- Asked by: Bill Bowman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 05 September 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Kate Forbes on 19 September 2019
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Scottish Retail Consortium’s call for a timetabled plan to lower the business rates burden, as set out in its submission on the 2020-21 budget.
Answer
The Scottish Government is committed to a fair and sustainable non-domestic rates system. In 2019-20 we increased the poundage by below the Consumer Price Index, which ensures that over 90 per cent of properties in Scotland pay a lower poundage than they would in other parts of the UK. We also offer the most generous package of non-domestic rates reliefs anywhere in the UK, worth an estimated £750 million in 2019-20, including measures that are unique in the UK such as the Business Growth Accelerator.
- Asked by: Bill Bowman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 05 September 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 18 September 2019
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Scottish Retail Consortium’s call for additional safeguards to be put in place when introducing any workplace parking levies.
Answer
The amendments lodged by John Finnie MSP and passed by the Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee at Stage 2 of the Transport (Scotland) Bill, include a number of procedural safeguards. An outline of any proposed workplace parking levy scheme and associated impact assessments must be published by a local authority promoting a scheme. That authority must consult on their proposal, thereafter publish a report outlining the results of the consultation and stating whether or not it intends to proceed with the proposal. A local authority cannot introduce the scheme until a minimum of eight weeks after the publication of its report.
- Asked by: Bill Bowman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 August 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 12 September 2019
To ask the Scottish Government what the change in the number of SMEs has been in each of the last 12 months.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold monthly data on the number of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) operating in Scotland. However, annual estimates are included in the Businesses in Scotland 2018 publication, which is available on-line at: https://www2.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Business/Corporate .
The latest figures show that, as at March 2018, there were 343,535 private sector SMEs operating in Scotland - the estimate includes all enterprises (those registered for VAT/PAYE and those that are not).
- Asked by: Bill Bowman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 August 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 12 September 2019
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of prioritising engagement with minority and African-descent applicants being highlighted as an area for improvement in the Fair Start Scotland Evaluation Report 1: Implementation and Early Delivery Review, what its position is on Remploy, which is Tayside's sole Fair Start Scotland bidder, advertising itself as driven to transform the lives of primarily disabled people through job support.
Answer
Fair Start Scotland is designed to support a range of people who face barriers in their journeys towards and into employment. The Scottish Government continues to take forward a range of measures designed to tackle the specific barriers minority ethnic communities face, as identified in the Fair Start Scotland Evaluation Report, in accessing employment opportunities. We are working closely with the Department for Work and Pensions in looking to ensure minority ethnic communities get the employability support they need through Fair Start Scotland. Additionally the Scottish Government is committed to implementation of the employment related actions within our A Fairer Scotland for All: Race Equality Action Plan.
- Asked by: Bill Bowman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 August 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 12 September 2019
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of recent reports, what actions it is aware small retail businesses are taking to mitigate pressure from economic, geo-political, environmental and behavioural factors.
Answer
The Scottish Government works closely with a number of delivery partners to ensure that small businesses, including in those in retail, have access to advice and support across a wide range of issues.
We are developing an online single entry point to give businesses easy and quick access to information, advice and support available from all public sector support organisations. We are helping businesses to prepare for Brexit, by providing a grant of up to £4000 to help them navigate the significant challenges posed by the UK’s departure from the European Union.
In addition, small retail businesses in Scotland can take advantage of the most generous rates relief package in the UK, worth an estimated £750 million in 2019-20, including the Small Business Bonus Scheme which means over 119,000 properties are subject to no rates charges at all. Small retailers can also benefit from the £50 million capital Town Centre Fund which enables local authorities to stimulate and support a wide range of initiatives to help town centres diversify and flourish.
- Asked by: Bill Bowman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 August 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 12 September 2019
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of Fair Start Scotland (FSS) being a voluntary programme, what action FSS can take to tackle protracted unemployment and disengagement with the employment system in Dundee.
Answer
At 4.0% the unemployment rate for Scotland is low compared with historical records. In the year to March 2019, Dundee saw the 3 rd largest rise in employment rate of any local authority in Scotland and the 3 rd greatest fall in the inactivity rate. However, the Scottish Government recognise the challenges that some people face, in Tayside and wider afield, in moving into work.
Fair Start Scotland (FSS) has been designed to deliver a person-centred service of which participation is voluntary without the threat of benefit sanctions. The early evidence from the Fair Start Scotland Evaluation Report indicates people with a wide range of motivations, characteristics and barriers are attracted to FSS and that participants see Fair Start Scotland as a way to move towards lasting and meaningful employment.
- Asked by: Bill Bowman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 August 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Derek Mackay on 2 September 2019
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on collating Whole of Government Accounts in preparation of the 2021 fiscal framework review, and for what reason this practice was not adopted when Scotland was given greater fiscal responsibility in 2016.
Answer
The Scottish Government complies with all financial reporting and auditing requirements and is developing its financial reporting to support transparency and the understanding of the increasingly complex financial picture. There have been improvements in each of the last 3 each years to the timing and presentation of the sets of accounts which make up the full reporting on the Scottish Budget.
SG Finance has in place a broad programme of work to develop financial reporting across the full financial cycle, in keeping with the commitment of Scottish Ministers to open government and transparency. This includes, but is not restricted to, working towards further consolidated accounts for Scotland.
The Public Finance and Accountability Act 2000 requires consolidated public accounts to be audited before they can be laid and published. We are progressing a plan to achieve audit and publication of a 2017-18 product.
- Asked by: Bill Bowman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 August 2019
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 4 September 2019
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the holistic approach taken in the UK Government's Clean Air Strategy 2019 could be applied to Scotland in order to reduce carbon and other such emissions.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 4 September 2019
- Asked by: Bill Bowman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 August 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 28 August 2019
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason Dundee and Tayside have not been included in the invitation to participate in public workshops on the Big Climate Conversation 2019, which was announced on 8 July, and whether Dundee will be a listed destination for one of the six follow-up public workshops.
Answer
The Scottish Government has aimed to ensure geographical representation across Scotland in respect of The Big Climate Conversation public workshops. There is a public event in Perth on 29 August, which participants from Dundee and wider Tayside are encouraged to attend.
The public workshops are not the only way to be involved. We are also considering holding targeted focus group events to hear from people who are not normally engaged with climate change. We are looking at locations that do not already have a public workshop.
In addition, the Scottish Government has also made available support for communities to hold their own workshops allowing any community groups anywhere across Scotland to contribute to the wider conversation. Details about this can be found on the Scottish Government website . MSPs would also be welcome to host their own event.
Finally, we are organising two Twitter events to increase the reach of the Big Climate Conversation, particularly for people unable to engage through any of the ways described above. Details will be announced on the Scottish Government website shortly.
- Asked by: Bill Bowman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 August 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Derek Mackay on 22 August 2019
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of the Michelin plant closure in Dundee on the (a) Tayside and (b) Scottish economy.
Answer
Scottish Enterprise has worked directly with Michelin since the first announcement of closure in November 2018, to assess the impact of the plant closure in Dundee on the Tayside and Scottish Economy.
OCEA completed two reports for Ministers in November 2018 to measure the economic and labour market impact of the closure. These reports found the plant closure could lead to a loss of GVA in Scotland of approx. 0.1 per cent of Scotland’s total onshore GVA and the plant accounts for 1.7% of local employment.
From Michelin, it is understand that the direct impact from the closure will be 850 jobs and £50m per year (this is calculated from the number employed by Michelin in November 2018 and the collective amount Michelin put into the Scottish economy annually). The impact on the supply chain is considered to be low by Michelin.
Work is underway to transform the site through the creation of a global destination for innovation and investment in sustainable, zero emission mobility and low carbon energy. We will continue to prioritise the transformation of the Michelin-Scotland Innovation Parc (a joint venture between Michelin, Dundee City Council and SE) to become Scotland’s centre for driving innovation in sustainable mobility across the Scottish economy.
