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-01702

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 25 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on progress with the proposed Stirling and Clackmannanshire City Region Deal.

The Scottish Government remains fully committed to a City Region Deal for Stirling and Clackmannanshire and we have been leading engagement with the city region partners and the UK Government throughout the process.

We remain engaged in discussion with the UK Government and the city region partners to agree and deliver the best possible Deal for the region and we are working to conclude these negotiations and reach a Heads of Terms agreement as soon as possible.

Question reference: S5W-13790

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 23 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how much additional tax revenue from business rates will be generated in 2018-19 from the increase in the poundage rate, broken down by sector.

The estimated additional non-domestic rates income for 2018-19 in respect of the annual increase to the poundage rate, broken down by property type, is shown in the following table.

Property type	Estimated additional NDR income (£m)
Advertising	0.1
Care Facilities	0.4
Communications	0.3
Cultural	0.2
Education and Training	5.5
Garages and Petrol Stations	0.9
Health and Medical	2.6
Hotels	3.4
Industrial Subjects	15.2
Leisure, Entertainment, Caravans etc.	1.8
Offices	11.9
Other	1.7
Petrochemical	1.7
Public Houses	1.6
Public Service Subjects	3.8
Quarries, Mines, etc.	0.2
Religious	0.1
Shops	19.2
Sporting Subjects	0.2
Statutory Undertaking	12.7
All	83.5

Question reference: S5W-13738

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 18 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how many commercial properties the large business rates supplement will apply to in 2018-19, broken down by (a) local authority and (b) business sector.

The estimated numbers of properties to which the large business supplement will apply for 2018-19, broken down by property type and by local authority, are shown in the following two tables.

Property type	Estimated number of properties
Advertising	21
Care Facilities	797
Communications	80
Cultural	159
Education and Training	2,101
Garages and Petrol Stations	325
Health and Medical	571
Hotels	928
Industrial Subjects	4,553
Leisure, Entertainment, Caravans etc.	937
Offices	3,627
Other	385
Petrochemical	79
Public Houses	665
Public Service Subjects	1,046
Quarries, Mines, etc.	84
Religious	95
Shops	5,128
Sporting Subjects	41
Statutory Undertaking	402
All	22,024

Local authority	Estimated number of properties
Aberdeen City	2,156
Aberdeenshire	984
Angus	273
Argyll & Bute	272
Clackmannanshire	115
Dumfries & Galloway	395
Dundee City	708
East Ayrshire	279
East Dunbartonshire	201
East Lothian	255
East Renfrewshire	136
Edinburgh, City of	3,111
Eilean Siar	90
Falkirk	495
Fife	1,037
Glasgow City	3,547
Highland	1,095
Inverclyde	188
Midlothian	309
Moray	321
North Ayrshire	354
North Lanarkshire	1,046
Orkney Islands	70
Perth & Kinross	535
Renfrewshire	720
Scottish Borders	319
Shetland Islands	109
South Ayrshire	391
South Lanarkshire	1,042
Stirling	419
West Dunbartonshire	265
West Lothian	787
Scotland	22,024

Question reference: S5W-13739

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 18 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how much tax revenue it expects will be generated by the large business rates supplement in 2018-19, broken down by local authority.

Aberdeen City 11.8

Aberdeenshire 5.0

Angus 1.1

Argyll & Bute 1.6

Clackmannanshire 0.7

Dumfries & Galloway 1.8

Dundee City 2.9

East Ayrshire 1.2

East Dunbartonshire 0.9

East Lothian 1.0

East Renfrewshire 0.6

Edinburgh, City of 16.0

Eilean Siar 0.3

Falkirk 3.5

Fife 7.6

Glasgow City 16.2

Highland 5.9

Inverclyde 0.8

Midlothian 1.3

Moray 2.0

North Ayrshire 1.8

North Lanarkshire 4.6

Orkney Islands 0.4

Perth & Kinross 2.2

Renfrewshire 6.4

Scottish Borders 1.4

Shetland Islands 1.2

South Ayrshire 1.8

South Lanarkshire 16.1

Stirling 1.8

West Dunbartonshire 4.1

West Lothian 3.6

All 127.8

Question reference: S5W-13791

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S5W-13587

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 December 2017
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 11 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how much it will cost to (a) implement and (b) administer the proposed new tax bands.

HMRC have estimated annual running costs of between £1.5 and £2m if income tax rates and bands remained the same as the rest of the UK. A more significant divergence between the rates and bands that apply in Scotland when compared to the rest of the UK may lead to an increase in costs of up to a total of £5m.

HMRC estimate total implementation costs of between £20m and £25m for the Scottish Rate of Income Tax, with a further £2.6m for the Scotland Act 2016 income tax powers. These costs are required to implement the income tax powers devolved to the Scottish Parliament in Scotland Acts 2012 and 2016, and are independent of the rates and bands the Scottish Parliament sets.

Question reference: S5O-01679

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 January 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to encourage more young people into apprenticeships.

Question reference: S5W-13362

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 December 2017
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 8 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, what steps (a) it and (b) its agencies take to ensure that all communications that are issued to disabled and vulnerable people are offered in easy-read and alternative accessible formats.

All communications and content are written in Plain English and designed with the audience and accessibility in mind. The SG aims to adhere to W3C accessibility standards for online content and can offer a range of alternative formats which includes audio; Braille; Easy Read; Large Print and British Sign Language. Digital publications can be viewed online, downloaded or listened to on mobile devices and to be compliant with assistive technologies. The SG is working continuously to make its digital content as accessible and usable as possible for all abilities and disabilities. This includes older audiences and those with visual, hearing, cognitive or motor impairments.

The Scottish Government’s publishing contractor is required to monitor and regulate all work passed to them in terms of accessibility and to challenge those who have not followed the accessibility guidance.

Question reference: S5W-13363

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 December 2017
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 21 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Department of Health regarding guidance on the use of adrenaline auto-injectors in schools.

Scottish Government officials participated in a virtual guidance development working group, convened by the Department of Health, to advise on the formulation of their guidance on the use of adrenaline auto-injectors in schools. The working group also held a tele-conference in July, at which Scottish Government officials were present. The Department of Health’s guidance is available through the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/using-emergency-adrenaline-auto-injectors-in-schools/

On 20 December, the Scottish Government published its guidance on Supporting Children and Young People with Healthcare Needs in Schools, which replaces the existing guidance on the Administration of Medicines in Schools. Relevant guidance from The Department of Health’s guidance has been incorporated into the Supporting Children and Young People with Healthcare Needs in Schools guidance which is available from following link: http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2017/12/3694.

Question reference: S5O-01635

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 December 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the latest Scottish Fiscal Commission forecasts for economic growth.