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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: S4W-21733

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 June 2014
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by John Swinney on 19 June 2014

To ask the Scottish Government when it will set out further details on how independence would enable it to reindustrialise the Scottish economy.

The Scottish Government published Reindustrialising Scotland for the 21^st Century: A Sustainable Industrial Strategy for a Modern, Independent Nation on 13 June 2014. The report builds on the key theme of reindustrialising Scotland set out in Scotland’s Future and Building Security and Creating Opportunity: Economic Policy Choices in an Independent Scotland. The paper considers in more detail the potential policy opportunities that would only be available with independence to rebalance and diversify the Scottish economy, in particular through strengthening manufacturing, promoting innovation, and increasing trade and investment.

Question reference: S4O-03407

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 June 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 June 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to protect from closure those schools classified as rural.

Question reference: S4W-21331

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 May 2014
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Burgess on 6 June 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) council houses and (b) properties owned by registered social landlords have been demolished in each year since the current unitary authorities were established, broken down by local authority area.

Information on the number of local authority demolitions by area from 1998-99 to 2012-13 is published as part of the Housing Statistics for Scotland web tables at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Housing-Regeneration/HSfS/Demolitions.

These tables are planned to be updated for the year 2013-14 in August 2014.

Due to the limitations in the coverage of the data provided by local authorities it is not possible to accurately identify the number of registered social landlord and private sector demolitions, however combined figures across these tenures are published within the web tables to help indicate a minimum total level of demolition activity.

Question reference: S4W-21596

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 June 2014
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 4 June 2014

To ask the Scottish Government when the second report of the Expert Working Group on Welfare will be published.

Question reference: S4W-21353

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 May 2014
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by John Swinney on 28 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish further projections of the public finances of an independent Scotland.

The Scottish Government has on 28 May 2014 published the report Outlook for Scotland’s Public Finances and the Opportunities of Independence. The report expands the analysis of Scotland’s public finances provided in Scotland’s Future by demonstrating how they could evolve over a range of time periods and under different assumptions about the division of assets and liabilities held by the UK Government and wider public sector, and Scotland’s economic performance.

The report is available from:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Economy/Publications/PSFOutlook

The Scottish Government has also published on 28 May 2014 the latest Oil and Gas Analytical Bulletin which provides a detailed analysis of the outlook for the industry over the next five years. It is available from:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Economy/Publications/oilandgas/May2014

Question reference: S4O-03282

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 May 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what would be the position of civil servants working for the UK Government in Scotland following a Yes vote in the referendum.

Question reference: S4O-03263

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 May 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on improvements to the motorway network in Central Scotland.

Question reference: S4F-02040

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 April 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 April 2014

To ask the First Minister what measures the Scottish Government is putting in place to tackle food poverty.

Question reference: S4T-00661

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 31 March 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 April 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on reported comments by a UK Government minister that an independent Scotland could have a currency union with the rest of the UK.

Question reference: S4W-20250

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 March 2014
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 27 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has carried out of the economic impact on Scotland of increasing the additional rate of income tax from 45p to 50p.

The Scottish Government's ability to adjust the income tax system is significantly constrained under the current devolution settlement. Even under the new income tax powers being introduced under the Scotland Act 2012, the Scottish Government would not be able to restore the 50% rate without also adding 5p to the basic and higher rates of tax. Such a change would significantly increase the tax burden faced by all Scottish households currently paying income tax, with the average person earning £21,600 a year having to pay over £500 more in income tax. Only independence will provide future Scottish Governments with the flexibility to adjust the tax system and broader policy levers to grow the Scottish economy and reduce inequality.

HMRC estimate that a 1p increase in the additional rate would generate £135 million in 2016-17 across the UK as a whole. On this basis, a 5p increase in the additional rate in Scotland is estimated to generate around £30 million.