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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-16404

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 July 2013
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 1 August 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-15749 by John Swinney on 5 July 2013, which notes that “a lower tax rate can reduce revenues”, whether it will quantify the expected reduction in revenues under its model.

As stated in the answer to S4W-15749, “whilst a lower tax rate can reduce revenues for a given level of profits, by stimulating economic activity, it can grow the tax base which can in turn lead to higher tax revenues. The potential economic benefits from the policy are significant, with the additional activity generated by cutting corporation tax estimated to create 27,000 jobs and boost GDP by 1.4% after 20 years.”

Question reference: S4W-16407

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 July 2013
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 1 August 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-15748 by John Swinney on 5 July 2013, whether the output "Government Consumption" from the simulation used to inform its publication, The Impact of a Reduction in Corporation Tax on the Scottish Economy, equals government revenues under the assumption used in the simulation that the budget is balanced.

Question reference: S4W-16408

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 July 2013
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 1 August 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-15750 by John Swinney on 5 July 2013, what analysis it has undertaken of whether, with reference to Figure 4.2 in the Economic Advisory Group report, The Impact of Reducing Corporation Tax on the Northern Ireland Economy, government revenues decline for a period of years after a reduction in corporation tax.

Question reference: S4W-16406

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 July 2013
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 1 August 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-15746 by John Swinney on 5 July 2013, whether data exist for the annual change in government revenues for each year after a change to corporation tax as set out in its publication, The Impact of a Reduction in Corporation Tax on the Scottish Economy.

Question reference: S4W-16405

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 July 2013
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 1 August 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-15749 by John Swinney on 5 July 2013, for what reason it has not included government revenues as an indicator with an associated chart setting out the gains and losses over time in its publication, The Impact of a Reduction in Corporation Tax on the Scottish Economy.

Question reference: S4W-16222

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 July 2013
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 1 August 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-06902 by Richard Lochhead on 9 May 2012, what consideration it has given to animal welfare issues relating to the use of wild animals in circuses.

The Scottish Government take the welfare of animals very seriously and Scotland has some of the highest animal welfare standards in the world. We are looking at the issues around a possible ban in Scotland and plan to consult shortly.

The Scottish Government is aware of the recent House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee report on the draft legislation banning the use of wild animals in circuses in England and its recommendation that the ban should be restricted to certain species of wild animals. This point will be included in any future consultation in Scotland on the matter.

Question reference: S4W-16220

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 July 2013
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 1 August 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will bring forward legislation to ban the use of wild animals in circuses.

Question reference: S4W-16221

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 July 2013
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 1 August 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with the UK Government about extending the scope of the UK Government’s planned legislation to ban the use of wild animals in travelling circuses to include Scotland.

Question reference: S4W-16250

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 05 July 2013
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 31 July 2013

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason notification of the recent visit to China by the Minister for External Affairs and International Relations was not given to the European and External Relations Committee in advance.

The protocol between the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Government in relation to the handling of committee business states at paragraph 45 that Committee Liaison Officers and or other relevant Scottish Government officials have a general responsibility to ensure that committee clerks are kept updated with significant developments in Scottish Government policy within the committee's remit. This includes, for example, providing clerks with copies of relevant policy announcements, consultations and publications at the time that are made or issued. It also includes giving (where appropriate, or on request) reasonable advance notice of forthcoming events (making clear, where necessary, any restrictions on the extent to which this information can be made public or shared with committee members).

In this particular instance, advance notice of my visit to China was given by way on an embargoed news release shared with committee clerks on Friday 21 June 2013.

As per paragraph 9.17 of the Ministerial Code, the Scottish Government publishes an annual list of all travel overseas by all ministers by means of an answer to a parliamentary question. Details are also published on the Scottish Government website.

Question reference: S4W-16251

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 05 July 2013
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 31 July 2013

To ask the Scottish Government which minister was scheduled to make a visit to China in week commencing 23 June 2013, whether another minister undertook the visit instead and, if so, for what reason.