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: S5W-28459

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 April 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 7 May 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many businesses have received a COVID-19 Business Support Fund award, and how much has been awarded, broken down by local authority area.

Question reference: S5W-28458

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 April 2020
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 7 May 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many applications to the COVID-19 Business Support Fund (a) have been received and (b) are currently outstanding in each local authority area.

The number of applications to the COVID-19 Business Support Fund which have been received in each local authority area is available at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-business-support-fund-grant-statistics/ . We understand councils are dealing with a large volume of invalid applications, which for example omit vital information such as bank details or addresses. As such, councils cannot robustly report the number of outstanding applications at this stage.

Question reference: S5W-28706

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 April 2020
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 6 May 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what impact the COVID-19 outbreak could have on the design and implementation of the proposed deposit return scheme, and what its position is on whether there is now a case for greater flexibility in its design.

Question reference: S5W-28703

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 April 2020
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 6 May 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has carried out of the impact on the sales of aluminium cans in multipacks of a deposit return scheme, including how many consumers it estimates will switch from such packs to larger plastic bottles if a flat 20p fee is introduced, and whether it will publish this analysis.

As part of the final Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA) for Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), published on 16 March 2020, we carried out an analysis of the potential for DRS to affect consumer choice. The BRIA can be viewed here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/deposit-return-scheme-scotland-full-business-regulatory-impact-assessment-2/ . It concludes that any shift towards larger containers is likely to be small.

Question reference: S5W-28705

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 April 2020
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 6 May 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will review the full business and regulatory impact assessment for the deposit return scheme in light of the COVID-19 outbreak.

The final Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA) for Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), published alongside the final DRS Regulations, sets out the strong economic case for proceeding with DRS. We do not intend to review the BRIA at this stage of the COVID-19 outbreak. However, we will continue to monitor closely the impact of COVID-19 on industry’s ability to progress the steps that are needed to bring the scheme into operation.

Question reference: S5W-28457

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 April 2020
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 4 May 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) financial and (b) people resources have been provided to each local authority to assist in the processing of applications to the COVID-19 Business Support Fund.

Question reference: S5W-27920

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 13 March 2020
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 25 March 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that small-scale renewables schemes of similar generation capacity and rental income have equal access to rates relief without prejudice from distortions caused by including subsidies in the rates valuation methodology.

The valuation of all non-domestic property is a matter for independent assessors and Ministers have no locus to intervene in that process.

In the 2020-21 budget, we maintained a number of measures aimed at reducing carbon emissions and supporting the renewables sector. This includes the renewable energy relief which is available to subjects that are used for the purpose of the generation of renewable heat or power where the scheme provides community organisations with at least 15% of their annual profit, or annual profits as is attributable to at least 500 kW of the total installed capacity of the project.

This renewable energy relief applies equally to all different types of renewables subjects, and relief is available to schemes based on a sliding scale presented in the following table:

Rateable Value up to £140,000	100%
£145,001 to £430,000	50%
£430,001 to £860,000	25%
£860,001 to £4,000,000	10%
Over £4,000,000	2.5%

Question reference: S5W-27921

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 13 March 2020
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 25 March 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to exempting all small-scale renewables schemes used by businesses from non-domestic rates.

The Scottish Government is committed to a fair and sustainable non-domestic rates system and we already offer a renewable exemption, as well as a number of reliefs for low carbon and renewables schemes. This includes the renewable energy relief which is available to subjects that are used for the purpose of the generation of renewable heat or power where the scheme provides community organisations with at least 15% of their annual profit, or annual profits as is attributable to at least 500 kW of the total installed capacity of the project. In addition, we provide the most generous relief for small-scale hydro schemes anywhere in the UK.

Question reference: S5W-27789

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 March 2020
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 18 March 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that communities and businesses in the local authority areas adjacent to Glasgow are able to benefit from increased economic activity associated with COP26.

Through COP 26 Scotland will mobilise action on climate change by providing a stage for a Global response. Harnessing the will and ambition of the Scottish Government and the Scottish people to firmly positioning us as a world leader in research, technology and debate.

We will ensure that Scotland has a meaningful role in COP 26 which supports our climate change agenda, and enhances Scotland’s leadership on social justice and just transition. We will ensure Scotland derives a positive legacy from the event, including lasting benefits for trade, investment, business outcomes and the well-being of people. Our approach includes activities and engagements throughout Scotland, not just Glasgow or its surrounding areas, and we envisage this will be reflected in the medium/long terms economic benefits that hosting large events brings. This is strengthen by an overall approach that Global efforts to tackle climate change must put people and communities first.

Our engagement to date has confirmed this position with commercial organisations, Civic Society and communities throughout Scotland making contact to advise that they are organising activities and engagements that will attract footfall specifically related to COP26. Our overall approach is that Global efforts to tackle climate change must put people and communities first.

Question reference: S5W-27745

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 March 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 18 March 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many organisations in the creative industries sector that do not commit to paying a living wage are in receipt of regular public funding.

Through our flagship Fair Work First policy, we are extending Fair Work criteria, which includes payment of the real living wage, to as many funding streams, business support grants and public contracts as we can by the end of this parliament. We are developing monitoring arrangements to support this.

The Scottish Government does not hold information relating to the payment of the real living wage by individual organisations in the creative industries sector.