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-35132

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 27 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-34488 by Ivan McKee on 19 February 2025, whether it will provide the information that was requested regarding for what reason its partial island communities impact assessment (ICIA) for the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill did not recommend carrying out a full ICIA on the basis that the measures in the Bill were "not likely to have an effect on an island community which is significantly different from its effect on other communities", in light of the assessment also noting that "the geographical remoteness of islands can generate a number of particular challenges".

As set out in the answer to question S6W-34488, the responsibility of undertaking a full Island communities impact assessment is on local authorities. Additionally, Local authorities have the power to charge different rates and exemptions for different geographical areas. Each local authority has a responsibility to publish assessment of the impacts of introducing a Visitor Levy, and they have a statutory requirement to consult with local communities, businesses, and the public, prior to the introduction of a Visitor Levy.

We formed an Expert Group made up of key representatives from the tourism industry and local government, chaired by Visit Scotland. The Group developed Guidance for local authorities on introducing and administering a visitor levy. Chapter 18 of guidance published October 2024 has further details of what is required of local authorities when implicating a Visitor levy Visitor Levy Guidance I VisitScotland.org.

Question reference: S6W-34978

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 27 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what economic impact analysis it has undertaken regarding the licensed hospitality sector in relation to the limited non-domestic rates relief provided for in the draft Budget 2025-26, and when any such analysis will be published.

The Budget 2025-26 freezes the Basic Property Rate for properties with a rateable value up to and including £51,000, delivering the lowest such rate in the UK for the seventh year in a row. It also provides a package of non-domestic rates reliefs worth an estimated £731 million, including the most generous small business rates relief in the UK, a 40% relief for hospitality premises liable for the Basic Property Rate, capped at £110,000 per business, and a continuation of 100% relief for hospitality premises located on islands as defined by the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018, and in prescribed remote areas (Cape Wrath, Knoydart, and Scoraig), capped at £110,000 per business.

Based on Scottish Government analysis, using the non-domestic rates valuation roll and a snapshot of councils’ billing systems, Hospitality Reliefs in Scotland could benefit up to 13,000 properties, including up to 5,000 hotels, public houses and restaurants. Of these, we estimate that this relief, in combination with existing reliefs, could allow up to 300 hotels, public houses and restaurants to pay no rates at all in 2025-26 with up to 300 more benefiting from the 100% relief for hospitality premises in island and specified remote areas.

The precise number of premises that will benefit from these measures will depend on take-up of the relief and the ways in which businesses with more than one eligible property choose to claim relief in cases where the value of their relief is limited by the £110,000 per-business cap.

Further information on impacts with respect to the 100% relief for hospitality premises on islands and in specified remote areas has been published in an Island Community Impact Assessment which is available at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2025/40/resources.

There are a number of factors which make it challenging to estimate the full economic impact of non-domestic rates relief. These include:

?where a relief is available nationwide comparisons with a control group of similar non-domestic properties would be limited by important differences, such as being a different property type or being outside of Scotland, allowing few meaningful comparisons;

differences in the characteristics of businesses and organisations eligible for a particular relief;
the unpredictability of the behavioural response to any changes in tax liabilities;
the effects of a relief on businesses or organisations that have multiple properties, not all of which qualify for a given relief, or may be subject to the cap on the overall value of relief;
difficulties in matching non-domestic rates valuation roll data to business level datasets to understand the effects of a relief on businesses economic outcomes and behaviour makes a business-based analysis resource intensive.

Question reference: S6W-34955

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 27 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-34287 by Neil Gray on 27 January 2025, whether the commitments on increasing capacity for appointments relate to, or replace, the targets in the NHS Recovery Plan 2021-2026 for additional inpatient and day case activity, and outpatient activity.

Question reference: S6W-34427

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 27 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to introduce specific outreach programmes to increase awareness and the uptake of the Freight Facilities Grant (FFG) among under-represented sectors, such as the agriculture or food production industries.

Question reference: S6W-34423

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 27 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how the Freight Facilities Grant (FFG) helps businesses meet their environmental and sustainability targets, and what specific metrics or outcomes are used to evaluate this.

Taking freight off congested roads and moving it by rail or water can have environmental and wider social benefits but it can be more expensive. Freight Facilities Grant (FFG) is therefore available to assist with the extra costs generally associated with moving freight by rail or water by offsetting the capital costs of providing the required freight handling facilities. It is also available to help companies reinvest in existing rail or water freight facilities where the traffic may revert to road transport.

The value of environmental and social benefits is based on calculating the benefits of removing one lorry mile of freight from road and transferring it to rail or water.

Monitoring is undertaken after a facility funded under the grant scheme becomes operational.

Transport Scotland requires applicants to provide a return of traffic passing through the grant-aided facility. Transport Scotland will require verified tonnages reports from the applicant, in cases where the applicant is required to provide evidence to corroborate the traffic the documentation required will be agreed prior to the award of grant.

Monitoring will cover an agreed period of time to allow the required environmental benefits from the grant to be accrued by the applicant.

Question reference: S6O-04396

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 February 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported view of the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland that proposed changes to legislation on religious observance diverge from the recommendation by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child to allow young people to independently opt out of religious observance at school.

Question reference: S6O-04395

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 February 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the potential impact on state schools of the UK Government's decision to make independent schools liable for VAT, how it plans to use any Barnett consequential funding resulting from this decision to support state schools.

Question reference: S6O-04401

Asked by: Colin Beattie, MSP for Midlothian North and Musselburgh, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 February 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on Action 20 of the Housing to 2040 strategy to "streamline and accelerate the adaptations system".

Question reference: S6O-04398

Asked by: Emma Harper, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 February 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to support increased levels of sport and physical activity in Dumfries and Galloway.

Question reference: S6O-04399

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 February 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when it last discussed the future of Greenock police station with Police Scotland.