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-25057

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 02 September 2019
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 13 September 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-24525 by Kate Forbes on 27 August 2019, whether there will be any analysis of the broader economic impact of the Business Growth Accelerator in addition to the audited statistics to be released in November 2019.

The Scottish Government keeps all non-domestic rates reliefs under review on an on-going basis. We continue to assess the impact of the Business Growth Accelerator through consultation with stakeholders and membership groups. This includes, the Barclay Implementation Advisory Group, the Institute of Revenues Rating and Valuation, the Scottish Ratepayers Forum, and the Scottish Rating Surveyors Forum.

Question reference: S5O-03560

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 September 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 September 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the FSB Scotland report, Transforming Towns: Delivering a Sustainable Future for Local Places.

Question reference: S5W-25197

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 September 2019
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 10 September 2019

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish its Foreign Direct Investment Growth Plan, and what specific sectors this will focus on.

Question reference: S5O-03496

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 August 2019
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 5 September 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what actions it is taking to encourage small businesses to take advantage of e-commerce.

The Scottish Government are active on a range of fronts to support Scottish businesses to take advantage of e-commerce.

Our £1.6m Digital Boost programme, delivers e-commerce workshops, training and 1-2-1 mentoring for small businesses across Scotland. Elsewhere, Skills Development Scotland and Scottish Enterprise are establishing a pilot e-commerce project, delivered by Strathclyde University.

SDS are also looking to strengthen relevant apprenticeships, ensuring e-commerce skills are represented. They are also testing demand with employers for an ecommerce apprenticeship.

And our Future Skills Action Plan reflects the increasing importance of e-commerce to Scotland's economy.

Question reference: S5W-24525

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 July 2019
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 27 August 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to publish an analysis of the impact of the Business Growth Accelerator.

Question reference: S5W-24527

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 July 2019
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 27 August 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how much the Business Growth Accelerator has cost each year, and how much was budgeted for it.

The Business Growth Accelerator was introduced on 1 April 2018, following the recommendations of the independent Barclay Review of Non-Domestic Rates. The independent Scottish Fiscal Commission forecast that the relief would cost £24m in 2018-19, the first year of operation. We anticipate audited expenditure statistics on the first year of the relief’s operation to be available in in the first half of November 2019.

Question reference: S5W-24526

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 July 2019
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 27 August 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how many commercial premises have been in receipt each year of the Business Growth Accelerator business rates discount, and how many applications there were.

The Scottish Government sets the legislative framework for Non-Domestic Rates and it is for councils to interpret and administer the system in accordance with that framework, including processing applications and awarding reliefs. The Scottish Government collects annual statistics on properties in receipt of relief as at June each year and the first statistical publication based on this data collection is scheduled for release in October 2019. In addition, we anticipate audited expenditure statistics on the first year of the relief’s operation to be available in the first half of November 2019.

Scottish Government does not collect statistics on the number of applications for reliefs.

Question reference: S5W-23938

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 June 2019
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 11 July 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what activity and initiatives it has planned to promote (a) trade, (b) business, (c) education and (d) other cultural links between Scotland and China.

The Scottish Government’s revised China Engagement Strategy https://www.gov.scot/publications/scotlands-international-framework-china-engagement-strategy/ was published in June 2018, setting out our strategic approach to building trade, business, education and cultural links with China.

China was also identified as a priority market in A Trading Nation – a plan for growing Scotland’s exports https://www.gov.scot/publications/scotland-a-trading-nation/about/ , which was published in May 2019. Latest overall export figures show exports from Scotland to China were worth £625 million in 2017 – rising from £590 million in 2016. The Minister for Trade, Investment and Innovation visited China from 1-5 July, to promote the growing economic, cultural and educational links between Scotland and the world’s second largest economy. A record of his visit will be published shortly.

Question reference: S5W-23939

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 June 2019
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 11 July 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what activity and initiatives it has planned to promote (a) trade, (b) business, (c) education and (d) other cultural links between Scotland and Japan.

We are committed to delivering maximum value for Scotland through our overseas engagement which is guided by our International Framework, published on 8 December 2017, which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/scotlands-international-framework-9781788514033/ . Japan has been an important trading partner for Scotland for many years and has been identified as a priority market in A Trading Nation – a plan for growing Scotland’s exports, which was published in May 2019: https://www.gov.scot/publications/scotland-a-trading-nation/about/.

Since 2007, there have been 8 Scottish Ministerial visits to Japan – the last being by the Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs in July 2018. On this visit, she undertook a wide programme of meetings and engagements to strengthen links in business, trade, tourism, education and culture. A report of this visit was delivered as an answer to a Parliamentary Question on 22 August 2018, and is available here: https://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx?SearchType=Advance&ReferenceNumbers=S5W-18379&ResultsPerPage=10.

Question reference: S5W-23937

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 June 2019
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 11 July 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what activity and initiatives it has planned to promote (a) trade, (b) business, (c) education and (d) other cultural links between Scotland and the United States.

The Scottish Government US Engagement Strategy was published in 2017. It sets out our approach to promoting Scottish trade, business, educational and cultural links and is available here https://www.gov.scot/publications/scotlands-international-framework-engagement-strategy-9781786528698/

The USA was identified as Scotland’s top priority market in A Trading Nation – a plan for growing Scotland’s exports, which was published in May 2019: https://www.gov.scot/publications/scotland-a-trading-nation/about/

The First Minister visited the US in February 2019, carrying out discussions and meetings with a trade and investment focus as well as promoting Scottish and US educational and cultural links. The Minister for Parliamentary Business and Veterans then visited New York in April for the culmination of 2019’s Scotland Week Celebrations. This is the key event of the year in terms of Scottish cultural celebration in New York City, highlighting Scotland and promoting our reputation as a great place to work, invest, live, study and do business in.

Parliamentary Questions answered on both of these visits can be accessed here

https://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx?Search
Type=Advance&ReferenceNumbers=S5W-21824&ResultsPerPage=10

https://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx?Search
Type=Advance&ReferenceNumbers=S5W-23148&ResultsPerPage=10