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-00402

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 15 June 2016

To ask the Scottish Government when it will make calculations to assess whether any adjustments are required to the block grant under the fiscal framework.

The process for adjusting the Scottish block grant in respect of the newly devolved taxes and other powers will take place on an annual cycle. Separate adjustments will be calculated in respect of each tax and other relevant power. The fiscal framework and accompanying technical annex sets out how calculations will be carried out.

Paragraphs 44 to 53 of the fiscal framework agreement set out arrangements for further adjusting the block grant in respect of policy spillover effects. As explained in the answer to question S5W-00400 on 15 June 2016, consideration of these effects will be undertaken on a case by case basis, and any decision or transfer relating to a spillover effect must be jointly agreed by the Scottish and UK Governments.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

Question reference: S5W-00403

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 15 June 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what compensation would be received under the fiscal framework if the Scottish Parliament did not follow increases in the threshold for the higher rate of income tax that had been set for the rest of the UK.

Question reference: S5W-00404

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 15 June 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how much additional income tax will be paid by taxpayers in Scotland in each of the next five years under its proposals set out in Scottish Income Tax from 2017/18, and how this compares with how much would be collected if the (a) current and (b) assumed UK rates, bands and thresholds for this period were to be used.

Question reference: S5W-00400

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 15 June 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what impact the increase in the personal allowance in 2017-18 will have on its income tax receipts, and whether a payment will be made under the no detriment rule of the fiscal framework to compensate for this.

An increase in the tax free personal allowance for income tax as announced by the UK Government in respect of 2017-18 will result in reduced income tax receipts for the Scottish Government. There will be a corresponding reduction in income tax receipts for the rest of the UK. This will result in a reduction in the block grant adjustment applied to the Scottish budget. The net effect of the change in tax receipts and in the block grant adjustment is expected to be zero or close to zero.

Any consideration of policy spill over effects as set out in paragraphs 44 to 53 of the fiscal framework agreement will be undertaken on a case by case basis. Paragraph 52 requires that any decision or transfer relating to a spill over effect must be jointly agreed by the Scottish and UK Governments.

Question reference: S5W-00399

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 15 June 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government since 16 March 2016 regarding the implementation of the fiscal framework.

Question reference: S5W-00401

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 15 June 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what procedure is in place to request a payment under the no detriment rule of the fiscal framework to compensate for the loss of income tax receipts following an increase in the personal allowance.

Question reference: S5W-00398

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 15 June 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4F-03322 by Nicola Sturgeon on 23 March 2016 (Official Report, c. 52), if the Scottish Parliament did not agree to raise the threshold for higher rate income tax to the same level as that of the rest of the UK, what impact this would have on the payments that the UK Government would provide to Scotland under the fiscal framework.

Under new income tax powers set out in the Scotland Act 2016, all Scottish non-savings and non-dividend income tax will accrue to the Scottish Government from the tax year 2017-18 onwards. The Scottish Government set out its proposal for the use of these powers on 22 March 2016, including an estimate of the increased revenue expected as a result of increasing the threshold for the higher rate of income tax in Scotland at a lower rate than in the rest of the UK from 2017-18 to 2021-22. The estimate provided included behavioural effects.

It is not expected that increasing the threshold for the higher rate of income tax in Scotland at a lower rate than in the rest of the UK will have any effect on the payments that the UK Government would provide to Scotland under the fiscal framework provisions covering ‘no detriment due to policy spill over effects’ described in paragraphs 44 to 53 of the agreement.

Question reference: S5F-00072

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 13 June 2016
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 June 2016

To ask the First Minister what issues will be discussed at the next meeting of the Cabinet.

Question reference: S5F-00004

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 May 2016
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 June 2016

To ask the First Minister what issues will be discussed at the next meeting of the Cabinet.

Question reference: S5W-00012

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 May 2016
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 31 May 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what projects it or China Railway No.3 Engineering Group and SinoFortone have identified as opportunities for investment in (a) affordable housing, (b) communities, (c) clean energy, (d) industry and business parks, (e) transportation infrastructure and (f) any other areas.

The memorandum of Uuderstanding between the Scottish Government, China Railway No.3 Engineering Group and SinoFortone is focused on developing a working relationship to explore possible investment in Scotland.

At their meeting on 3 February 2016, SinoFortone expressed an interest in areas including affordable housing, energy and infrastructure, the First Minister noted SinoFortone’s interest in these areas.

The Scottish Government has not identified any specific projects for potential investment.

Scottish Government officials introduced SinoFortone to Falkirk Council and Loudon Castle Developments to help them understand and explore potential investment opportunities. No projects have been confirmed for investment by Sinofortone or China Railway No.3 Engineering Group.