- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 January 2026
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Current Status:
Due to be taken in the Chamber on 22 January 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether, without the use of private
finance to enable construction of key infrastructure projects, there is a risk
that Scotland could be seen as less attractive for inward investment and as a
location for business, compared with other European countries.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 22 January 2026
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
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Date lodged: Thursday, 18 December 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 14 January 2026
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the decision taken in the UK Government Budget to provide a permanent business rate discount for retail and hospitality businesses in England from April 2026, whether it will adhere to its pledge in the New Deal for Business Group Implementation Plan to deliver a competitive business rates system.
Answer
The draft Budget published on 13 January ensures the estimated revenues raised from non-domestic rates in 2026-27 will be 6% lower in real terms than pre-COVID, using the Consumer Price Index.
The strong package for 2026-27 decreases the Basic, Intermediate and Higher Property Rates in 2026-27, delivering the lowest Basic Property Rate since 2018-19 and businesses and communities will be supported with a generous non-domestic rates relief package worth an estimated £864 million in 2026-27. This includes the Small Business Bonus Scheme which remains the most generous scheme of its kind in the UK and is confirmed for the next three years, as well as transitional relief schemes.
It also continues a number of reliefs which are not available elsewhere in the UK, or are less generous, such as the Business Growth Accelerator Relief, Day Nursery relief, Fresh Start relief and the UK’s most generous package of reliefs for the energy-generating sector.
Recognising the challenges faced by the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors, for the next three years we will offer 15% relief for eligible properties in these sectors liable for the Basic or Intermediate Property Rates, capped at £110,000 per business per year; and extend and expand 100% relief for the next three years to retail, hospitality and leisure premises located on islands as defined by the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018, and in prescribed remote areas (Cape Wrath, Knoydart and Scoraig) capped at £110,000 per business per year.
Around half of the properties in the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure sectors continue to be eligible for 100% SBBS relief in 2026-27. A further 37,000 properties could benefit from the new 15% relief for Retail, Hospitality and Leisure properties with a rateable value up to and including £100,000 and on Islands.
Taken together around 89,000 properties (or 96%) across the three sectors could benefit from zero or reduced rates and the budget guarantees that support for the full three years of the revaluation.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
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Date lodged: Thursday, 18 December 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 14 January 2026
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the decision taken in the UK Government Budget to provide a permanent business rate discount for retail and hospitality businesses in England from April 2026, what analysis or assessment it has undertaken of the potential risk to the funding of Business Improvement Districts if Scotland does not introduce a commensurate reduction in business rates and commercial investment in retail and hospitality shifts to England.
Answer
The draft Budget published on 13 January ensures the estimated revenues raised from non-domestic rates in 2026-27 will be 6% lower in real terms than pre-COVID using the Consumer Price Index.
The Budget continues to support businesses and communities with a strong non-domestic rates package for 2026-27 which decreases the Basic, Intermediate and Higher Property Rates in 2026-27, delivering the lowest Basic Property Rate since 2018-19.
Businesses and communities will be supported with a generous non-domestic rates relief package worth an estimated £864 million in 2026-27, including the Small Business Bonus Scheme which remains the most generous scheme of its kind in the UK and is confirmed for the next three years, as well as transitional relief schemes.
Recognising the challenges faced by the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors, for the next three years we will offer 15% relief for eligible properties in these sectors liable for the Basic or Intermediate Property Rates, capped at £110,000 per business per year; and extend and expand 100% relief for the next three years to retail, hospitality and leisure premises located on islands as defined by the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018, and in prescribed remote areas (Cape Wrath, Knoydart and Scoraig) capped at £110,000 per business per year.
Around half of the properties in the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure sectors continue to be eligible for 100% SBBS relief in 2026-27. A further 37,000 properties could benefit from the new 15% relief for Retail, Hospitality and Leisure properties with a rateable value up to and including £100,000 and on Islands.
Taken together around 89,000 properties (or 96%) across the three sectors could benefit from zero or reduced rates and the budget guarantees that support for the full three years of the revaluation.
Scottish Government support Business Investment Districts (BIDs) as a model to help leverage local investment, encourage innovation, unlock opportunities, and deliver sustainable change and improvement for local places. We fund Scotland’s Improvement Districts (SIDs) as the National Centre for Improvement Districts in Scotland to provide advice and governance support for BIDs in Scotland. We also provide seed corn grant funding to support the initial development of new BIDs, subject to budget availability.
BIDs are independent, business led partnerships that are established through a democratic ballot of local businesses. Their programmes of work are funded through a BID levy paid by local businesses within the BID area.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
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Date lodged: Thursday, 18 December 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 14 January 2026
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the decision taken in the UK Government Budget to provide a permanent business rate discount for retail and hospitality businesses in England from April 2026, what analysis or assessment it has undertaken of the potential risk to the fulfilment of its Town Centre Action Plan if Scotland does not introduce a commensurate reduction in business rates and commercial investment in retail and hospitality shifts to England.
Answer
The draft Budget published on 13 January ensures the estimated revenues raised from non-domestic rates in 2026-27 will be 6% lower in real terms than pre-COVID using the Consumer Price Index.
It continues to support businesses and communities with a strong non-domestic rates package for 2026-27 which decreases the Basic, Intermediate and Higher Property Rates in 2026-27, delivering the lowest Basic Property Rate since 2018-19.
Businesses and communities will be supported with a generous non-domestic rates relief package worth an estimated £864 million in 2026-27, including the Small Business Bonus Scheme which remains the most generous scheme of its kind in the UK and is confirmed for the next three years, as well as transitional relief schemes.
Recognising the challenges faced by the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors, for the next three years we will offer 15% relief for eligible properties in these sectors liable for the Basic or Intermediate Property Rates, capped at £110,000 per business per year; and extend and expand 100% relief for the next three years to retail, hospitality and leisure premises located on islands as defined by the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018, and in prescribed remote areas (Cape Wrath, Knoydart and Scoraig) capped at £110,000 per business per year.
Around half of the properties in the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure sectors continue to be eligible for 100% SBBS relief in 2026-27. A further 37,000 properties could benefit from the new 15% relief for Retail, Hospitality and Leisure properties with a rateable value up to and including £100,000 and on Islands.
Taken together around 89,000 properties (or 96%) across the three sectors could benefit from zero or reduced rates and the budget guarantees that support for the full three years of the revaluation.
We continue to support the revitalisation of town centres through the Town Centre First Principle and the delivery of the Town Centre Action Plan, delivered in partnership with COSLA, local government and key partners including Scotland’s Towns Partnership.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
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Date lodged: Monday, 15 December 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 9 January 2026
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-42249 by Graeme Dey on 12 December 2025, whether it will provide the information requested regarding the total costs to date, as at 12 December 2025.
Answer
Scottish Information Commissioner Decision 279/2025 is now the subject of live litigation proceedings. The Scottish Government is therefore not in a position to provide further information at this time regarding any advice it may have received, or any costs associated with this.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
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Date lodged: Thursday, 08 January 2026
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Current Status:
Answer expected on 22 January 2026
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish all of the analyses referred to by the Minister for Public Finance during the debate on motion S6M-20295 on 7 January 2026, including (a) the analysis of the estimated level of revenue that will be raised from non-domestic rates should the revaluation proceed in line with the draft rateable values and (b) what its estimate is of the revenue that could be lost on that basis due to the potential closure of businesses that may no longer be able to trade profitably.
Answer
Answer expected on 22 January 2026
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 December 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Fairlie on 8 January 2026
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-41922 by Jim Fairlie on 1 December 2025, whether all of the £100,000 will be disbursed to local authorities and if not, by whom will it be spent and what it will it be used for.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-42494 on 5 January 2026. 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: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 January 2026
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 14 January 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the economy secretary has had with ministerial colleagues regarding the potential economic impact of fully dualling the A96, in order to provide faster and safer transport links between the two key economic areas of north east Scotland and the Highlands, and to support the significant number of renewable energy sector jobs that it and Highlands and Islands Enterprise anticipate will be generated in the coming decades.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 14 January 2026
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 December 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 7 January 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what cumulative impact assessment it has carried out of the regulatory and fiscal changes affecting microtourism businesses over the last five years.
Answer
The Scottish Government undertakes a range of impact assessments when developing or introducing new policy, taking account of other ongoing policy development that may interact with the options being considered. Where relevant, this includes Business and Regulatory Impact Assessments, which consider businesses of all sizes and the cumulative impact of multiple policy changes and their timing.
The Scottish Government report on the 2023 non-domestic rates revaluation was published on 5 July 2023. The report set out the changes in rateable values for different property classes as a result of the 2023 revaluation. A report on the 2026 revaluation will be published once final values are available.
On Short-term lets we continue to work with stakeholders to monitor implementation of the licensing regime. In response to stakeholder feedback we commissioned VisitScotland to launch an expert group to revise short-term let guidance, bringing industry and local authorities together to provide recommend updates to short-term let licencing guidance.
In relation to the visitor levy, impact assessments were carried out to support the original Visitor Levy Bill/Act and we are revising them for the new Bill, but these were on the overall impact of a Visitor Levy. Each Local Authority must assess the impact of its proposed local Visitor Levy’s scheme while it is developing and consulting on it.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 December 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Fairlie on 5 January 2026
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the £100,000 that it has committed for tackling disruptive urban gull populations, how much in total has been distributed to date, and which organisations (a) have received and (b) will receive funding, broken down by how much has been allocated to each, including how much has been allocated to the Inverness pilot.
Answer
NatureScot has written to all 32 Local Authorities updating them on funding of £100,000 being made available to facilitate an area based management for gulls.
NatureScot has prioritised the funding, in the first instance, to areas where they have been involved in significant casework whether through wider scale licensing requests or advice on mitigation measures.
As a first tranche the local authorities prioritised for funding are:
- Moray Council
- Highland Council
- Aberdeenshire Council
- Aberdeen City Council
- Fife Council
- Scottish Borders Council
- Dumfries and Galloway Council
It is likely that funding to each local authority will be in the region of £10k. While prioritising the seven local authorities in the first instance, NatureScot has offered to consider support to all of the other local authorities where there is significant gull issues and where they are seeking to develop an area-based management approach.
NatureScot is looking to conclude funding arrangements with the local authorities in early January 2026. As such, no funds have been distributed to local authorities to-date.
The £100k funding does not include additional costs for other elements of the action plan, such as for Best Practice Guidance, survey work, and for the proposed four regional roundtables, which are being resourced by NatureScot separately.
Additional funding of £10,000 from NatureScot has been made available to Highland Council as part of the Inverness Gull Management Pilot.
