Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-00863 on 11 August 2016. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

I refer the member to the answers to questions S5W-00863 and S5W-00865 on 11 August 2016. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

Citizens Advice Scotland co-ordinates the delivery of funded projects and the consumer advice helpline on behalf of the Scottish Government. We are in regular contact with Citizens Advice Scotland in relation to these and will continue to do so in the future. Core funding is provided by the UK Government through the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. The work of Citizens Advice Scotland in supporting the Citizens Advice Bureau network is the responsibility of the UK Government.

Citizens Advice Scotland is in receipt of the interim findings from the independent governance review. It is now working towards a robust delivery plan which will look to address the recommendations within that report. We are working with Citizens Advice Scotland and the UK Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to support that process in order to ensure that Citizens Advice Scotland can achieve its aim of a model of good governance in the sector.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-00871 on 21 June 2016. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-00871 on 21 June 2016. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-00871 on 21 June 2016. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

The Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland published and submitted to Scottish ministers on 26 May 2016 its reports and final recommendations for the number of councillors and the electoral ward boundaries in each of Scotland's 32 local authorities, following completion of its fifth electoral reviews. Ministers are now considering those recommendations, and will take decisions on whether to implement them once that consideration has been completed. There is no statutory deadline by which such decisions must be taken.

Local government electoral reviews are governed by the local government (Scotland) Act 1973 as amended, under which ministers can implement the recommendations for a local authority area with or without modification, decide not to implement them, or ask the commission to undertake another review of the area involved. Schedule 6 to the 1973 Act sets out the rules to be observed by ministers in considering the recommendations that have been made by the commission. Those rules include a requirement to have regard to any local ties which would be broken by the fixing of any particular boundary.

From 2015, the single farm payment has been replaced by the Basic Payment Scheme and Greening Payment Scheme.

At 18 May 2016, 82% of eligible businesses had received a first instalment payment from the 2015 Basic Payment Scheme.