Chamber and committees

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: S3W-36254

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 13 September 2010
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 7 October 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive what change there was in the non-domestic rates income of each local authority from 1 April 2010

The following table shows the change in business rates income distributed between 2009-10 and 2010-11 broken down by local authority.

The figures for 2010-11 use the latest forecast of net income from non-domestic rates in 2010-11 and also draw on council estimates of the amounts they will contribute to the pool from non-domestic rates in 2009-10. Included in the estimated figures are a calculation of gross income, expected losses from appeals and estimated expenditure on mandatory and other reliefs as well as write-offs and provision of bad debt.

The actual income distributed to councils also takes into account prior year adjustments for under and over-payments to the non-domestic rate pool as result of councils collecting more or less non-domestic rates than estimated.

Business Rate Income Distributed 2009-11

	2009-10	2010-11	Change from 2009-10 to 2010-11
Local Authority	£ Million	£ Million	£ Million
Aberdeen City	88.1	84.2	-3.9
Aberdeenshire	100.7	96.6	-4.1
Angus	46.2	44.1	-2.1
Argyll & Bute	38.4	36.2	-2.2
Clackmannanshire	21	20.2	-0.8
Dumfries and Galloway	62.4	59.5	-2.9
Dundee City	59.8	57.0	-2.8
East Ayrshire	50.3	48.0	-2.3
East Dunbartonshire	44.1	41.9	-2.2
East Lothian	39.7	38.5	-1.2
East Renfrewshire	37.6	35.7	-1.9
Edinburgh, City of	197	188.7	-8.3
Eilean Siar	11.1	10.5	-0.6
Falkirk	63.4	60.7	-2.7
Fife	151.7	144.8	-6.9
Glasgow City	244.9	233.8	-11.1
Highland	91.5	87.8	-3.7
Inverclyde	34.1	32.3	-1.8
Midlothian	33.5	32.2	-1.3
Moray	36.6	35.1	-1.5
North Ayrshire	57.1	54.3	-2.8
North Lanarkshire	136.7	130.3	-6.4
Orkney	8.4	8.0	-0.4
Perth and Kinross	59.8	57.7	-2.1
Renfrewshire	71.4	68.0	-3.4
Scottish Borders	46.9	45.0	-1.9
Shetland	9.2	8.8	-0.4
South Ayrshire	47	44.7	-2.3
South Lanarkshire	130.3	124.1	-6.2
Stirling	37.1	35.4	-1.7
West Dunbartonshire	38.3	36.4	-1.9
West Lothian	70.6	67.8	-2.8

Note: The figures above are taken or calculated from relevant annual local government finance circulars issued by the Scottish Government.

Question reference: S3W-35880

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 August 2010
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 7 October 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive how many small businesses in each local authority area were eligible for rates relief of (a) 100%, (b) 50% and (c) 25% under the small business bonus scheme in (i) 2008-09 and (ii) 2009-10.

An estimate of the number of properties eligible for Small Business Bonus Scheme (SBBS) in each local authority area for 2009-10 is shown in the following table. Equivalent data for 2008-09 is not held centrally.

The Scheme has been widely promoted and it is estimated that 85% of eligible small properties now benefit from relief. The Scottish Government is aware that a number of businesses eligible for SBBS have not yet applied for the scheme and efforts will continue to encourage take-up among that group.

Estimated Number of Properties Eligible for Relief

Aberdeen City	3,536
Aberdeenshire	6,855
Angus	3,298
Argyll and Bute	5,755
Clackmannanshire	848
Dumfries and Galloway	6,368
Dundee City	3,026
East Ayrshire	2,377
East Dunbartonshire	1,350
East Lothian	2,261
East Renfrewshire	1,004
Edinburgh, City Of	8,861
Eilean Siar	1,715
Falkirk	2,568
Fife	7,759
Glasgow City	12,736
Highland	12,161
Inverclyde	1,414
Midlothian	1,640
Moray	3,337
North Ayrshire	3,228
North Lanarkshire	5,265
Orkney Islands	1,596
Perth and Kinross	5,199
Renfrewshire	3,564
Scottish Borders	5,084
Shetland Islands	1,293
South Ayrshire	2,999
South Lanarkshire	5,353
Stirling	2,896
West Dunbartonshire	1,544
West Lothian	2,883
Scotland	129,773

Question reference: S3W-35882

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 August 2010
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 7 October 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive how many small businesses in each local authority area are eligible for rates relief of (a) 100%, (b) 50% and (c) 25% under the small business bonus scheme in 2010-11.

Latest figures show that 74,000 business properties in Scotland received a discount on their bill through Small Business Bonus, and 64,000 of those paid no rates at all.

However, there are a number of properties which are eligible, but have not claimed. In the coming weeks, the Scottish Government will write to businesses to encourage those who are eligible for the scheme, but have not yet claimed, to apply for the relief under the Small Business Bonus Scheme.

Figures on actual take-up for 2010-11 will be published later in 2011, which will include a breakdown by local authority area.

Question reference: S3W-35881

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 August 2010
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 7 October 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive how many small businesses in each local authority area received rates relief of (a) 100%, (b) 50% and (c) 25% under the small business bonus scheme in (i) 2008-09 and (ii) 2009-10.

Question reference: S3W-35883

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 August 2010
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 7 October 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive how many small businesses in each local authority area it expects to receive rates relief of (a) 100%, (b) 50% and (c) 25% under the small business bonus scheme in 2010-11.

Question reference: S3W-35875

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 August 2010
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 7 October 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive how many businesses successfully appealed their business rate revaluation in each year since 2005-06.

Question reference: S3W-36367

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 17 September 2010
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 29 September 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Cabinet Secretary for Justice will next meet the Scottish Police Services Authority board and what issues will be discussed.

Question reference: S3W-36372

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 17 September 2010
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 28 September 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive on what authority the board of the Scottish Police Services Authority decided not to make public its recommendations on the forensic services modernisation plans.

Question reference: S3W-36371

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 17 September 2010
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 28 September 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Cabinet Secretary for Justice expects to make a final decision on the recommendations given by the Scottish Police Services Authority on its forensic services modernisation plans.

Question reference: S3W-36369

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 17 September 2010
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 28 September 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions the Cabinet Secretary for Justice has had with the Scottish Police Services Authority board regarding its forensic services modernisation plans.