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-02136

Asked by: Andy Wightman, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 May 2018
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 23 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what information it collects to assess the extent and nature of behavioural responses to income tax policy.

The Scottish Fiscal Commission produce independent income tax revenue forecasts for Scotland and in March 2018 published a paper setting out its approach to modelling taxpayer behaviour change in response to changes in income tax policy. The Scottish Government’s Chief Economist published a report in December 2017 informed by advice from the Council of Economic Advisers on the potential behavioural impacts of increasing the top rate of tax.

HMRC is entirely responsible for the operation of Scottish income tax, including the management of taxpayer data. HMRC is bound by taxpayer confidentiality and the Scottish Government has no access to its systems. However, as more data becomes available over time we will continue to review the impact of tax policy on behavioural change and revenue.

Question reference: S5W-16288

Asked by: Andy Wightman, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 30 April 2018
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 15 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on the number of letting agencies that continue to charge prohibited fees following the implementation of the Private Rented Housing (Scotland) Act 2011.

Question reference: S5W-16463

Asked by: Andy Wightman, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 04 May 2018
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 15 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Office for Nuclear Regulation regarding safety at Torness Power Station, in light of the recently reported issues at Hunterston B.

Scottish Government officials are in regular contact with the nuclear safety and security regulator, the Office for Nuclear Regulation, (ONR) in respect of safety matters at all Scottish Civil Nuclear Sites.

The latest contact between the Scottish Government Resilient Essential Services team and ONR was on 11 May 2018, when ONR briefed Scottish Government officials in respect of matters relating to the shut down of generation at Reactor 3, Hunterston, and relating to safety at Torness.

Question reference: S5W-16287

Asked by: Andy Wightman, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 30 April 2018
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 4 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to enforce the prohibition of certain fees charged by letting agencies following the implementation of the Private Rented Housing (Scotland) Act 2011.

The charging or receiving of an illegal premium is a criminal offence and enforcement is therefore a matter for Police Scotland.

Where a tenant has paid an illegal premium, they can make an application to recover the fee paid at the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (Housing and Property Chamber).

More broadly, to help raise standards of practice within the letting industry, the Scottish Government has introduced a robust framework for the regulation of letting agents.

Question reference: S5W-16286

Asked by: Andy Wightman, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 30 April 2018
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 4 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how many letting agencies have received penalties for charging prohibited fees in each year since 2011, also broken down by the level of penalty on the standard scale of fines.

Question reference: S5W-15295

Asked by: Andy Wightman, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 March 2018
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 1 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how many of the licences to fish in the razor clam electrofishing trial have been granted to individuals (a) in receipt of Fixed Penalty Notices or (b) who have been convicted for offences relating to electrofishing for razor clams.

Applications for the trial were accepted from all UK registered fishing vessels. All applications were considered on an objective basis, as per the published scoring criteria, with safety being of paramount importance. During the sift of applications points were deducted for any fisheries related convictions or Fixed Penalty Notices (FPN), including for electrofishing related offences. Two of the applicants awarded a place on trial had previously received FPNs for electrofishing, one has been convicted of electrofishing related offences, and one has both an FPN and a subsequent conviction. These individuals have paid their Fixed Penalties and there are no outstanding convictions.

Question reference: S5W-15317

Asked by: Andy Wightman, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 March 2018
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 26 April 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether the vessels licensed to participate in the razor clam electrofishing trial can fish in all 12 trial sites, or whether they are restricted to particular sites.

Question reference: S5W-15291

Asked by: Andy Wightman, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 March 2018
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 26 April 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what assessments it has undertaken to ensure that the number of sites opened under the razor clam electrofishing trial can economically sustain the total number of licensed vessels in each trial area.

The selection of areas for inclusion in the razor clam electrofishing trial was informed by consultation with fishermen and others with an interest in the razor clam fishery. Abundance of razor clams will fluctuate over time and across different geographical areas, but the total number of vessels that it is expected will be authorised to participate (up to 28) is similar to the number of vessels that have participated in this fishery in the recent past. The Scottish Government will keep under review the distribution of vessels across trial areas, and the total number of vessels in the trial.

Question reference: S5W-15305

Asked by: Andy Wightman, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 March 2018
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 26 April 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its response to the consultation on electrofishing for razor clams in Scotland in April 2017, which stated that "in due course, the Government will confirm one or possibly two trial areas where, following initial stock assessments, a limited number of fishing vessels will be permitted to harvest razor clams by electrofishing", what the (a) policy and (b) legal basis was for its decision to designate 12 razor clam electrofishing trial sites, which constitute almost 10% of Scottish inshore waters and 10 of which are already operational.

Further to consultation with fishermen and other interested parties the Scottish Government considered that it was possible, and potentially more informative, to undertake a trial over a larger number of clearly defined areas than was initially anticipated in the consultation response document of April 2017. It is considered that a trial over a larger number of areas has the potential to involve significantly greater economic benefits than a more limited trial, in the light of recent recorded landing figures and views expressed about the abundance of razor clams in a number of areas around the coast. In addition it is considered that it is possible to monitor effectively activity over the areas selected for the trial, in light of the conditions attached to vessel derogations and having regard to the use of electronic monitoring equipment that will be installed on-board fishing vessels. The Scottish Government will keep the trial under review and reserves the right to close areas to further fishing at any time during the trial period. The legal basis of the trial is Article 43 of EC Regulation 850/98.

Question reference: S5W-15311

Asked by: Andy Wightman, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 March 2018
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 26 April 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what the legal basis was for opening 10 sites for the razor clam electrofishing trial without stock assessments of the target species having been (a) undertaken and (b) published.