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: S6W-19992

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 7 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the original timetable was for the (a) completion and (b) opening of the planned National Treatment Centre Lothian, and what the revised timetable is as of 30 June 2023.

Question reference: S6W-19957

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 14 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 7 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many reported incidences of fire-raising of vehicles within the (a) Scottish Prison Service estate and (b) estate of Scotland's two privately operated prisons there have been in each of the last five years.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

In each five years, there have been a total of 8 incidences of fire-raising of vehicles, shown in the following table:

	Scottish Prison Service estate	Privately Operated prisons
2018 – 2019	1	0
2019 – 2020	1	0
2020 – 2021	4	0
2021 – 2022	0	1
2022 – 2023	0	1

SPS take incidents such as fire-raising of vehicles belonging to prison staff incredibly seriously. Where such incidents occur, these will be reported to Police Scotland for further investigation.

A series of protective measures are in place within establishments and will compliment any support offered by Police Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-19973

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 7 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the revised number of patients is that will be treated in the National Treatment Centre Highland, and how this compares to the targets set out in its NHS Recovery Plan.

Question reference: S6W-19898

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 7 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the most recent known level at which business rates begin to be paid for the rateable value of individual properties is in Scotland, and what information it has on how this compares with the level in (a) England and (b) Wales.

The Scottish Budget delivered a package of reliefs for 2023-24 worth £749 million, including the Small Business Bonus Scheme which offers up to 100% relief for eligible individual properties in Scotland with a rateable value of up to £20,000.

To improve the design of the scheme, the Scottish Government expanded the upper eligibility threshold for the Small Business Bonus Scheme from £18,000 to £20,000 and made the relief more progressive by introducing a taper for properties with a rateable value between £12,001 and £20,000. The Small Business Bonus Scheme remains the most generous scheme of its kind in the UK, and continues to take 100,000 properties out of rates altogether. Table 1 provides a comparison of small business rates reliefs in Scotland, England and Wales.

Table 1: Small Business Rates Reliefs in Scotland, England and Wales in 2023-24

Scotland

England

Wales

Small business 100% relief threshold (rateable value) *

The relief is 100% for properties with a rateable value up to £12,000.

The relief is 100% for properties with a rateable value up to £12,000

The relief is 100% for properties with a rateable value up to £6,000.

Small business relief thresholds (rateable value) for relief less than 100% *

The relief tapers from 100% to 25% for properties with rateable value from £12,001 to £15,000.

The relief tapers from 25% to 0% for properties with a rateable value from £15,001 to £20,000.

The relief tapers from 100% to 0% for properties with a rateable value from £12,001 to £15,000.

The relief tapers from 100% to 0% for properties with a rateable value from £6,001 to £12,000.

Small business relief cumulative rules for ratepayers with multiple properties.

The relief may also be available for ratepayers with multiple properties where the total rateable value of all of the properties does not exceed £35,000.

Where the total rateable value is £12,000 or less, the relief is 100%.

Where total rateable value is between £12,001 to £35,000:

The relief is 25% for properties with an individual rateable value of £15,000 or less.

The relief tapers from 25% to 0% for properties with an individual rateable value of £15,001 to £20,000.

The relief is available for ratepayers with only one property.

If a ratepayer occupies a second property, the relief continues to be available on the existing property for 12 months before expiring, unless the rateable values of both properties are less than £2,900 and the total rateable value is less than £20,000 (£28,000 in London).

The relief is limited to two properties per business in each local authority.

*Note: A property is required to meet eligibility criteria other than rateable value in order to be eligible for the relief. For example, in Scotland properties used for the purposes of payday lending or betting shops are not eligible. Similarly, there are eligibility restrictions for ratepayers occupying multiple properties as shown in the table.

Question reference: S6W-19880

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 7 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many Preference Waiver Payments have been made to student teachers completing their probation year in the North East Scotland region in each of the last three years.

Question reference: S6W-20110

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 7 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how much was defrauded through cybercrime in the last year for which figures are available.

The information requested is not held centrally.

Estimates of Police Recorded cybercrime were most recently published in the Recorded Crime in Scotland, 2022-23 - (gov.scot (www.gov.scot) statistical publication and are based on a review of a sample of recorded crimes which are considered likely to include a cyber element. The amount of money defrauded through cybercrime is not recorded.

Estimates of Police Recorded cybercrime were most recently published in the Recorded Crime in Scotland, 2022-23 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) statistical publication and are based on a review of a sample of recorded crimes which are considered likely to include a cyber element. The amount of money defrauded through cybercrime is not recorded.

Question reference: S6W-20092

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 7 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the stakeholder responses to its public consultation on the draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan, and, if so, when it will do so.

Question reference: S6W-19965

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 7 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the revised number of patients is that will be treated in the National Treatment Centre Fife, and how this compares to the targets set out in its NHS Recovery Plan.

The following table outlines the current projected activity for National Treatment Centres during 2023-24 with reference to the position in the NHS Recovery Plan.

NTC projected 2023-24 activity

NTC	Current projection (procedures)	Comparison with NHS Recovery Plan position
Golden Jubilee Phase 1	12,481	Higher
Fife	472	Higher
Highland	1,586 (partial)	Lower – see Note 1
Forth Valley	450 (partial)	Lower – see Note 2
Golden Jubilee Phase 2	390 (partial)	Lower – see Note 3

Notes

1. Part-year figure due to opening during 2023-24: current projection excludes additional Ophthalmology capacity due to commence in Autumn and for which planned activity is in the process of being finalised.

2. Part-year figure due to opening during 2023-24: full-year activity as per NHS Recovery Plan will be achieved from 1 April 2024.

3. Part-year figure due to opening during 2023-24: full-year activity as per NHS Recovery Plan will be achieved from 1 April 2024.

Question reference: S6W-19991

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 7 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the original cost was for the planned National Treatment Centre Lothian, and what the revised cost is as of 30 June 2023.

Question reference: S6W-19981

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 7 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the revised number of patients is that will be treated in the National Treatment Centre Golden Jubilee Phase 2, and how this compares to the targets set out in its NHS Recovery Plan.

	2021-22	2022-23	2023-24	Total
Aberdeen City	7	11	17	35
Aberdeenshire	4	12	9	25
Moray	30	50	31	111