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-17537

Asked by: Tom Mason, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 June 2018
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 17 July 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-15800 by Derek Mackay on 17 April 2018, and in light of its indication that decisions on how to spend capital borrowing are not made at the time of the budget, for what reason the agreed repayment period for capital borrowing that will occur in 2018-19 and 2019-20 is confirmed as 25 years, when the Fiscal Framework states that 10 years is the normal period, subject to specific information regarding the asset life of the capital project.

Question reference: S5W-17542

Asked by: Tom Mason, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 June 2018
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 17 July 2018

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it has not split, or planned to split evenly, its capital borrowing repayments for the capital borrowing that took place, or is planned to take place, in 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20 over each respective payback period, and for what reason its approach in these years prioritises smaller repayments at the beginning of repayment periods, with larger repayments required later on in the repayment period.

The Scottish Government borrowed in 2017-18 using the Equal repayments (ER) method - an annuity profile of equal annual payments, hence varying levels of principal and interest (in the earlier years more interest and less principal is paid and vice versa in the latter years of the loan). This method is allowable under the Borrowing Memorandum of Understanding agreed between Scottish Government and HM Treasury. Decisions on repayment method have yet to be taken for 2018-19 and beyond.

Question reference: S5W-17540

Asked by: Tom Mason, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 June 2018
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 17 July 2018

To ask the Scottish Government on what basis it claims in the Scotland's Fiscal Outlook, The Scottish Government's Five Year Financial Strategy that Scotland has the "most attractive business rates package in the UK".

Scotland provides the most competitive non-domestic rates reliefs package available anywhere in the UK and is worth a record £720 million, up from £660 million in 2017-18, which includes several measures that are unique to Scotland. The Small Business Bonus Scheme (SBBS) has lifted over 100,000 properties out of rates altogether in 2017-18 and has saved businesses over £1.5 billion cumulatively since 2009. The package of measures also includes the UK’s first targeted 100 percent rates relief for nurseries which was introduced from 1 April 2018, along with the growth accelerator and relief for new unoccupied builds which supports investment in non-domestic property.

These measures have been welcomed by businesses the length and breadth of Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-17541

Asked by: Tom Mason, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 June 2018
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 17 July 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what evidence it has to support its claim in Scotland's Fiscal Outlook, The Scottish Government's Five Year Financial Strategy that there is a "wider public acceptance" of the income tax policy changes in the 2018-19 budget.

Question reference: S5W-17426

Asked by: Tom Mason, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 22 June 2018
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 16 July 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5O-01731 by Derek Mackay on 1 February 2018, in light of it already confirming its plans for 2019-20 capital borrowing to the Scottish Fiscal Commission, for what reason it stated that capital borrowing decisions for 2019-20 would be taken and outlined at the budget stage of the year.

Question reference: S5W-17419

Asked by: Tom Mason, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 22 June 2018
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 16 July 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it anticipates its policy to increase income tax levels for people earning over £26,000 compared with people in the rest of the UK will widen or narrow the gap between Scotland and the UK’s real household disposable income growth levels.

The latest statistics from ONS show that over the period 2006 – 2016 (the latest available year) Gross Household Disposable Income per person in Scotland has grown at 2.6% a year in current prices, the same as in the UK as a whole. The SFC forecasts for disposable income growth shows a gap in the coming years, however they are forecasting that this will close (see figure 5 of their publication, which can be found here: http://www.fiscalcommission.scot/media/1314/scotlands-economic-and-fiscal-forecasts-may-2018-full-report.pdf ). The tax changes we have made have ensured that, for the majority of income tax payers, Scotland is the lowest taxed part of the UK.

Question reference: S5W-17424

Asked by: Tom Mason, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 22 June 2018
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 16 July 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether consumption is the most important component of aggregate demand in Scotland.

In common with many advanced economies, consumption is the largest component of aggregate demand in Scotland.

With regard to the Scottish government position on the consumption component of aggregate demand, I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-14068 on‎ 6 February 2018.

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 .

Question reference: S5W-17420

Asked by: Tom Mason, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 22 June 2018
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 16 July 2018

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason Scotland’s real household disposable income growth is reportedly 0.5% behind the UK average.

As highlighted by the Scottish Fiscal Commission’s latest report, the growth rate of Real Disposable Household Income (RDHI) is influenced by a range of macroeconomic trends. In particular differences in population growth rates are an important determinant in the difference between the growth rate of RDHI between the UK and Scotland.

The Scottish Fiscal Commission go on to forecast that any gap between Scottish and UK RDHI on a per capita basis (controlling for differences in population growth) will narrow and then close over the next two years.

Question reference: S5W-17433

Asked by: Tom Mason, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 22 June 2018
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 16 July 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the £292.17 million anticipated loss of income tax revenue in the years up to 2023-24 due to behavioural responses to policy changes in the 2018-19 budget is avoidable if taxes are lowered.

Question reference: S5W-17434

Asked by: Tom Mason, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 22 June 2018
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 16 July 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of non-savings, non-dividend (NSND) income tax forecasts being revised down by £1.74 billion in the years up to 2023-24, what its position is on whether pursuing an income tax policy that is estimated to result in a loss in revenue in the same period of £292.17 million due to behavioural responses and almost £2.1 billion due to tax-motivated incorporations is a sustainable way to manage the economy.

The SFC’s report, Table 3.5, clearly states that the main reason for their downgrade in income tax receipts is a change in their projections for wage and employment growth. There is no evidence that would suggest our income tax policy is leading to a downgrade in forecasts. In their December report the SFC note that the income tax policy is “not of a large enough magnitude to have a significant aggregate impact on the Scottish economy” (page 76). The SFCs reports can be found here: http://www.fiscalcommission.scot/media/1196/scotlands-economic-fiscal-forecasts-publication.pdf and here: http://www.fiscalcommission.scot/media/1314/scotlands-economic-and-fiscal-forecasts-may-2018-full-report.pdf