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-01095

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 May 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 June 2017

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the findings of phase 2 of the enterprise and skills review.

Question reference: S5O-01043

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 May 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 31 May 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will implement the recommendations in the Audit Scotland report, Principles for a digital future, when taking forward its R100 contracts.

Question reference: S5W-09133

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 May 2017
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 11 May 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what action is taken should a business liable for non-domestic rates fail to submit updated accounting or other relevant information to valuation officials.

Question reference: S5W-09076

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 28 April 2017
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 11 May 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what the latest indicative international credit rating, in whatever form, would be in respect to Scottish debt issued by it or on its behalf, or guaranteed by it or any of its agencies.

Question reference: S5W-09078

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 28 April 2017
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 11 May 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had in the last three years in relation to any international credit rating, indicative or otherwise, that might be assigned to Scottish debt, in whatever form, issued by it or on its behalf, or guaranteed by it or any of its agencies.

Question reference: S5W-09077

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 28 April 2017
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 11 May 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has entered into discussions with international credit rating agencies in relation to Scottish debt issued by it or on its behalf.

Question reference: S5W-09075

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 28 April 2017
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 11 May 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had in relation to which international credit rating would be assigned to Scottish debt issued by it or on its behalf.

Scottish Government has had the power to issue debt since 1 April 2015 when the Scotland Act 1998 (Variation of Borrowing Power) Order 2015, approved by the UK Parliament in March 2015, gave Scottish Ministers the power to borrow through the issue of bonds, extending the arrangements set out in Scotland Act 2012.

This increases the range of options available and the Scottish Government will evaluate these and will in due course take a responsible decision on which method or methods to use based on the prevailing economic conditions.

The Scottish Government has made no approaches to international credit rating agencies to seek an international credit rating, which is advisable before the issue of bonds. However, meetings between officials and the ratings agencies and advisors to discuss general borrowing, bond issuance and credit rating advice have taken place over the last 3 years.

Question reference: S5W-09081

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 28 April 2017
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 11 May 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken in the last three years to investigate the possibility of undertaking a debt issue, in whatever form, to be issued by it, or on its behalf, or guaranteed by it or any of its agencies.

While the Scotland Act 1998 (Variation of Borrowing Power) Order 2015, approved by the UK Parliament in March 2015, gave Scottish Ministers the power to borrow through the issue of bonds, there are no plans at the moment to undertake a debt issue. Borrowing, in 2017-18 as set out in the Draft Budget , is modelled as being from the National Loans Fund. There have, however, been periodic meetings with ratings agencies and potential advisors on the credit rating and bond issuance process and Scottish Government will evaluate its options for borrowing make a decision in due course based on the prevailing economic conditions at the time.

Question reference: S5W-09080

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 28 April 2017
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 11 May 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had in the last last three years with any international credit rating agencies in relation to Scottish debt issued by it or on its behalf.

Question reference: S5W-09066

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 April 2017
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 11 May 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been paid in business rates relief in each of the last 10 years.

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11	2011-12	2012-13	2013-14	2014-15	2015-16	2016-17
Non-Domestic Rates Relief Total (£m)	324	389	465	501	542	588	590	607	626	573