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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: S6T-02044

Asked by: Michelle Thomson, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 10 June 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of reports that Scottish universities' budgets have been impacted by £100 million due to a 20% drop in applications from international students in the last academic year as a result of new UK Government immigration rules.

Question reference: S6O-03533

Asked by: Michelle Thomson, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 May 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to address any issues regarding the implementation of the presumption of mainstreaming, as set out in the recent Education, Children and Young People Committee report on its inquiry into additional support for learning.

Question reference: S6O-03488

Asked by: Michelle Thomson, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 May 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what place human ecology, specifically a focus on the relationship between the natural environment and the social environment, has in its rural affairs policy development.

Question reference: S6O-03422

Asked by: Michelle Thomson, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 May 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of Brexit on young musicians.

Question reference: S6F-03100

Asked by: Michelle Thomson, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 May 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 May 2024

To ask the First Minister what support the Scottish Government is providing to women in enterprise.

Question reference: S6O-03335

Asked by: Michelle Thomson, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 April 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority regarding plans to incorporate any precedent set by the Miller v College of Policing case into the recording of non-crime hate incidents.

Question reference: S6W-26098

Asked by: Michelle Thomson, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 20 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what the savings will be in 2024-25 as a result of the decision to freeze the Basic Property Rate, broken down by industry sector.

Table 1 presents the estimated gross savings to ratepayers, after General Revaluation Transitional Relief is applied, for properties with a rateable value of up to and including £51,000, resulting from the Scottish Government freezing the Basic Property Rate at 49.8p in 2024-2025, compared to uprating in line with September 2023’s measure of CPI, which would have resulted in a Basic Property Rate of 53.1p. The figures are not adjusted for any other relief. This is broken down by property class, as the Scottish Government does not hold property-level data on industry sectors. Property class is a classification used by Scottish Assessors to describe the type of property, and does not necessarily accurately reflect the use of a property.

This table is based on the valuation roll as at 30 March 2023, 1 April 2023, and 1 January 2024.

Figures in this table are rounded to the nearest £1,000, and may not sum due to rounding.

Table 1: Estimated gross savings to ratepayers due to freezing the Basic Property Rate, 2024-2025

Property class	Estimated gross savings (£)
Shops	16,697,000
Public houses and restaurants	1,842,000
Offices	10,962,000
Hotels	1,325,000
Industrial subjects	13,595,000
Leisure and entertainment	3,443,000
Garages and petrol stations	1,018,000
Cultural	440,000
Sporting subjects	733,000
Education and training	960,000
Public service subjects	2,690,000
Communications	88,000
Quarries, mines, etc.	114,000
Petrochemical	31,000
Religious	1,581,000
Health and medical	1,189,000
Other	1,723,000
Care facilities	1,306,000
Advertising	221,000
Statutory undertaking	404,000
All	60,362,000

Question reference: S6W-25618

Asked by: Michelle Thomson, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 4 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the reported calls from the Scottish Retail Consortium and Scottish Tourism Alliance for a restoration of tax-free shopping for overseas visitors as a means of supporting Scotland’s retail and tourism sectors.

The Scottish Government does not have policy control over VAT rates or VAT exemptions. This is a fully reserved policy.

In a letter of 22 October 2021, the then Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Kate Forbes, and the then Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Fair Work and Culture, Fiona Hyslop, jointly called on the UK Government to reverse their decision to end VAT-free shopping following EU Exit. The letter called on the UK Government to introduce a VAT-free shopping scheme for EU and non-EU visitors to the UK.

The UK Government, as part of their ‘Mini Budget’ on 23 September 2022 announced the introduction of a new digital VAT-free shopping scheme. This however was scrapped as part of the reversal by the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt.

I have called on the Chancellor in my pre-Spring Budget letter to listen to industry and urgently reconsider his position.

The removal of this policy is likely to be having a detrimental impact on retail businesses and may be discouraging tourists from visiting the UK. and Scotland specifically. Many EU countries continue to offer tax-free shopping for non-EU visitors, which make them a more attractive tourist destination. Scotland’s vibrant retail sector is put at a disadvantage as a result.

The Scottish Government’s position remains that the restoration of VAT-free shopping for all overseas visitors to the UK would help support this vital sector in Scotland.

Ultimately, the Scottish Government believes that all tax powers should be devolved to the Scottish Parliament so that we can provide the support that Scottish retailers and tourism businesses need.

Question reference: S6O-03104

Asked by: Michelle Thomson, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 February 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what work is underway to ensure that eligible families across Falkirk East, and the wider country, are aware of and can apply for the Best Start Grant before the deadline of 29 February.

Question reference: S6O-03070

Asked by: Michelle Thomson, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 January 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding what is required to unlock the full potential of Scotland's green economy.