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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: S5W-26937

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 January 2020
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 21 January 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what representations it has received regarding the abolition of the uniform business rate and the handing of control over business rates to local authorities.

The Scottish Government has received numerous representations including a joint letter on 15 January 2020 from an unprecedented 27 national business organisations representing thousands of members from a wide cross section of Scottish industry including manufacturing, retail, property, tourism, hospitality and leisure outlining their alarm and shared concerns over the abolition of the uniform business rate and national reliefs.

The Scottish Government will not support any amendments that continue to threaten the uniform business rate, jeopardise the Scottish Government's ability to set reliefs in subordinate legislation or undermine local government funding mechanisms.

Question reference: S5W-26670

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 09 December 2019
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 20 December 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how abolishing the uniform business rate and handing the control of business rates to local authorities could impact on its proposed rates relief for shops and others hosting deposit and return reverse vending machines.

On 29 October 2019, the First Minister confirmed that a new 100% non-domestic rates relief for Reverse Vending Machines will take effect from 1 April 2020 in preparation for the Deposit Return Scheme going live.

The amendment to the Non-Domestic Rates (Scotland) Bill intended to return non-domestic rate-setting to local authorities also removes the Scottish Government’s ability to set national reliefs through secondary legislation. On commencement the Scottish Government would no longer be able to provide the proposed relief for retailers hosting deposit and return reverse vending machines. In addition, the amendment would immediately abolish important reliefs such as the Small Business Bonus Scheme and Nursery relief.

Question reference: S5W-26761

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 December 2019
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Michael Matheson on 19 December 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the return of Glasgow Prestwick Airport to the private sector.

We made clear in 2013 that the Scottish Government intended to return Glasgow Prestwick Airport to the private sector when the time was right. We were pleased that the opportunity to buy the business, set out in the Official Journal of the European Union, attracted considerable interest. Following careful consideration of the bids received, I have accepted a recommendation made by TS Prestwick HoldCo to appoint a Preferred Bidder. To protect the integrity of the process I am not able to disclose the identity of the bidder at this time but we remain satisfied that good progress is being made in the interests of the business. I will update Parliament further in due course.

Question reference: S5O-03921

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 December 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 December 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what financial support it will provide to North Ayrshire Council to support the construction of a new Ardrossan Academy.

Question reference: S5W-26444

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 November 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 28 November 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how many people are in receipt of free personal and nursing care (a) in North Ayrshire and (b) nationally.

Question reference: S5O-03829

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 November 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how many children and young people in North Ayrshire it expects to receive support from the new Scottish Child Payment.

Question reference: S5O-03785

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 November 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 November 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how many jobs will be created in North Ayrshire through the expansion of early years learning and childcare.

Question reference: S5F-03702

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 04 November 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 November 2019

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to recent figures showing that the number of workers earning less than the real Living Wage has decreased by 13% in the last year.

Question reference: S5W-25589

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 October 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 1 November 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how many trainee doctors have been recruited to the NHS through each current medical fellowship programme since their inception.

NHS Education for Scotland are responsible for a number of GP Fellowships and, in partnership with the Scottish Government, GMC, the Scottish Academy and others, run the Scottish Clinical Leadership Fellows (SCLF) scheme. The number of trainee doctors recruited to the NHS in current medical fellowship programmes totals 194, as set out in the following table below.

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

Fellowship Type

GP Health Inequality

GP Medical Education

GP Rural

GP Occupational Medicine

SCLF

GP Community Hub

Total

194

Data on other fellowships such as the International Medical Trainee Fellowships, local Clinical Fellowship-style posts and Academic Fellowships, is not held centrally as they are recruited to at a local level by NHS Boards, and Universities.

Question reference: S5O-03708

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 October 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 November 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether COSLA has made any suggestions regarding additional financial powers that it seeks during the remainder of the parliamentary session.