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: S5W-27361

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 07 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 3 March 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what the total value of rates relief (a) has been in each of the last 10 years and (b) would be in 2020-21 under the proposals in its Budget.

The cost of Non-Domestic Rates Relief from 2010-11 to 2018-19 is published in Scottish Local Government Financial Statistics 2018-19, Table 2.17, available on the Scottish Government website at the following link: https://www.gov.scot/collections/local-government-finance-statistics/#scottishlocalgovernmentfinancialstatistics

The estimated Relief costs for 2019-20 and 2020-21 are £756m and £744m respectively. These figures are based on forecasts and are liable to change until we receive the audited income returns.

Question reference: S5W-27348

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 07 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 3 March 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many properties in each local authority area would be subject to the (a) Basic, (b) Intermediate and (c) Higher Property Rate poundage proposed in its Budget, broken down by industry sector, and how much it expects would be raised.

Question reference: S5W-27354

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 07 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 3 March 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how much additional revenue from business rates it expects would be generated in 2020-21 from the increase in the poundage rate proposed in its Budget, broken down by industry sector.

The estimated additional net Non-Domestic Rates (NDR) Income for 2020-21 generated by the annual increase to the poundage rate, which represents a below inflation increase of 1.6%, broken down by property type, is shown in the following table.

Please note that these estimates are based solely on the annual increase in the poundage and do not account for the decrease in NDR income as a result of the introduction of the Intermediate and Higher Property Rates.

CLASS	Estimated additional net NDR income (£m)
Advertising	0.1
Care Facilities	0.1
Communications	0.2
Cultural	0.1
Education and Training	3.1
Garages and Petrol Stations	0.5
Health and Medical	1.5
Hotels	1.9
Industrial Subjects	8.5
Leisure, Entertainment, Caravans etc.	1.0
Offices	6.5
Other	0.9
Petrochemical	0.9
Public Houses	0.8
Public Service Subjects	2.1
Quarries, Mines, etc.	0.1
Religious	0.0
Shops	10.3
Sporting Subjects	0.2
Statutory Undertaking	7.3
All	46.1

Question reference: S5W-27355

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 07 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 3 March 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recommendation by the Barclay review, what plays it has to introduce a level playing field with England regarding the Higher Property Rate.

The Scottish Budget for 2020-21 demonstrates our commitment to reviewing the Large Business Supplement when this is affordable by almost halving the number of properties liable for the supplement (now the Higher Property Rate). Together with a below-inflation increase in the poundage, we have ensured that over 95 per cent of properties in Scotland will pay a lower poundage than they would in other parts of the UK in 2020-21. We will consider the level of the Higher Property Rate in the context of future budgets, subject to affordability as set out in the Barclay Review Implementation Plan.

Question reference: S5W-27353

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 07 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 3 March 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) business and (b) higher rate poundage (i) has been in each year since 1999-00 and (ii) would be in 2020-21 under the proposals in its Budget.

The following table shows the poundage, Large Business Supplement, and Large Business Supplement threshold (rateable value) for each year from 1999-2000 to 2019-20, and the proposed property rates in the 2020-21 Scottish Budget:

Year	Poundage (pence)	Large Business Supplement (pence)	Large Business Supplement Threshold (rateable value)
1999-2000	48.0*	0.9*	> £10,000
2000-01	44.8*	1.0*	> £10,000
2001-02	45.0*	2.0*	> £10,000
2002-03	45.8*	2.0*	> £10,000
2003-04	47.8	0.6	> £25,000
2004-05	48.8	0.3	> £25,000
2005-06	46.1	0.45	> £29,000
2006-07	44.9	0.4	> £29,000
2007-08	44.1	0.3	> £29,000
2008-09	45.8	0.4	> £29,000
2009-10	48.1	0.4	> £29,000
2010-11	40.7	0.7	> £35,000
2011-12	42.6	0.7	> £35,000
2012-13	45.0	0.8	> £35,000
2013-14	46.2	0.9	> £35,000
2014-15	47.1	1.1	> £35,000
2015-16	48.0	1.3	> £35,000
2016-17	48.4	2.6	> £35,000
2017-18	46.6	2.6	> £51,000
2018-19	48.0	2.6	> £51,000
2019-20	49.0	2.6	> £51,000
2020-21	49.8	Intermediate Property Rate: 51.1p (Poundage +1.3p) Higher Property Rate: 52.4p (Poundage +2.6p)	Intermediate Property Rate Threshold: >£51,000 but no more than £95,000 Higher Property Rate Threshold: >£95,000

*The Large Business Supplement was introduced in 2003-04. In the years prior to 2003-04 there were two poundages, one which applied to premises with rateable values that are less than £10,000, and another for those with an RV of £10,000 or more.

Question reference: S5W-27509

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 3 March 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what action was taken following the ice fall on the Queensferry Crossing in 2019.

Following the occurrence of falling ice in March 2019 a multi-party review of the contributory factors and worldwide practice was undertaken.

This review concluded that management by operational practice remained appropriate, enhanced by additional forecasting and monitoring, as well as weather and ice monitoring sensors.

Arrangements are in progress for the supply and installation of additional weather and ice monitoring sensors which will be installed in the coming months.

Question reference: S5W-27511

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 3 March 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what advice it received in relation to any risk of ice falling on the Queensferry Crossing during the design and building of the bridge.

The advice received by Transport Scotland’s expert engineering Consultants during the preliminary design stage was that the risk of ice accumulation was low. At the time there was no practical solution to prevent the formation of ice on the Queensferry Crossing and this should be managed as an operational matter.

During the final design the Contractor (FCBC) considered that the issue of falling ice should be managed as an operational matter by means of visual monitoring and appropriate traffic management should this be considered .

Question reference: S5W-27512

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 2 March 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what consultation was carried out during the design and building of the Queensferry Crossing with other bridge designers and operators in relation to the risk of ice falling.

Question reference: S5W-27514

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 28 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the economic impact of the recent closures of the Queensferry Crossing.

Question reference: S5O-04205

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 February 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 March 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to use its social security policies to address reported high levels of economic inactivity.