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-11304

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 29 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what the budget is for the Scottish Development International (a) London, (b) Berlin, (c) Paris, (d) Brazil, (e) Denmark and (f) Dusseldorf hub.

The Scottish Government innovation and investment hubs in London and Dublin are supported from a budget of £4m for 2017-18 which also supports the expansion of SDI staff footprint in Europe. Proposed hubs in Berlin and Paris will also be supported from this budget.

Brazil, Denmark and Dusseldorf are not hubs but are part of the SDI presence internationally. SDI do not ring-fence budgets for each of their locations separately but rather flex their budget across their portfolio in response to market demands.

Question reference: S5W-11303

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 29 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many staff are employed by Scottish Development International at its (a) London, (b) Berlin, (c) Paris, (d) Brazil, (e) Denmark and (f) Dusseldorf hub.

Please see information as at 31 March 2017 relating to staff employed by SDI at the referenced locations in the following table.

Hub	Total
London Innovation and Investment Hub	10
Germany – Berlin – No personnel have yet been recruited for Berlin	n/a
France – Paris Field Office	9
Brazil – Rio de Janeiro Office	2
Denmark – Copenhagen Field Office	4
Germany – Dusseldorf Field Office	7

Please note, although SDI has representation in Rio de Janeiro, Copenhagen and Dusseldorf these locations are not categorised as hubs.

Question reference: S5W-11302

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 28 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how much inward investment has been recorded by Scottish Development International in each of the last four years, broken down by sector.

Question reference: S5W-11452

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 28 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the announcement in its Programme for Government, how much the pledge to deliver free Wi-Fi throughout major towns and cities will cost, and what preparations it has undertaken to ensure that the infrastructure required to deliver the pledge is in place.

We are currently developing plans to deliver the Wi-Fi commitment outlined in the Programme for Government. It is our intention to commit up to £1M to resource this initiative and we will draw from learning gained through our Public Wireless Programme (PWP). This initiative provided grant-funding to local authorities to enable Wi-Fi in public buildings during 2015-16. As a direct result of PWP, 99% of public libraries in Scotland now offer free Wi-Fi.

Question reference: S5W-11451

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 28 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the announcement in its Programme for Government, on what date a full implementation plan for a Scottish National Investment Bank will be published.

Benny Higgins Chief Executive Officer of Tesco Bank, has agreed to lead the development of the Implementation Plan for a Scottish National Investment Bank. This work is due to be completed in February 2018.

The Terms of Reference for the Implementation Plan can be found via the following link: https://beta.gov.scot/publications/national-investment-bank-implementation-plan-terms-of-reference/.

Question reference: S5W-11291

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 22 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the finance secretary’s statement on the Barclay Review of Non-domestic Rates on 12 September 2017 (Official Report, c.49), what its definition is of "the largest hospitality properties" that will not be subject to the 12.5% cap.

Question reference: S5W-11294

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 22 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the finance secretary’s statement on the Barclay Review of Non-domestic Rates on 12 September 2017 (Official Report, c.49), how it defines "affordable" in relation to removing the large business supplement as recommended by the review.

Question reference: S5W-11292

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 22 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the finance secretary’s statement on the Barclay Review of Non-domestic Rates on 12 September 2017 (Official Report, c.49), whether the additional cap of 12.5% is cumulative, resulting in a 23.4% cap for 2018, or whether the cap will remain at 12.5% next year.

Question reference: S5W-11293

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 22 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the finance secretary’s statement on the Barclay Review of Non-domestic Rates on 12 September 2017 (Official Report, c.49), when it will respond to the review recommendation on charitable rates relief.

Question reference: S5W-10891

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 August 2017
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 19 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met representatives of disabled people’s organisations and what was discussed.

Ministers and officials meet regularly with a broad range of disabled people's organisations. I met with the Chief Executive and Deputy Chief Executive of the Scottish Commission for Learning Disabilities on 29 August to discuss the role of the Commission in the delivery of those actions in A Fairer Scotland for Disabled People which relate to people with learning disabilities. I also met with the Scottish Advisory Group on Deaf Blindness on 6 September to highlight our aim to create a social security system that is based on dignity, fairness and respect and accessible to all.

On 31 August officials met with representatives from Inclusion Scotland to discuss the Access to the Elected Office Fund and the Internship Programme for Disabled People.