- Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 May 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 19 May 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what (a) grants and (b) loans it has provided to Ineos during the COVID-19 pandemic, and what the value of any such grants and loans was.
Answer
Since the World Health Organisation declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic on 11 March 2020, the Scottish Government has not provided any grants or loans to Ineos.
- Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 May 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 19 May 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what (a) grants and (b) loans it has provided to Petroineos during the COVID-19 pandemic, and what the value of any such grants and loans was.
Answer
Since the World Health Organisation declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic on 11 March 2020, the Scottish Government has not provided any grants or loans to Petroineos.
- Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 06 May 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 16 May 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-05329 by Ivan McKee on 27 January 2022, whether the parent company guarantee that was signed with Liberty House in 2016 could be affected by the reported visits to Liberty Steel offices by the Serious Fraud Office as part of its investigation of GFG Alliance.
Answer
The Scottish Government is unable to comment on a live investigation by the Serious Fraud Office. Our priority is to support Scotland’s strategically important steel sector and the highly-skilled jobs it provides.
- Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 March 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Angus Robertson on 27 April 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what action it (a) can take and (b) is taking to ensure that the Consul General of China does not have any undue influence over local or national politics in Scotland.
Answer
Safeguarding our democracy is of upmost importance to the Scottish Government. This includes being an open, accessible and transparent government. Public officials, including Ministers, MSPs and councillors, are subject to Code of Conducts which provide a clear set of principles and standards for their behaviour, including how to avoid undue interference from external actors. We believe the public should have trust in those they elect.
- Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 25 March 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 22 April 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to determine how many universities in Scotland provide financial support to Confucius Institute branches.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-07563 on 22 April 2022. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.
- Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 25 March 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 22 April 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many Confucius Institute branches are active in universities in Scotland.
Answer
There are currently five Confucius Institutes hosted by universities in Scotland.
- Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 04 April 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 21 April 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the current overall level of financial investment from China in Scotland.
Answer
Information on the value of Chinese inward investments into Scotland can be found in the publicly available report Businesses in Scotland, which shows that there are currently 20 Chinese owned businesses in Scotland, with an estimated employment of 3,910 and a turnover of £1.33 billion. The Scottish Government does not disaggregate data based on the type of investment.
Scottish Government works with its enterprise agencies to ensure robust due diligence and proper consideration of human rights is undertaken on inward investments from China as well as from any other country. Additional safeguards are provided by the National Security and Investment Act 2021, which protects against acquisitions within sensitive areas of the economy that could cause harm to the UK’s national security.
- Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 04 April 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 21 April 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has made an assessment of Scotland’s foreign direct investment in China since the establishment of the Scottish Parliament in 1999.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold data on the level of foreign direct investment from Scotland into China, or any other market.
- Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 04 April 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 20 April 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has made an assessment of the level and nature of financial investment from China in universities in Scotland.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold data on the level and nature of financial investment from China in universities in Scotland as they are autonomous bodies.
- Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 25 March 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 19 April 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it is aware of any reported allegations that the Chinese Communist Party, through student groups on university campuses in Scotland, is seeking to deter certain events from taking place, and, if so, what action has been taken to address this.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-07562 on 19 April 2022. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .