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: S6W-15946

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 22 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions ministers have had with electricity distribution network operators regarding any grid upgrades that would be required in the event that Scotland saw a significant increase in the installation of solar panels.

As regulations governing electricity networks, including connection, are reserved to the UK Government the Scottish Government has no power determine what investments are made by the distribution network operators (DNOs) on their networks.

The Scottish Government has been working with DNOs in Scotland and other stakeholders to ensure that network business plans reflect the scale and pace of deployment necessary to meet Scotland’s net zero and interim climate change targets.

Question reference: S6W-15945

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 21 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether a solar energy target will be included in its forthcoming Energy Strategy, and, if so, whether it will align with the reported 4GW to 6GW ambition recommended by the solar industry.

Through our draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan (ESJTP) we are consulting on setting an ambition for solar deployment in Scotland, and what level that ambition should be set at. The consultation period for the draft ESJTP is open until 9 May 2023, and we encourage stakeholders to engage in the consultation and bring forward evidence relating to this.

It is vital that we consult widely upon the need for, and achievability of, any deployment ambition for solar before such an ambition is set. Following engagement with stakeholders and analysis of the consultation responses, we will finalise the solar vision and solar deployment ambition as part of the final ESJTP.

Question reference: S6O-01871

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 February 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to spend the proposed Covid Recovery portfolio 2023-24 budget allocation.

Question reference: S6W-13816

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 20 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether a 10-week period was sufficient time for the public consultation on a proposed Scottish Aggregates Levy Bill.

The public consultation on developing a Scottish tax to replace the UK Aggregates Levy was open from 26 September to 5 December 2022. This was thought to be a sufficient window considering the issues in question, plans for concurrent stakeholder engagement, and the relatively recent review of the UK levy.

A total of 25 consultation responses were received. These are now being analysed to help inform our next steps, and a formal consultation report will be published in due course.

Although the consultation is an important part of our engagement, it is only part, and does not represent the entirety of it. Consistent with our Framework for Tax, we will continue to listen to and work with all stakeholders throughout the entire process leading up to introduction of the new tax.

Question reference: S6O-01823

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 January 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the effects of the current rent freeze on the availability of rented accommodation.

Question reference: S6O-01752

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 December 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the latest Recorded Crime in Scotland statistics.

Question reference: S6W-11905

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 04 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 13 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has plans to introduce new legislation regarding prompt payment, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Question reference: S6W-12621

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 28 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 7 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the reasons are for the reported removal of average speed cameras on the A9 between the Keir and Broxden roundabouts.

Question reference: S6W-12295

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 1 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what budget it has allocated for the rates relief available under the Non-Domestic Rates (Reverse Vending Machine Relief) (Scotland) Regulations 2020 in each year since it came into effect.

Eligibility for non-domestic rates reliefs is set out in legislation and it is for local authorities to administer reliefs to eligible properties in accordance with that legislation. As such, the Scottish Government does not set aside allocations for individual non-domestic rates reliefs, but rather decisions on non-domestic rates reliefs, for example Reverse Vending Machine relief, are taken as part of the annual budget process, using Scottish Fiscal Commission (SFC) forecasts of the total revenues raised net of relief costs.

The SFC forecast that the Reverse Vending Machine relief would cost less than £1 million in the 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23 financial years. The SFC forecasts are available on their website.

Data on the actual cost of non-domestic rates reliefs is released periodically as part of Scottish Local Government Finance Statistics publications available on the Scottish Government’s website.

Question reference: S6W-12294

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 1 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what representations it has received in the last year regarding the rates relief available under the Non-Domestic Rates (Reverse Vending Machine Relief) (Scotland) Regulations 2020.