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-01605

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 December 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce diagnostic waiting times for children with autism.

Question reference: S5O-01603

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 December 2017
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 13 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to work with the UK Government on the implementation of the UK industrial strategy.

The Scottish Government is committed to working with the UK Government to ensure its Industrial Strategy delivers maximum benefit for Scotland. I have had a number of discussions with BEIS and Scotland Office Ministers and my officials have also been liaising closely with BEIS. Infact, at the National Economic Forum this morning I hosted a workshop on the UK Industrial Strategy.

I have been clear with the UK Government that the implementation of the Strategy must respect devolved responsibilities and that Sector Deals, Challenge Funds and other initiatives must take account of Scotland’s economic strengths and needs. It is disappointing that despite this, the UK Government has agreed Sector Deals for life sciences, construction, artificial intelligence and the automotive sector without consulting us and that the UK Government has not yet made a financial commitment towards the National Manufacturing Institute for Scotland which demonstrates the Industrial Strategy in action.

Question reference: S5O-01552

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 7 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met NHS Forth Valley and what issues were discussed.

Question reference: S5W-13106

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 6 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what its forecast business rates revenue is for 2018-19.

Question reference: S5W-12935

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 5 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the announcement by the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Jobs and Fair Work to the Economy, Jobs and Fair Work Committee on 14 November 2017 (Official Report, c. 5), regarding the creation of a centre for regional inclusive growth, whether it will confirm when ministers agreed the decision to create the centre; when it will be operational; where it will be based, and how many staff it will employ.

The Centre for Regional Inclusive growth will provide a platform to disseminate analysis on inclusive growth at the local and regional level, share best practice and develop ways to support the use of local and regional data and evidence for inclusive growth policies. It is anticipated that the Centre will support regional partnerships and city and region deals and will primarily be a 'virtual hub', led by Scottish Government and partners. It will draw on existing capacity and expertise.

Question reference: S5W-12875

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 30 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government by what date the innovation and investment hubs in (a) Berlin and (b) Brussels will open.

The Scottish Government has recently appointed a Head of Hub for Berlin. She took up post on 27 November and we will shortly begin to recruit a second member of staff. The process to recruit an SDI member of staff is also underway. Concurrently we are in the process of preparing suitable accommodation, on an initial basis, within the UK Embassy in Berlin.

Scotland already has a well-established presence in Brussels, with many of the characteristics of an Innovation and Investment Hub, covering economic, diplomatic and cultural dimensions. Work is currently underway to integrate the Scottish Government and Scotland Europa teams more closely across these areas to maximise impact, with some reconfiguration of the workspace to enable this, following which formal designation as a Hub is planned in Spring 2018.

Question reference: S5W-12882

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 28 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish an implementation plan for delivering on the recommendations of the Barclay Review of Non-Domestic Rates.

Question reference: S5W-12605

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 22 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a complete list of the delivery and other agents that allocate or manage (a) its and (b) EU funding to businesses or enterprises, broken down by how much each agent delivered in each of the last five years.

Scottish Government provides a wide range of support to business and enterprise across its own and European funding. To detail all expenditure over the last five years is a very broad request and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost, it is therefore best presented based on previously published information.

All Scottish Government expenditure is outlined in the budget, in particular the level 4 budget report published alongside the main budget documents, and in the consolidated accounts. All payments in excess of £25,000 made by Scottish Government are published regularly: https://beta.gov.scot/publications/?term=Government spend&publicationTypes=transparency_data

European funded projects are announced by the funding provided through each of the programmes:

ESF and ERDF:

2014-2020 Programme: https://beta.gov.scot/publications/esif-operations-funding/

2007-2013 and 2000-2006 Programmes: https://beta.gov.scot/publications/esif-grant-amounts-lists-2000-2013/

EMFF and EFF: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/marine/grants-subsidies/awards

EAFRD: http://www.cap-payments.defra.gov.uk/

Question reference: S5W-12606

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 21 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding Chart 8 in its recently published discussion paper, The Role of Income Tax in Scotland’s Budget, how many taxpayers it predicts will make a behavioural response as indicated by the mid-point estimates for each one of the five approaches set out.

Question reference: S5W-12604

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 21 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding Chart 8 in its recently published discussion paper, The Role of Income Tax in Scotland’s Budget, what assumptions were used to calculate the number of taxpayers that will make a behavioural response as indicated in the mid-point estimates for each one of the five approaches set out, including the number of taxpayers involved for each approach.

The analysis of the behavioural impacts in Chart 8 of the income tax discussion paper follows the standard approach adopted by HMRC and other fiscal institutions. It uses taxable income elasticities which measure the impact of policy changes on total taxable income. These elasticities were informed by discussions with a number of institutions and a review of the academic literature. Further detail on the methodology and assumptions is provided in Annex A of the discussion paper.