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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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

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Question reference: S6W-18317

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 8 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding non-domestic rates, whether it will reduce the combined poundage rate for the largest properties, to match the equivalent rate in England, over the course of the current parliamentary session.

As set out in our 2021 manifesto and confirmed in the Framework for Tax 2021, we are committed to reducing the Higher Property Rate, ensuring that the largest businesses pay the same combined poundage in Scotland as in England by the end of this parliamentary session.

Since the Barclay Review made this recommendation, we have introduced the Intermediate Property Rate on 1 April 2020. On 1 April 2023, we increased the rateable value threshold at which the Higher Property Rate applies, from £95,000 to £100,000. As a result, over 95% of properties are liable for a lower poundage rate in Scotland than in anywhere else in the UK.

Budget decisions are made annually in light of affordability.

Question reference: S6W-18298

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 8 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many payments from the Tenant Grant Fund have been used to fully pay off rent arrears, in each month that the fund has been available.

Local authorities were responsible for the administration of the Tenant Grant Fund given their knowledge of local need. Each local authority provided the Scottish Government with quarterly returns showing spend against their funding allocation. Data on full versus partial mitigation of arrears was not provided routinely by all local authorities.

The quarterly information collected was published on the Scottish Government website here: Tenant Grant Fund monitoring report - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) and is summarised below.

Quarters	Number of grants
Q4	297
Q3	254
Q2	403
Q1	656
Until 31 Mar 2022	5,015

Question reference: S6W-18505

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 8 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what recent assessment it has made of any additional financial pressures on local authority budgets being caused by inflation.

Although it is the responsibility of local authorities to assess the impact of inflationary pressures on their budgets, Scottish Government Ministers and officials meet regularly with COSLA and individual local authorities to discuss all their respective financial pressures. This engagement has increased in recent weeks following the First Minister’s re-commitment to working with COSLA and SOLACE to agree a New Deal for Local Government in Scotland with the aim of providing greater flexibility over local funding, with clear accountability for delivery on shared priorities and outcomes.

Question reference: S6W-18022

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 8 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to establish a City Centre Recovery Task Force.

Question reference: S6W-18280

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 8 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the status of the Scottish Prison Service gender identity and gender reassignment policy review.

Question reference: S6W-18392

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 8 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement has taken place between any ministers who, in the three years leading up to December 2022, used the claim that Scotland has 25% of Europe's offshore wind potential, and the UK Statistics Authority, since December 2022.

Question reference: S6W-18393

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 8 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) since December 2022 to understand what more can be done to (a) avoid further use of the claim that Scotland has 25% of Europe's offshore wind potential and (b) obtain a more accurate and up-to-date figure for Scotland's offshore wind potential in comparison with Europe, and what requests for meetings, discussions or consultations have been made by the OSR that the Scottish Government has not been able to attend or convene.

The Office of the Chief Statistician and Data Officer engaged directly with the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) in December 2022, setting out the steps that have been taken to ensure the statistic is not used further, and provided an update on the analytical work that is underway to produce a replacement statistic.

Ministers are not aware of any meetings, discussions or consultations made by the OSR that the Scottish Government has not been able to attend or convene.

Question reference: S6W-18390

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 8 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the view of the Chair of the UK Statistics Authority, Sir Robert Chote, in his letter of 7 December 2022 to Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP, that the claim that Scotland has 25% of Europe's potential offshore wind resource was "poorly constructed" in the Scottish Government's 2010 publication that made the claim.

Question reference: S6W-18653

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 05 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 8 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when ministers last met with (a) COSLA and (b) individual local authorities to discuss council tax debt.

Council Tax debt was discussed at the last meeting of the Joint Working Group on Sources of Local Government Funding and Council Tax Reform on 22 March 2023. Additionally, I met Fife Council earlier this year to see first-hand their collaborative approach to Council Tax collection highlighted in the Collaborative Council Tax Collection Guide, published jointly by Stepchange and The Improvement Service. I am scheduled to meet with Falkirk Council later in the summer.

Question reference: S6W-18465

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 8 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-15973 by Ivan McKee on 22 March 2023, whether it will provide a further update on efforts to recommence operations at Stoneywood paper mill, in Aberdeen, in light of reports from 12 February 2023 that there was about to be a "credible bid" made.