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: S4W-20804

Asked by: Gavin Brown, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 April 2014
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 9 June 2014

To ask the Scottish Government when it will provide substantive answers to questions S4W-20130 and S4W-20129, which received holding answers on 26 March 2014.

Question reference: S4W-20129

Asked by: Gavin Brown, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 March 2014
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 9 June 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether reprints of the white paper on independence will be updated to reflect the most recently published financial figures.

Scotland’s Future is the most comprehensive blueprint for an independent country ever published.

On 28 May 2014, the Scottish Government published its Outlook for Scotland’s Public Finances and the Opportunities of Independence report. This builds on the analysis in the white paper and its central conclusion that Scotland is a wealthy country that will start life as an independent nation with great economic prospects. The report is available at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/0045/00451336.pdf

Question reference: S4W-20130

Asked by: Gavin Brown, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 March 2014
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 9 June 2014

To ask the Scottish Government from which directorate budget the costs associated with the white paper on independence are being met.

Question reference: S4O-03348

Asked by: Gavin Brown, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 June 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 June 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what value was delivered on the ground in 2013-14 by non-profit distribution-financed capital investment.

Question reference: S4O-03298

Asked by: Gavin Brown, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 May 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 June 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how the Sustainable Action Fund is progressing.

Question reference: S4W-21224

Asked by: Gavin Brown, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 May 2014
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 28 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it decided not to set targets for the 2014-15 business rates incentivisation scheme before the start of the financial year.

Question reference: S4W-21220

Asked by: Gavin Brown, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 May 2014
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 28 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to set targets for 2013-14 under the business rates incentivisation scheme.

Question reference: S4W-21222

Asked by: Gavin Brown, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 May 2014
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 28 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what the main (a) successes and (b) failures have been of the business rates incentivisation scheme.

Question reference: S4W-21219

Asked by: Gavin Brown, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 May 2014
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 28 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to make payments for 2012-13 under the business rates incentivisation scheme.

Question reference: S4W-21218

Asked by: Gavin Brown, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 May 2014
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 28 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made in relation to the business rates incentivisation scheme.

The Business Rates Incentivisation Scheme (BRIS) was introduced from 1 April 2012 to incentivise councils to maximise their existing business rates income and growing their tax base by providing councils with the potential to retain 50 per cent of any increase in business rates income over and above agreed targets for 2012-13 and future years.

The jointly agreed BRIS guidance sets out clearly that either central or local government can request a change in the annual BRIS targets in the event of a material change in the predicted non-domestic rates income. The 2012-13 mid-year returns from local authorities identified that the loss from revaluation appeals was likely to be significantly lower than predicted and also indicated an increased cost of mandatory rates relief. The Scottish Government considered the net increase in income from these factors as very significant and proposed a revision to the 2012-13 BRIS targets. Without changing the targets councils would have stood to gain a significant windfall without either collecting or attracting new business rates income.

COSLA leaders took the decision in May 2013 that they did not want to consider the review of the 2012-13 BRIS targets until the final non-domestic rates audited figures for 2012-13 became available in March 2014. I made it clear at that time that until the 2012-13 targets had been agreed I would not be publishing any future years’ targets.

COSLA leaders reconsidered their position at their 25 April 2014 meeting, following receipt of the audited returns, but did not consider that a significant event had occurred and as a result they were unable to agree the revised 2012-13 targets.

I have agreed to meet with COSLA President Councillor David O’Neill to discuss a possible joint review of the Scheme and the arrangements for taking that forward. This meeting has been arranged for 4 June 2014 and the outcome will help inform what action is required in relation to the 2012-13 targets, including any payments to councils, and a review of the future of BRIS to ensure lessons are learnt from the first year of operation.