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-30687

Asked by: Alison McInnes, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 January 2010
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 17 March 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive what meetings ministers and officials attended at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, broken down by (a) meeting and (b) attendees.

Question reference: S3W-30686

Asked by: Alison McInnes, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 January 2010
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 17 March 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive how many officials attended the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.

Question reference: S3W-30688

Asked by: Alison McInnes, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 January 2010
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 17 March 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost was for each (a) minister and (b) official of (i) travel to and (ii) accommodation at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.

Question reference: S3W-32273

Asked by: Alison McInnes, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 March 2010
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 16 March 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive how much revenue has been collected through business rates in each of the last three years, broken down by local authority area.

The following table shows the amount of business rates collected by each local authority in each of the last three years.

The Scottish Government guarantees each local authority a combination of distributable business rates plus general revenue grant, with the total amount calculated on the basis of assessed need in each local authority area. The actual amount of business rates collected by each local authority is then deducted from this guaranteed funding with the balance paid as general revenue grant. The amount of business rates collected locally therefore has no effect on the total guaranteed funding.

Business Rates Collected by Local Authority 2007-10

Local Authority	2007-08¹ £ Millions	2008-09 £ Millions	2009-10² £ Million
Aberdeen City	138.5	124.1	139.5
Aberdeenshire	53.4	53.7	59.2
Angus	22.2	21.4	22.9
Argyll and Bute	26.4	20.4	25.5
Clackmannanshire	10.8	11.5	12.2
Dumfries and Galloway	34.9	35.7	36.6
Dundee City	57.8	58.4	61.1
East Ayrshire	25.2	24.5	25.8
East Dunbartonshire	19.0	19.3	19.9
East Lothian	16.5	16.8	19.2
East Renfrewshire	11.6	11.8	12.4
Edinburgh, City of	278.9	279.9	299.6
Eilean Siar	5.5	5.3	5.6
Falkirk	53.7	55.1	56.0
Fife	117.0	115.1	106.5
Glasgow City	287.1	292.7	305.6
Highland	76.4	81.0	86.2
Inverclyde	18.3	17.7	19.7
Midlothian	19.8	20.1	21.6
Moray	23.8	23.4	20.2
North Ayrshire	30.9	30.2	31.9
North Lanarkshire	92.2	93.8	100.3
Orkney	7.0	6.1	6.9
Perth and Kinross	42.5	43.3	46.0
Renfrewshire	69.9	65.7	74.3
Scottish Borders	23.0	21.5	22.9
Shetland	12.2	11.6	12.6
South Ayrshire	34.2	33.5	35.0
South Lanarkshire	169.6	173.1	182.9
Stirling	34.6	35.3	36.7
West Dunbartonshire	55.1	57.7	60.4
West Lothian	60.7	64.2	70.7

Notes:

1. The figures for 2007-09 are final audited figures as provided to the Scottish Government by local authority''s auditors.

2. The 2009-10 figures are based on the latest available mid-year returns made to the Scottish Government by local authorities.

Question reference: S3W-32274

Asked by: Alison McInnes, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 March 2010
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 16 March 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive what the annual distribution of income from business rates has been in each of the last three years, broken down by local authority area.

The following table shows the amount of business rates income distributed for each of the last three years, broken down by local authority.

The Scottish Government guarantees each local authority a combination of distributable business rates plus general revenue grant. The total amount to be funded is calculated on the basis of assessed need in each local authority area. The amount of business rates raised locally therefore has no effect on the total guaranteed funding.

Business Rate Income Distributed 2007-10

Local Authority	2007-08 £000	2008-09 £000	2009-10 £000
Aberdeen City	73.9	79.4	88.1
Aberdeenshire	85.9	90.6	100.7
Angus	39.9	41.9	46.2
Argyll and Bute	33.2	35.1	38.4
Clackmannanshire	17.8	18.8	21.0
Dumfries and Galloway	54.1	56.8	62.4
Dundee City	51.9	54.5	59.8
East Ayrshire	43.6	45.8	50.3
East Dunbartonshire	38.7	40.5	44.1
East Lothian	33.5	35.6	39.7
East Renfrewshire	32.7	34.3	37.6
Edinburgh, City of	167.1	177.8	197.0
Eilean Siar	9.6	10.1	11.1
Falkirk	54.4	57.4	63.4
Fife	130.2	137.7	151.7
Glasgow City	211.3	222.7	244.9
Highland	78.0	82.6	91.5
Inverclyde	30.0	31.3	34.1
Midlothian	28.9	30.4	33.5
Moray	32.2	33.3	36.6
North Ayrshire	49.6	52.0	57.1
North Lanarkshire	118.1	124.2	136.7
Orkney	7.2	7.6	8.4
Perth and Kinross	50.5	53.8	59.8
Renfrewshire	62.1	65.1	71.4
Scottish Borders	40.1	42.3	46.9
Shetland	8.0	8.4	9.2
South Ayrshire	40.8	42.8	47.0
South Lanarkshire	111.8	118.0	130.3
Stirling	31.7	33.7	37.1
West Dunbartonshire	33.4	35.0	38.3
West Lothian	59.8	63.6	70.6

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

Question reference: S3W-31579

Asked by: Alison McInnes, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 05 February 2010
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 10 March 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of concerns expressed by Amnesty International in its report, “Less than lethal?” The use of stun weapons in US law enforcement, what consideration it has given to the public safety implications of extending the use of Taser guns beyond authorised firearms officers in the Strathclyde police force area.

Question reference: S3W-31580

Asked by: Alison McInnes, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 05 February 2010
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 5 March 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of concerns expressed by Amnesty International in its report, “Less than lethal?” The use of stun weapons in US law enforcement, regarding the effects of Taser guns on individuals with medical conditions such as epilepsy, what consideration it has given to the public safety implications of extending the use of Taser guns beyond authorised firearms officers in the Strathclyde police force area.

Question reference: S3W-31577

Asked by: Alison McInnes, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 05 February 2010
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 5 March 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive what epilepsy awareness training will be provided to police officers using Taser guns to ensure recognition of potentially unresponsive, uncommunicative or possibly aggressive behaviour resulting from a complex partial seizure.

Question reference: S3W-31578

Asked by: Alison McInnes, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 05 February 2010
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 5 March 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of concerns expressed by Amnesty International in its report, “Less than lethal?” The use of stun weapons in US law enforcement, regarding the use of Taser guns on individuals suffering from seizures, what training Strathclyde police officers will receive during the three-day training course on Taser gun use on identifying post-seizure behaviour to ensure that these symptoms are not mistaken for non-compliant, combative or intoxicated behaviour.

Question reference: S3W-31581

Asked by: Alison McInnes, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 05 February 2010
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 5 March 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive what training Strathclyde police officers will receive during the three-day training course on Taser gun use on ensuring that all individuals subject to a Taser gun discharge receive adequate medical evaluation, especially those with epilepsy, diabetes, asthma or heart disease.