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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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

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Question reference: S6O-00357

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 November 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what measures are in place to protect the autonomy of Scotland’s universities.

Question reference: S6O-00326

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 October 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what actions the constitution secretary is taking to continually improve interactions with the other devolved administrations as well as the UK Government.

Question reference: S6W-03146

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 4 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to publish the conclusions and recommendations of its City Centre Recovery taskforce.

Question reference: S6W-03141

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 4 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to run a government-funded retail advertising campaign to enhance footfall in city centres in advance of the Christmas period.

The Scottish Government is aware of the issues facing city centre retail and related sectors as a result of the pandemic. The City Centre Recovery Task Force has engaged with external stakeholders, including those from the retail sector, to inform its recommendations. The work of the City Centre Recovery Task Force has been taken forward in tandem with development of a Retail Strategy, which focuses on the future needs of the retail sector in Scotland.

We will provide more information on all of our plans for action to help our city centres recover when we publish the recommendations of the Task Force this autumn.

Question reference: S6W-03140

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 1 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to publish a response to the review of the Town Centre Action Plan.

Question reference: S6W-03143

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 1 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its plans and policy regarding the freeze on council tax.

Question reference: S6W-03142

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 1 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on whether it plans to introduce a high street voucher scheme similar to that in Northern Ireland.

The Scottish Government is supporting the rollout of the new Scotland Loves Local Loyalty Card, part of our £10 million Scotland Loves Local programme.

The card is a quick and efficient way to encourage spend and sales growth in our local economies and, thanks to Scottish Government funding, is the first of its kind on a national scale.

We have no plans to replicate the Northern Ireland scheme at present but will be interested to see the impact it makes.

Question reference: S6W-03145

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 1 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to levy a higher poundage on properties registered in a tax haven.

Question reference: S6W-03144

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 28 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to lift the cap on what an individual firm can apply for through the Flexible Workforce Development Fund.

Year Five of the Flexible Workforce Development Fund, which commenced in August, will be delivered in the same model as Year 4. Levy payers will continue to have access to up to £15,000 worth of training and Small and Medium Enterprises up to £5,000 worth of training.

We have committed to evaluating the Flexible Workforce Development Fund in 2021-22. The purpose of the evaluation will be to assess the impact the Fund has made on meeting employers training needs, addressing skill gaps and supporting workforce development. The evaluation will also provide recommendations to inform both the future of the Fund and the future development of national policy on up-skilling / retraining and in-work learning.

Reviewing the ‘fixed cap’ model for both Levy-paying employers and SMEs accessing the Fund will be part of this evaluation. Any recommendations from it in respect of its future delivery will be considered by Ministers next year.

Question reference: S6W-02689

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 22 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it is having with other UK administrations to ensure there is UK-wide compatibility in relation to a person's vaccination status.

We are working across the Common Travel Area to ensure that the vaccination certification scheme recognises people who were vaccinated in other countries in the Common Travel Area with a Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) approved vaccine. We will put in place, before the scheme goes live, an interim process to enable Scottish residents who have had a dose outside Scotland to have their vaccine record updated. People will be able to get a record of their vaccination from whichever country they were vaccinated in – this will be accepted in Scotland for entry purposes.