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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-17981

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 28 October 2013
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 7 November 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-17688 by Fergus Ewing on 23 October 2013, for what purposes under the Data Protection Act 1998 the names and addresses of businesses and sole traders were collected.

Question reference: S4W-17980

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 28 October 2013
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 7 November 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-17688 by Fergus Ewing on 23 October 2013, what assessment it has made of whether an unsolicited letter to businesses and sole traders from a minister breaches the terms of the Data Protection Act 1998.

The Scottish Government is supporting businesses by writing to any potential eligible business that isn’t claiming rates relief they may be entitled to under the Small Business Bonus Scheme (SBBS) to highlight they may benefit from zero or reduced business rates.

Following the issue of a similar letter in 2010 the number of business properties benefiting from SBBS has seen a year on year increase.

In using this information, supplied by Councils who administer the rating system on its behalf, the Scottish Government has fully complied with the Data Protection Act.

Question reference: S4O-02569

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 November 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 13 November 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what steps the Scottish Futures Trust has taken to ensure that non-profit distributing model investment achieves forecast levels.

Question reference: S4W-17988

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 October 2013
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 5 November 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-17733 by John Swinney on 17 October 2013, when it expects to be able to publish targets for 2013-14 for the business rates incentivisation scheme.

As explained in my response to question S4W-17733, COSLA Leaders took the decision that they did not want to consider the review of the 2012-13 Business Rates Incentivisation Scheme (BRIS) targets until the final non-domestic rates audited figures for 2012-13 are available, which will not be until the end of February 2014 at the earliest.

It is our intention that we will publish agreed 2013-14 targets as soon as possible after we have reached agreement with COSLA on the final 2012-13 targets.

Question reference: S4W-17987

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 October 2013
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 5 November 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-17733 by John Swinney on 17 October 2013, whether it has been able to assess whether the business rates incentivisation scheme is proving effective in the absence of agreed targets.

The absence of agreed targets for 2012-13 should have little or no impact on the effectiveness of the business rates incentivisation scheme. Clearly it would have been helpful to have agreed targets but as I explained in my response to question S4W-17733 this has not been possible given the decision taken by COSLA leaders to delay any decision until the audited 2012-13 returns are available.

Irrespective of what the final agreed targets are, individual local authorities know that they will get to keep 50% of any additional business rates collected over and above the final agreed targets.

Question reference: S4F-01651

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 04 November 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 November 2013

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

Question reference: S4W-17873

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 October 2013
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 29 October 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether any of its ministers have visited the United Nations in Geneva in the last six months and, if so, (a) how many officials accompanied the minister, (b) what meetings the minister had, (c) for which meetings officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office were present and (d) whether it will publish the text of the remarks made by the minister at each meeting.

The Minister for External Affairs and International Development visited Geneva from 23 to 25 September 2013, where he met with a number of UN organisations to discuss areas of mutual interest. The Minister was accompanied by 3 Scottish Government officials, and officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office were present at all meetings. In terms of the specific UN organisations the Minister met with during his visit, these included UNICEF, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees, UN Institute for Training and Research, the International Labour Organisation and the Conference on Disarmament. The Scottish Government does not routinely publish the text of remarks made during meetings, and we have no plans to do so in this instance.

Question reference: S4F-01632

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 28 October 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 31 October 2013

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

Question reference: S4W-17687

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 04 October 2013
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 23 October 2013

To ask the Scottish Government when the letter to businesses referred to in its news release of 4 September 2013, Blueprint to overhaul business rates, was sent; to how many businesses; under whose signature; which mail service the Scottish Government used, and what the cost was.

Question reference: S4W-17688

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 04 October 2013
Current Status: Answered by The Scottish Government has supplied the following corrected answer:..Fergus Ewing on 23 October 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will place in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) a list of the names and addresses of the businesses to which the letter referred to in its news release of 4 September 2013, Blueprint to overhaul business rates, were sent.

SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT

WRITTEN ANSWER

23 October 2013

Index Heading: Learning and Justice

Willie Rennie (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government whether it will place in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) a list of the names and addresses of the businesses to which the letter referred to in its news release of 4 September 2013, Blueprint to overhaul business rates, were sent.

(S4W-17688)

The Scottish Government has supplied the following corrected answer:

Fergus Ewing: Whether or not a property is in receipt of relief is not a matter of public record. Non-domestic rates may be paid by businesses and individuals alike and the information the Scottish Government holds contains information on both. Under the terms of the Data Protection Act we have a duty to protect the privacy of individuals and sole traders on the list, therefore we will not publish their names and/or addresses as they are considered to be personal data as defined by the Act.