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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-15422

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 31 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 12 June 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Fiscal Commission Working Group’s work in relation to options and opportunities for a tax system for Scotland includes consideration of the extension of VAT to food and children’s clothing.

I refer the member to the minutes of the meeting on 7 February 2013 of the Fiscal Commission Working Group. The minutes can be found at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Economy/Council-Economic-Advisers/FCWG

The Fiscal Commission is considering the principles of taxation not what should be taxed. As the Fiscal Commission Working Group has indicated, a paper will be published in due course.

It will be for all parties in Parliament to set out their plans for taxation in an independent Scotland ahead of the 2016 election.

Question reference: S4W-15431

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 31 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 12 June 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, in its proposals for a tax system for an independent Scotland, what weight it will give to the findings in Dimensions of Tax Design: The Mirrlees Review and whether such proposals will form part of the white paper on proposals for independence.

Question reference: S4W-15427

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 31 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 12 June 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the statement in the minutes of the Fiscal Commission Working Group of 7 February 2013 that “the work of the Mirrlees Review would provide a helpful starting point”.

Question reference: S4W-15425

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 31 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 12 June 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Fiscal Commission Working Group’s meeting on 28 May 2013 included instruction from ministers to rule out consideration of the recommendation in Dimensions of Tax Design: The Mirrlees Review to extend VAT to food and children’s clothes.

Question reference: S4F-01458

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 10 June 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 13 June 2013

To ask the First Minister what issues will be discussed at the next meeting of the Cabinet.

Question reference: S4W-15188

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 6 June 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether the reported statement by the Minister for External Affairs and International Development at the Doha Forum on 21 May 2013 that “even at the moment, the United Kingdom Government is wanting the UK to leave the European Union” reflects the Scottish Government's understanding of the policy of the UK Government and what it considers the impact is of this statement on Scotland's international reputation, given that it is not the UK Government’s position.

The Scottish Government’s policy is that Scotland should remain part of the European Union, given the benefits of free movement and access to a single market covering more than 500 million fellow European citizens and around 20 million businesses. That position will be best secured as an independent member of the EU, given the proposal by the Prime Minister to hold an in-out referendum on the UK’s continued membership and the stated position of senior UK Government cabinet ministers that they would vote in that referendum to leave the EU.

In terms of Scotland’s international reputation, Scottish Ministers believe our nation’s standing will be massively enhanced by independence, allowing us to speak with our own voice and properly represent the interests of the people of Scotland on the European and wider international stage.

Question reference: S4W-14915

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 13 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 3 June 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Expert Working Group on Welfare and Constitutional Reform has assessed the commitments on welfare reform made by the Deputy First Minister in her speech of 13 May 2013, The Benefits and Possibilities of Independence.

The remit of the Expert Working Group on Welfare is to review and provide assurance on work undertaken by the Scottish Government on, the cost of benefit payments in an independent Scotland upon independence and the delivery of those payments in an independent Scotland.

The group will also offer views on immediate priorities for change.

The group will submit their report to Scottish Ministers at the end of May 2013 and it will be published shortly thereafter.

Question reference: S4W-15186

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 3 June 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether the modelling of the impact of a 3% reduction in corporation tax referred to on page 39 of its publication, Scotland’s Economy: the case for independence, has been conducted recently to reflect the change in the expected UK corporation tax rate since the modelling was carried out in 2011.

Question reference: S4W-15187

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 3 June 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will place in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre details of its modelling of the impact of a 3% reduction in corporation tax (a) in relation to a reduction from 20% to 17% and (b) for a reduction from 23% to 20% as laid out in the report, Devolving Corporation tax in the Scotland Bill.

The Scottish Government conducted modelling work in 2011 looking at the impacts of a policy equivalent to reducing the main rate of corporation tax in Scotland from 23% to 20%. The detailed results of the modelling are outlined in a document entitled, The Impact of a Reduction in Corporation Tax on the Scottish Economy which was published in November 2011. The report is available on the Scottish Government website and can be accessed using the link below:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/0038/00388940.pdf

The results published in the above report focus on a relative advantage that could result from the reduction in the main rate and can be used to give an indication of the impacts of a broadly equivalent reduction which would yield largely similar results.

Question reference: S4F-01416

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 May 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 May 2013

To ask the First Minister what issues will be discussed at the next meeting of the Cabinet.