- Asked by: Bill Bowman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 August 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 13 September 2018
To ask the Scottish Government what impact the Tay Cities Deal will have on deprivation levels in Dundee.
Answer
Tay Cities partners have developed an economic strategy and deal proposal focused on benefits at a regional level and delivering inclusive economic growth. Partners seek to generate additional economic growth for the Scottish economy, create new job opportunities, significantly enhancing the employment landscape in the region and tackling persistent deprivation.
- Asked by: Bill Bowman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 August 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Derek Mackay on 13 September 2018
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken to ensure that people who are on the intermediate income tax band do not accidentally spend 1% of their pension payments relief.
Answer
The operation of relief at source, as with all income tax reliefs remains reserved and therefore a matter for HMRC and the UK Government. Income taxpayers in Scotland who are paying into a pension are treated in exactly the same way as income taxpayers in the rest of the UK. Their pension contributions are grossed up so that the 20% basic rate tax paid on the contribution is also paid into their pension by HMRC. If the taxpayers marginal rate of income tax is higher than 20% they can claim back the additional relief they are due from HMRC.
- Asked by: Bill Bowman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 August 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Derek Mackay on 13 September 2018
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the reported reduction in the savings ratio will make it more likely that people on the intermediate income tax band will spend the 1% relief that they receive in their take-home pay from their pension payments instead of it automatically being saved in their pension pots.
Answer
The Scottish Government supports pension saving. That is why the Scottish Government negotiated with the UK Government to ensure that in the current tax year relief at source would continue to be available to Scottish income taxpayers on exactly the same basis as is the case elsewhere in the UK.
While the operation of relief at source remains reserved and therefore a matter for HMRC and the UK Government, income taxpayers in Scotland who fall into the intermediate band and are contributing to a pension will have their pension contributions grossed up so that the 20% basic rate tax paid on the contribution is also paid into their pension by HMRC. They can then claim any additional relief they are due back from HMRC.
- Asked by: Bill Bowman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 August 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Derek Mackay on 13 September 2018
To ask the Scottish Government how the income tax system in 2018-19 will impact on people on the intermediate band who receive the first 20% of relief in their pension pots and the remaining 1% in their take-home pay.
Answer
The operation of relief at source, as with all income tax reliefs remains reserved and therefore a matter for HMRC and the UK Government. Income taxpayers in Scotland who are paying into a pension are treated in exactly the same as income taxpayers in the rest of the UK. Their pension contributions are grossed up so that the 20% basic rate tax paid on the contribution is also paid into their pension by HMRC. Intermediate rate income taxpayers can claim back the additional relief they are due from HMRC in exactly the same way as higher and additional rate income tax payers do in the rest of the UK or higher and top rate income taxpayers can in Scotland.
- Asked by: Bill Bowman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 20 August 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 13 September 2018
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on running an awareness campaign regarding the HPV vaccine.
Answer
A full communications and engagement plan will developed as part of the implementation process, including consideration on the best way to raise awareness of the programme.
- Asked by: Bill Bowman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 20 August 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 13 September 2018
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on running a catch-up programme for 14- to 18-year old males in conjunction with the HPV vaccine programme for adolescent boys.
Answer
The JCVI advice on extending the HPV vaccination programme to adolescent boys does not include a specific recommendation in regards to a catch up programme. Scottish Government officials are working closely withUK colleagues, Health Protection Scotland and NHS Scotland to consider key implementation issues, including whether a catch up programme should be offered. No decision has been made on this yet.
- Asked by: Bill Bowman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 August 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Derek Mackay on 13 September 2018
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to concerns that its 2018-19 income tax policy has led to a possibility that an estimated 900,000 people on the intermediate income tax band are at risk of spending a portion of their pension savings due to the 1% relief above the initial 20% being included in take-home pay as opposed to it being paid directly into their pension pots.
Answer
The Scottish Government supports pension saving. That is why the Scottish Government negotiated with the UK Government to ensure that in the current tax year relief at source would continue to be available to Scottish income taxpayers on exactly the same basis as is the case elsewhere in the UK.
The operation of relief at source, as with all income tax reliefs, remains reserved and therefore a matter for HMRC and the UK Government. However, income taxpayers in Scotland who fall into the intermediate band and are contributing to a pension will have their pension contributions grossed up so that the 20% basic rate tax paid on the contribution is also paid into their pension by HMRC. They can then claim any additional relief they are due back from HMRC.
- Asked by: Bill Bowman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 20 August 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 13 September 2018
To ask the Scottish Government what is its timetable is for extending the HPV vaccine programme to adolescent boys.
Answer
The introduction of any new vaccination programme is a considerable task that requires careful management and planning, including working across the UK on procurement of vaccines. Scottish Government officials are working closely with Health Protection Scotland and NHS Scotland to plan implementation, but no date has yet been set for when the programme will be in place.
- Asked by: Bill Bowman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 September 2018
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 20 September 2018
To ask the Scottish Government on what date it plans to introduce its non-domestic rates bill.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 20 September 2018
- Asked by: Bill Bowman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 24 August 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 12 September 2018
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-18378 by Michael Matheson on 23 August 2018, what consideration it has made of the level of cost provisioning required for such a bid.
Answer
Competitive tendering for a rail franchise is a requirement under UK legislation. Available evidence suggests that this activity could be estimated to cost in the region of £10 million. The cost of any bid will depend on the nature of the bidding organisation and the approach that a bidder takes to developing a proposal that meets and/or exceeds the requirements of the Invitation to Tender. This estimate is therefore based on the most likely costs, using the market information available, to inform our consideration of the amount of funding the public sector bidder is likely to require.