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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: S5W-28670

Asked by: Tom Arthur, MSP for Renfrewshire South, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 April 2020
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Michael Russell on 24 April 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what costs were incurred by it as a result of the UK Government’s unlawful attempt to prorogue the UK Parliament in 2019.

Given the constitutional significance of the UK Government’s actions, the Lord Advocate, representing the Scottish Government, intervened in Joanna Cherry QC MP and Others against the Advocate General for Scotland in the Inner House of the Court of Session and Gina Miller v the Prime Minister in the Divisional Court of the High Court in England and Wales before ultimately intervening in the subsequent appeals to the UK Supreme Court.

The Lord Advocate argued that the UK Government’s prorogation of the UK Parliament, at such a critical point in advance of 31 October 2019, had the effect of preventing, for five weeks, scrutiny of the UK Government by the UK Parliament and represented an abuse of executive power.

The Scottish Government therefore welcomed the Supreme Court’s ruling in September 2019 that the decision of the Prime Minister to advise Her Majesty the Queen to prorogue the UK Parliament was unlawful, and that the Order in Council which followed was similarly unlawful and had no effect.

Details of the expenditure incurred in relation to these cases are set out in the following table.

The Lord Advocate's expenses are not included, as Ministerial costs are routinely published by the Scottish Government. The cost of internal legal advice is not included as that is provided by Government lawyers who are civil servants as part of their normal duties supporting Scottish Government Ministers; and in line with usual practice, details of individual tasks carried out by civil servants, including the number of hours spent on them are not recorded, because there is no business need to do this.

Details	Cost
External legal fees*	£69,560.00
Accommodation, room hire and catering at Supreme Court	£797.10
Travel, accommodation and subsistence	£7,653.57
Total	£78,010.67

*Net Cost after VAT recovery

Question reference: S5O-04260

Asked by: Tom Arthur, MSP for Renfrewshire South, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 March 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 March 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to tackle adverse childhood experiences in the Renfrewshire South constituency.

Question reference: S5O-04201

Asked by: Tom Arthur, MSP for Renfrewshire South, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 February 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 March 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how it tackles poverty in the Renfrewshire South constituency.

Question reference: S5O-04154

Asked by: Tom Arthur, MSP for Renfrewshire South, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 20 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how it encourages and supports participation in local democracy, including membership of community councils.

The Scottish Government encourages and supports participation in local democracy and values the role of Community Councils who undertake a wide range of activities for the benefit of their community. Community councillors were among the thousands of people who got involved in Democracy Matters conversations about the future of local democracy in Scotland. We look forward to their continued engagement over the course of this year as we develop new decision-making arrangements which can further empower Scotland’s diverse communities.

Question reference: S5W-27198

Asked by: Tom Arthur, MSP for Renfrewshire South, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 January 2020
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Derek Mackay on 31 January 2020

To ask the Scottish Government when it will confirm the next local government finance settlement, including what years it will cover, and any plans for council tax flexibility.

Details of the local government finance settlement for 2020-21 will be confirmed as part of the Scottish Budget on 6 February. In coming to my decision to announce the Scottish Budget before the outcome of the UK Budget is known I listened carefully to the representations COSLA made on behalf of local government of the damaging impact any further delay would have on the delivery of vital public services and also the practical challenges this would pose around the setting and collection of council tax.

COSLA have welcomed the move to bring forward the Scottish Budget and also confirmed that given the exceptional circumstances around timing and that the UK budget is for one year only they are not seeking multiyear indicative allocations at this time. COSLA have, however, requested as early confirmation as possible of any parameters that will apply to Council tax levels.

Set against the exceptional circumstances of the delayed Budget and restricted timetable we are faced with this year, and to help councils with their budget preparations, I can confirm that the local government settlement will include confirmation that local authorities will again have the flexibility to increase their council tax levels by up to 3 per cent in real terms (equivalent to 4.84 per cent cash) for 2020-21.

Question reference: S5O-04111

Asked by: Tom Arthur, MSP for Renfrewshire South, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 January 2020
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how it promotes the Scottish music sector in Europe.

Question reference: S5O-04065

Asked by: Tom Arthur, MSP for Renfrewshire South, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 January 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 January 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how it supports regeneration in communities in the Renfrewshire South constituency.

Question reference: S5O-04032

Asked by: Tom Arthur, MSP for Renfrewshire South, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 January 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 January 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how it promotes Scottish-Irish relations.

Question reference: S5O-03986

Asked by: Tom Arthur, MSP for Renfrewshire South, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 January 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 January 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how it supports forestry in the Renfrewshire South constituency.

Question reference: S5W-26749

Asked by: Tom Arthur, MSP for Renfrewshire South, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 December 2019
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Michael Russell on 19 December 2019

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish a detailed democratic case for a transfer of power from the UK Parliament to the Scottish Parliament to allow for an independence referendum.