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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-19062

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 September 2018
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 24 October 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-18698 by Derek Mackay on 25 September 2018, what information it has on how much revenue has accrued to the Treasury from alcohol duty on Scotch whisky, at today’s prices, over the last 10 years for which figures are available.

As set out in response to S5W-18698, there are no official statistics showing the extent of revenue raised from the Scotch whisky industry. Over the last 10 years, the UK government has collected £32 billion in revenue from alcohol duty levied on spirits (in 2017-18 prices). Revenue is not recorded for individual types of spirits, however, over this period 22% of spirits charged with duty were UK produced whisky, as measured by the volume of alcohol.

Question reference: S5W-18698

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 September 2018
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 25 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how much revenue has accrued to the Treasury from Scotch Whisky, at today’s prices, over the last 10 years for which figures are available.

The Scotch whisky industry is of vital importance to the Scottish economy, with exports worth £4.36 billion in 2017.

Like any industry, the whisky industry’s activity in Scotland generates tax revenue through a range of sources, such as corporation tax on profits, income tax and national insurance contributions on staff earnings, non-domestic rates payments on business premises, VAT and alcohol duty. Except for income tax on earnings and non-domestic rates, these revenues flow directly to the Treasury.

There are no official statistics showing the extent of total revenues raised from the Scottish whisky industry.

Question reference: S5W-18701

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 September 2018
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 25 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has been consulted by the Treasury regarding proposals to increase employers’ national insurance contributions, and what impact the implementation of these proposals would have on Scotland’s (a) budget and (b) public services.

Question reference: S5O-02409

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 September 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to develop an industrial strategy for the River Clyde and its adjacent communities.

Question reference: S5W-18537

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 September 2018
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 19 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has received assurances from the UK Government that it will compensate farmers in Scotland for the reported £160 million owed to them in convergence payments.

The CAP convergence review into the £160 million in CAP funding owed to Scottish farmers has yet to get underway, despite the fact that almost 10 months ago the UK Government agreed to conduct the review, following pressure from the Scottish Government. At every opportunity I have pressed UK Governemnt for confirmation that they will carry out the agreed review, and late on 17 September I recieved a draft proposed remit from the UK Government which we are now considering.

As we have made clear to the UK Government, it is vital that the review takes place urgently and considers how best to address past decisions which led to Scottish farming losing out and how to ensure intra-UK allocation of funding is equitable and fair according to the needs and interests of each nation. I will continue to represent Scottish farmers and press the UK Government until a fair and full review is underway.

Question reference: S5W-18283

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 August 2018
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 19 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made regarding the delivery of the Ayrshire Growth Deal.

The Scottish Government is fully committed to the Ayrshire Growth Deal. Tripartite discussions commenced in April, shortly after the UK Government announced their commitment to the Deal.

Scottish Government officials convened a series of policy engagement workshops in June, bringing in UK Government representatives, which provided detailed feedback to the Ayrshire regional partners on their proposals.

Ayrshire partners are now undertaking a process of refinement and prioritisation of their project proposals and we continue to support them in doing this. We are keen to make progress towards agreeing a Heads of Terms as soon as possible, and I met with the three Council Leaders and Chief Executives at the end of August to discuss their ambitions and offer our continued support.

Question reference: S5O-02319

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 August 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made in the last year in establishing a west of Scotland specialist unit for the treatment of endometriosis.

Question reference: S5W-18231

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 August 2018
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Michael Matheson on 16 August 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the delivery of the two new vessels being built by Ferguson Marine Engineering Ltd for operation on the Clyde and Hebrides ferry network.

Question reference: S5W-17773

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 July 2018
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 31 July 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding how the AI Sector Deal will benefit Scotland.

The Scottish Government was only consulted by the UK Government on the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Sector Deal shortly before it was published and a number of relatively small changes were made as a result to reflect Scotland's strengths in AI and data. We continue to press the UK Government for earlier and more meaningful engagement in all sector deals.

Officials and stakeholders met with officials from the recently established UK Office of AI on 5 July 2018 to ensure that Scotland's research and industry strengths in AI were fully recognised and to press the case for greater involvement in the delivery of the Sector Deal and the Industrial Strategy Grand Challenge on AI and Data.

Question reference: S5W-17607

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 July 2018
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 30 July 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is illegal for a company bidding for a public contract to misrepresent its status and structure by falsely claiming to be a subsidiary of a major overseas corporation.

Under procurement legislation, companies that have been found to have misrepresented information as part of a procurement exercise can be excluded from further procurement exercises in circumstances which are specified in the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015.

Whether there are other legal consequences or implications regarding a bidding process would depend on the specific contract and the facts and circumstances applicable to that case.