Seòmar agus comataidhean

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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Criathragan Hide all filters

Displaying 1053 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S6W-31507

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 5 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how much extra money it is currently due to spend on public sector pay in 2024-25 compared to what it forecast when it set out its 2024-25 Budget in December 2023.

Question reference: S6O-04115

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 December 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the net zero secretary has had with ministerial colleagues on how to ensure the delivery of the workforce required to deliver its net zero targets, including through discussions with Skills Development Scotland and colleges.

Question reference: S6W-31763

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 4 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what the cost has been of its 10 most fiscally expensive measures or policies, that were not the devolved implementation of a UK-wide policy, in each of the last five years.

The Scottish Government’s published budgets for the last five years, including details of planned spending, are available online.

Scottish Budget: 2024 to 2025 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Scottish Budget: 2023 to 2024 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Scottish Budget 2022 to 2023 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Scottish Budget 2021 to 2022 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Scottish Budget 2020-2021 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Question reference: S6W-31341

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 15 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 26 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when it will fulfil the commitment in its Framework For Tax and the recommendation of the Barclay Review of Non-domestic Rates to restore the level playing field with England for commercial premises liable for the higher property rate.

The Framework for Tax 2021 stated the Scottish Government’s commitment to ensuring that the largest businesses pay the same combined poundage in Scotland as in England by the end of this parliamentary session.

Over 95% of properties are liable for a lower poundage rate in Scotland than in anywhere else in the UK. Since the Barclay Review made this recommendation, we have introduced the Intermediate Property Rate on 1 April 2020. On 1 April 2023, we increased the rateable value threshold at which the Higher Property Rate applies, from £95,000 to £100,000.

Question reference: S6W-31342

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 15 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 26 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the UK Government discussion paper, Transforming business rates, which proposes a permanently lower business rate for the retail sector from 2026-27, and whether it is considering a similar approach.

Question reference: S6W-31177

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 26 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, based on the most recent data available, what the total cost is of providing support to rural bus services.

The Scottish Government provides funding to support bus services nationwide, and does not hold the information required to identify support to rural services. Our commitment to bus travel includes investment of over £370 million to support concessionary bus travel and funding for our Network Support Grant of almost £50 million to help ensure our bus operators can continue to provide access to affordable transport in the de-regulated market across all of Scotland.

Under the Transport Act 1985, local authorities have a duty to identify where there is a social need for particular bus services and can subsidise these at their discretion. Funding is provided to local authorities in their annual settlement to support services they consider socially necessary and for all community transport services, including rural transport networks. In 2022-23, local authorities in Scotland spent £53 million on supported services nationwide.

Question reference: S6W-31176

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 26 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide the latest data on the number of supported rural bus services in Scotland.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the number of rural bus services supported by local authorities. Bus services in Scotland were deregulated by the then Conservative UK Government under the Transport Act of 1985 and are mostly provided by private operators. Under the Transport Act 1985, local authorities have a duty to identify where there is a social need for particular bus services and can subsidise these at their discretion. Funding is provided to local authorities in their annual settlement to support services they consider socially necessary and for all community transport services, including rural transport networks. In 2022-23, local authorities in Scotland spent £53 million on supported services nationwide.

Question reference: S6W-31343

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 15 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 25 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact and extent of the decision to increase employer national insurance contributions on the retail sector in Scotland.

The majority of taxation powers – including over National Insurance Contributions – remain reserved to the UK Government.

Given the potential impact for businesses across the country, the UK Government should have looked across the range of tax powers at their disposal before pushing through this increase to Employer NICs.

It is disappointing that the UK Government failed to engage with the Scottish Government on this significant policy change in advance, and I am concerned about the additional pressure this decision places on the retail sector in Scotland.

The Scottish Government recognises how vital the Retail sector is to Scotland’s economy. Shops and retailers support local communities, attract people into our towns and cities, utilise local supply chains, offer fulfilling employment and support other economic sectors such as tourism and hospitality.

Scotland’s Retail sector makes a significant contribution to Scotland’s economy, comprising 14,325 registered businesses in 2023, accounting for 8.3% of Scotland’s total, and contributing £5.9 billion in gross value added (2021), equivalent to around 4.0% of all Scottish GVA. It is also a major employer, employing 227,000 people in 2022, accounting for 8.7% of all employment in Scotland.

Scottish Ministers maintain that the Scottish Government must be engaged as a priority on reserved tax changes so that we can prepare for the potential impact.

The Scottish Government is committed to supporting the country’s Retail industry, and we will continue to engage directly with the sector.

Question reference: S6W-31340

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 15 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 21 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government in light of the commitment in the Framework For Tax and Scottish National Party 2021 manifesto, what the cost would have been in (a) 2021-22, (b) 2022-23, (c) 2023-24 and (d) 2024-25 of bringing the Higher Property Rate into line with that in England, broken down by industry sector.

Question reference: S6W-31175

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 21 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, not including any other non-domestic rates relief schemes that it has in place, how much it has spent on non-domestic rates relief specifically for the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors in the financial year (a) 2022-23, (b) 2023-24 and (c) 2024-25 to date.

The outturn cost to the Scottish Government of providing each relief, including Retail, hospitality, and leisure relief in 2020-2023, are available in Table 3 of Non-domestic rates income statistics, available at https://www.gov.scot/publications/non-domestic-rates-income-statistics/.

At the December 2023 Budget, Islands and specified remote areas hospitality relief was forecast by the Scottish Fiscal Commission to cost £4 million in 2024-2025, available in Figure A.10 in Scotland’s Economic and Fiscal Forecasts December 2023, at https://fiscalcommission.scot/publications/scotlands-economic-and-fiscal-forecasts-december-2023/. Updated forecasts for 2024-2025 will be released alongside the December 2024 Budget.