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-14065

Asked by: Tom Mason, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 6 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-13588 by Derek Mackay on 11 January 2018, in light of the cabinet secretary's comment that "the impact of this settlement on public satisfaction with local services will depend on how local authorities allocate the total resources available to them and the level of service they then provide", what its position is on whether devolved administrations are fully responsible for the quality of, and the public satisfaction with, the services that they provide.

Local authorities are autonomous bodies, fully responsible for managing their own day to day business, however the Scottish Government are committed to working together with local government to ensure that the vital services the people of Scotland expect and deserve are delivered. The Scottish Government has played its part by providing local government with increased resources of over £340 million next year.

Question reference: S5W-14064

Asked by: Tom Mason, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 January 2018
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 6 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-13588 by Derek Mackay on 11 January 2018, what it considers the impact on public satisfaction could be if local authorities raise Council Tax levels by 3% in 2018-19 so that they can maintain services at 2017-18 levels.

If all local authorities raise their council tax levels by 3% next year, worth around £77 million, and this extra income is added to the original 2018-19 local government finance settlement which I announced on 14 December and the extra £170 million I announced on 31 January as part of Stage 1 of the Budget Bill this means local authorities will have over £340 million or 3.3% more to spend next year compared to this year.

As I made clear in my reply to question S5W-13588 the impact of this extra funding on public satisfaction with local services will depend on how local authorities allocate these increased resources and then the level of service they provide thereafter.

Question reference: S5W-14066

Asked by: Tom Mason, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 January 2018
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 6 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-13588 by Derek Mackay on 11 January 2018, whether it considers that raising domestic taxes and encouraging local authorities to raise Council Tax are the only ways to maintain the current quality levels of public services, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

The 2018-19 Local Government settlement, together with the additional £170 million I announced for local government as part of the Stage 1 of the Budget Bill on 31 January, together with local authorities ability to increase council tax levels by 3%, delivers an increase in the overall resources to support public services of over £340 million or 3.3% next year.

In order to reverse the real terms cut of more than £200 million imposed by Westminster the Scottish Government has introduced tax measures that protect our lowest earners, grow the economy and generate additional revenue for our public services.

The Scottish Government are also committed to working with our partners in Local Government to make local taxation more progressive whilst improving the financial accountability of local government.

Question reference: S5W-14068

Asked by: Tom Mason, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 6 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what role the consumption component of aggregate demand has in its plans to grow the economy.

Scotland’s Economic Strategy sets out the need to pursue a more balanced form of economic growth, through a greater contribution from investment and net trade, rather than consumption in order to achieve growth that is sustainable in the long-term.

However domestic consumption plays a significant role in supporting the Scottish economy. The Scottish Government’s focus on inclusive growth and boosting productivity, through policies that support job creation and decent wages, and improving living standards, can stimulate demand from consumption and act as an important driver of economic growth.

Question reference: S5W-14067

Asked by: Tom Mason, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 January 2018
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 6 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to questions S5W-13487 and S5W-13588 by Derek Mackay on 10 and 11 January 2018 respectively, how increasing Council Tax levels could impact on the consumption component of aggregate demand as a result of any decrease in household incomes from such a policy.

Question reference: S5W-14069

Asked by: Tom Mason, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 January 2018
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 6 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-13489 by Derek Mackay on 10 January 2018, in which the cabinet secretary stated that an increase in Council Tax of up to 3% would potentially protect household incomes, what its position is on whether it is possible to protect household incomes if people's overall tax burden is increasing.

Income tax is paid by individuals on the basis of their earnings, and council tax by occupants of a domestic dwelling based on the property’s banding. There is therefore no direct link between the income tax and council tax an individual pays.

The specific income tax reforms announced as part of the 2018-19 Draft Budget will ensure that 70 per cent of taxpayers will pay no more tax than they do in 2017-18.

The council tax order 2016 introduced in April 2017 ensures additional resources for public services whilst protecting three in four Scottish households from any increase.

Question reference: S5W-14063

Asked by: Tom Mason, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 2 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-13241 by Shona Robison on 9 January 2018, whether it will provide a breakdown of all of the recommendations made by the MLC Mental Health and Learning Difficulties care programme’s June 2011 to December 2012 review.

The full set of recommendations produced by the Technical Advisory Group on Resource Allocation sub-group, which reviewed the Morbidity and Life Circumstances adjustment for the Mental Health and Learning Difficulties Care Programme, is as follows:

Recommendation 1: The MLC adjustment should be undertaken separately for the under 65 and the 65 and over age cohorts.

Recommendation 2: The dependent variable for the estimation of the MLC coefficients should be age/sex standardised cost ratios for short-stay (less than half a year) inpatients and outpatients MHLD hospital activity (for the relevant age cohort).

Recommendation 3: The MLC coefficients should be estimated using cost utilisation ratios calculated as an average of the latest 3 years of data.

Recommendation 4: The MLC coefficients should be estimated using Intermediate Geography as the geographical unit.

Recommendation 5: The MLC coefficients should be estimated using linear functional form without transformations.

Recommendation 6: Needs indicators for the under 65 age cohort should be:

SIMD employment domain
SIMD crime domain
Hospital stays (continuous inpatient stays) due to alcohol misuse
Standardised mortality ratio for ages under 65 with mental health as cause of death

Recommendation 7: The needs indicators for the 65 and over age cohort should be:

Standardised mortality ratio for 65+ years; all causes of death
Hospital stays (continuous inpatient stays) due to alcohol misuse

Recommendation 8: The MLC adjustment updating schedule should take account of the timing of the release of updated data for the independent variables (e.g. SIMD)

The papers reflecting the research undertaken and the full final report produced are available on the TAGRA website at:

http://www.tagra.scot.nhs.uk/subgroups/morbidity-and-life-circumstances/

Question reference: S5W-14062

Asked by: Tom Mason, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 1 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-13227 by Shona Robison on 9 January 2018, whether it will provide a breakdown of each of the projects to reduce waiting times that NHS Grampian has introduced, and details of the dates that its officials have discussed these with the NHS board.

Question reference: S5O-01731

Asked by: Tom Mason, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 1 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to borrow the maximum amount available for capital spending in the coming years.

Question reference: S5O-01770

Current Status: Withdrawn