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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-25388

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 September 2019
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 30 September 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how many commercial properties in the (a) whisky, (b) banking and insurance, (c) oil and gas, (d) construction, (e) energy and (f) legal sector are liable for the large business rates supplement in 2019-20; how much it expects to raise, and how this compares with each of the last two years.

The Scottish Government does not hold Non-Domestic (business) rates data by business sector. Data on the number of properties liable for the supplement, and the estimated net amount raised in 2019-20 and in each of the previous two years are shown in the following table. The number of liable properties in 2019-20 is based on the Valuation Roll as at the 1st of July 2019 and may therefore change over the course of the financial year.

Number of properties liable for the Large Business Supplement and the estimated net amount raised, by property type.

Property Type	2017-18		2018-19		2019-20
Property Type	Number of Liable Properties	Estimated Net Amount Raised(£m)	Number of Liable Properties	Estimated Net Amount Raised(£m)	Number of Liable Properties	Estimated Net Amount Raised(£m)
Advertising	19	0.1	20	0.1	21	0.1
Care Facilities	791	0.3	803	0.3	802	0.3
Communications	80	0.6	94	0.8	92	0.6
Cultural	157	0.2	163	0.2	162	0.2
Education and Training	2,090	10.1	2,101	10.2	2,091	10.3
Garages and Petrol Stations	327	1.1	323	1.1	321	1.1
Health and Medical	570	4.1	576	4.3	578	4.4
Hotels	914	5.6	917	5.7	923	5.9
Industrial Subjects	4,558	21.4	4,524	21.8	4,509	22.2
Leisure, Entertainment, Caravans etc.	924	2.4	941	2.3	928	2.4
Offices	3,637	16.3	3,635	16.6	3,580	16.3
Other	386	2.3	384	2.2	380	2.3
Petrochemical	79	3.2	77	3.2	77	3.2
Public Houses	667	1.7	647	1.7	615	1.6
Public Service Subjects	1,041	5.7	1,048	5.9	1,055	6.0
Quarries, Mines, etc.	85	0.3	83	0.3	81	0.3
Religious	88	0.0	91	0.1	91	0.1
Shops	5,111	27.6	5,065	27.8	5,040	27.9
Sporting Subjects	42	0.3	41	0.3	41	0.3
Statutory Undertaking	397	23.9	449	24.3	469	24.7

Source: Assessor's Valuation Roll and Local Authority Billing Snapshot.

Question reference: S5W-25297

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 September 2019
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 26 September 2019

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason older people living in some parts of the country, including in the NHS Fife area, are reportedly only being offered the 3-virus flu vaccine, and whether it plans to make the 4-virus vaccine available to them later in the year.

The vaccines that have been procured for Scotland for the forthcoming season are in line with the recommendations of the independent expert ‘Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation’ (JCVI).

Individuals aged 65 years and over will receive adjuvanted Trivalent Inactivated Vaccine (aTIV) (Fluad ®) or cell based Quadrivalent Inactivated Vaccine (QIVc) (Flucelvax Tetra®). Both vaccines are considered by the JCVI to be equally effective for this cohort. Health Protection Scotland have worked with Health Board Leads to allocate vaccines appropriately between Boards.

Question reference: S5O-03611

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 September 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 October 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what progress is being made in completing the snagging work on the Queensferry Crossing, which is due to be completed by the end of the year, and whether this will lead to roadworks.

Question reference: S5O-03544

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 September 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 September 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with NHS Tayside regarding the delivery of primary care services across the area.

Question reference: S5W-24828

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 August 2019
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 11 September 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making on the Scottish Household Recycling Charter, including on a common colour system for collection of household waste across all 32 local authorities.

Question reference: S5O-03440

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 June 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 June 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making with preparing to commence the delivery of Disability Assistance for Children and Young People.

Question reference: S5F-03393

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 03 June 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 June 2019

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to the Scottish Fiscal Commission prediction of a £1 billion shortfall in income tax receipts affecting the Scottish budget in the period 2020-23.

Question reference: S5W-23191

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 May 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 28 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in response to the ISD statistic for 2017-18 that shows 9.4% of patients in Fife with neck and head cancer had access to a specialist speech and language therapist before treatment.

NHS Fife has put a plan in place to improve access to speech and language therapy before treatment by October 2019 through the recruitment and training of additional specialist staff.

Patients in NHS Fife can receive treatment through an existing service level agreement with NHS Lothian and NHS Tayside for specialist head and neck cancer, including speech and language therapy.

Patients who have been referred to other Boards for their cancer surgery, may continue their ongoing treatment including speech and language therapy with these Boards or they may return to NHS Fife during and after head and neck cancer treatment to ensure they get the most appropriate care and support when they need it.

Question reference: S5W-22775

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 April 2019
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 7 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how much revenue raised by the business rates incentivisation scheme was retained by each local authority in the (a) 2017-18 and (b) 2018-19 financial years.

Following validation of Local Authorities' final audited 2017-18 non-domestic rates income returns the amounts eligible to be retained by individual local authorities under the Business Rates Incentivisation Scheme for 2017-18, will be confirmed shortly and published in a Local Government Finance Circular.

The amounts eligible for retention for 2018-19 will be published following validation of the 2018-19 audited non-domestic rates income returns which are due later in 2019.

Question reference: S5W-22776

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 April 2019
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 1 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government which local authorities used powers under the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 to reduce business rates during the 2018-19 financial year, and to what extent.

Provisional data shows that Aberdeenshire and Perth & Kinross have used their Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act powers during 2018-19.

The following table sets out the most up to date information on the amount of local discretionary rates relief local authorities are planning to award under the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 in 2018-19, based on the latest returns. These figures will be finalised once Scottish Government receives the Audited Local Authority Income returns for 2018-19 in the autumn of 2019.

Local Rates Relief (£000s)	2018-19
	(Provisional)
Aberdeenshire	32
Perth & Kinross	30
Scotland	61

Source: Local Authority Non-Domestic Rates Income Mid-Year Estimates. Figures may not sum due to rounding.

We encourage local councils to consider use of these important powers to support local businesses where there is a need to do so but ultimately it is for councils, accountable to local electorates, to determine how they prioritise their resources.