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: S5O-00842

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 March 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met representatives of the Scottish Investment Bank.

Question reference: S5W-08228

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 17 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 22 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether, in the revaluation of non domestic rates, the methodology adopted for retail, catering and other shopping facilities in airports has been applied consistently to all airports in Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-08229

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 17 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 22 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what meetings ministers have had with airport representatives regarding changes to rateable valuations, and whether it will publish any notes or minutes of these meetings.

Question reference: S5W-08231

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 17 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 22 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what meetings ministers have had with businesses affected by the revaluation of business rates, and what the outcome was of these meetings.

Ministers meet regularly with ratepayers, trade bodies, business organisations, Assessors and other stakeholders to discuss business rates and the impact of the 2017 revaluation.

As a result, a package of measures was introduced to support businesses in 2017-18 which included a reduction in the poundage of 3.7%; an increase in the rateable value threshold that the large business supplement becomes payable from £35,000 to £51,000; an expansion of the Small Business Bonus Scheme to remove business rates from an estimated 100,000 premises; a 12.5% cap on bill rises for pubs, hotels, restaurants and cafes and offices in Aberdeen City and Shire.

Question reference: S5W-08230

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 17 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 22 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether the methodology for the revaluation of non domestic rates for commercial outlets in airports is the same as that for high streets, shopping malls and train and bus stations.

Question reference: S5W-06984

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 16 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how much (a) Regional Selective Assistance and (b) other support has been provided to Greggs plc to safeguard or create jobs at its (i) Cambuslang plant and (ii) plants across the rest of the country in each of the last five years.

No Regional Selective Assistance or other financial support has been provided by the Scottish Government or Scottish Enterprise (SE), to Greggs plc for its Scottish sites in the last five years. However, SE officials have offered support through the Scottish Manufacturing Advisory Service and SE's Account Management service.

An offer of Partnership Action for Continuing Employment (PACE) support to Greggs PLC headquarters has been made to assist any affected employees at the Clydesmill site. At the time of writing, the formal consultation period has not yet commenced and the PACE offer has not been taken forward. The company is still in discussion with its employees and the impact on the workforce of any potential compulsory redundancies has therefore not yet been confirmed.

Question reference: S5W-06985

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 13 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions (a) it and (b) its agencies have had with Greggs plc regarding the restructuring of its (i) Cambuslang plant and (ii) plants across the rest of the country.

Following the announcement of the proposed closure of the Loanhead bakery, the Minister for Business, Energy and Tourism spoke with Greggs' Company Secretary on 3 March 2016, along with Scottish Development International (SDI) and Scottish Government officials, to explore all possible support for the Loanhead site.

SDI subsequently met with Greggs on 11 March 2016 to discuss the proposed closure of the Loanhead bakery and had a further call with the company on 13 May 2016 to further explore areas of potential support for Loanhead, and the company’s plans for the proposed centre of excellence at the Clydesmill bakery in Cambuslang.

Scottish Enterprise (SE) and SDI visited the Clydesmill bakery in August 2016 to learn more about the company's plans and to offer support for Greggs’ Scottish sites through the Account Management and the Scottish manufacturing Advisory Service.

The company has also been contacted by the Scottish Government’s Partnership Action for Continuing Employment (PACE) initiative, and a programme of support for employees at Loanhead was delivered by PACE between June and November 2016.

An offer of support was also made by the National PACE Team on 24 January 2017 for any staff that may be affected by redundancy at the Cambuslang site.

Question reference: S5O-00751

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 8 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what impact the reduction in the Skills and Training budget in 2017-18 will have on Skills Development Scotland's ability to grow the economy and develop the workforce.

There is no reduction to the budget for Skills Development Scotland in 2017-18.

In the Budget Bill, approved by this parliament on 23 February, the Skills Development Scotland grant in aid budget increases from £176.1m in 2016-17 to £179.6m in 2017-18.

This budget will be supplemented by a number of in year transfers to allow Skills Development Scotland to deliver activity in addition to its core services.

Question reference: S5W-05868

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by Annabelle Ewing on 10 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made in facilitating the transfer of administrative responsibilities for reserved tribunals, including employment tribunals.

The Scottish Government is progressing the transfer of reserved tribunals to Scotland. I met with the Senior President of Tribunals in November 2016 and will be meeting the president of the Employment Tribunal (Scotland) later this month.

The draft Order in Council for the devolution of Employment Tribunals is still in the course of being finalised and discussions with stakeholders on its terms are
on-going.

Question reference: S5W-04671

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 11 November 2016
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 29 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, with reference to its enterprise and skills review, what the position will be of the chief executives of Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Skills Development Scotland and the Scottish Funding Council by the end of the current parliamentary session.