference: S4W-07556

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 May 2012
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 21 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how a Scotland separated from the rest of the UK would influence interests rates if they were set by the Bank of England.