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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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

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Question reference: S6W-31995

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 12 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what representations it received regarding reintroducing business rates relief for the retail sector in 2025-26.

Question reference: S6W-31994

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 12 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it reportedly opted not to reintroduce business rates relief for the retail and leisure sectors in 2025-26, unlike in England.

It was not possible to fund all the Scottish Government’s priorities in the budget but, despite the financial challenges, the budget continues to support businesses and communities with a competitive non-domestic rates regime including the reintroduction of a 40% relief for hospitality.

The freeze to the Basic Property Rate in 2025-26 is estimated to save ratepayers £9m a year compared to an inflationary increase, and our generous relief package is worth an estimated £731 million next year and includes reliefs which will benefit properties in the retail and leisure sectors such as the most generous small business rates relief in the UK. In combination, we estimate that around half of the properties in the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure sectors will continue to pay no rates in Scotland in 2025-26.

Question reference: S6W-31765

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 10 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken to ensure sufficient continuous evaluation of eligibility for ongoing recipients of disability benefits.

Social Security Scotland make awards on an on-going basis. This means that awards do not have a set end date after which the client must re-apply. Instead, we conduct light-touch reviews to ensure that the existing award continues to be right for the individual.

In most cases, a review date is set as part of a determination decision to ensure continuous evaluation of a client’s eligibility. Review dates are often set based on when a person’s circumstances are likely to change in the future.

Clients have a duty to notify Social Security Scotland when there is a change in circumstances, including a change in medical condition, which could impact their entitlement. This leads to a review of their existing award and a new decision on their entitlement. In house Health and Social Care practitioners are available to provide advice during the case review process.

For some people, even long review periods are inappropriate, and indefinite awards have been introduced for people who receive Adult Disability Payment or Pension Age Disability Payment whose needs are highly unlikely to change.

Question reference: S6W-31764

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 9 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has made any assessment of the potential impact of its policy of no compulsory redundancies in the public sector on public bodies’ ability to achieve efficiency through automation or other means.

The Scottish Government has maintained its commitment to No Compulsory Redundancy since 2007 and there is no change to the commitment set out in the multi-year 2024-25 Public Sector pay Policy published on 30 May 2024.

The 2025-26 Draft Budget has also set out a 10-year programme of Public Service Reform to Parliament, with a strong focus on the data, levers and workforce that will drive efficiency. To enable this work, we will deliver an Invest to Save fund in 2025-26, backed by up to £30 million of funding recognising the need to catalyse efficiency, effectiveness and productivity projects as part of the PSR programme.

Question reference: S6W-31766

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 9 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what the average percentage pay increase in (a) real and (b) nominal terms has been for public sector staff in each year since 2010-11.

The Scottish Government does not record the historic average percentage pay increase for public sector staff due to the complexities associated with calculating the impact of in year promotions, progression increments within pay scales and the large volume of new starts and leavers.

The pay metrics of the Scottish Government's public sector pay policy provides a reasonable basis for assessing the average nominal increase for public sector staff and those metrics are shown in the table below for the years requested.

There is no single way of calculating real terms increases in pay as there are numerous potential indices such as the Consumer Prices Index (CPI), Consumer Prices Index including Owner Occupiers’ Housing Costs (CPIH), and the Consumer expenditure deflator. Information on inflation indices can be found in the links below:

Inflation and price indices - Office for National Statistics

Final consumption expenditure deflator: SA - Office for National Statistics

Public Sector Pay Policy table

The public sector pay policy applies directly to the pay of the Scottish Government's core directorates and its associated departments, agencies, non-departmental public bodies, public corporations and NHS Scotland senior managers (grades A to C). Other parts of the devolved public sector such as NHS Agenda for Change, Police, Fire & Teachers are expected to use the pay policy metrics as a reference point for their pay negotiations.

Year	Public Sector Pay Policy Metrics
2010-11	1.00%
2011-12	0%; £250 underpin for lower paid
2012-13	0%; £250 underpin for lower paid
2013-14	1%; £250 underpin for lower paid
2014-15	1%; £300 underpin for lower paid
2015-16	1%; £300 underpin for lower paid
2016-17	1%; £400 underpin for lower paid
2017-18	1%; £400 underpin for lower paid
2018-19	3% up to £36,500; 2% between £36,500 & £80,000; £1,600 if above £80K
2019-20	3% up to £36,500; 2% between £36,500 & £80K; £1,600 if above £80K
2020-21	£750 if below £25K,; 3% up to £80K,; £2,000 if above £80K
2021-22	£800 if below £25K; 2% up to £40K: 1% above £40K: £800 if above £80K
2022-23	5%
2023-24	5% from 1 April plus 2% or 0.5% from 1 Jan
2024-25	£1,500 if below £30K; 2% if above £30K from 1 April plus further 1% from 1 Jan

Question reference: S6W-31507

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 5 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how much extra money it is currently due to spend on public sector pay in 2024-25 compared to what it forecast when it set out its 2024-25 Budget in December 2023.

Question reference: S6O-04115

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 December 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the net zero secretary has had with ministerial colleagues on how to ensure the delivery of the workforce required to deliver its net zero targets, including through discussions with Skills Development Scotland and colleges.

Question reference: S6W-31763

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 4 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what the cost has been of its 10 most fiscally expensive measures or policies, that were not the devolved implementation of a UK-wide policy, in each of the last five years.

The Scottish Government’s published budgets for the last five years, including details of planned spending, are available online.

Scottish Budget: 2024 to 2025 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Scottish Budget: 2023 to 2024 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Scottish Budget 2022 to 2023 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Scottish Budget 2021 to 2022 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Scottish Budget 2020-2021 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Question reference: S6W-31177

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 26 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, based on the most recent data available, what the total cost is of providing support to rural bus services.

The Scottish Government provides funding to support bus services nationwide, and does not hold the information required to identify support to rural services. Our commitment to bus travel includes investment of over £370 million to support concessionary bus travel and funding for our Network Support Grant of almost £50 million to help ensure our bus operators can continue to provide access to affordable transport in the de-regulated market across all of Scotland.

Under the Transport Act 1985, local authorities have a duty to identify where there is a social need for particular bus services and can subsidise these at their discretion. Funding is provided to local authorities in their annual settlement to support services they consider socially necessary and for all community transport services, including rural transport networks. In 2022-23, local authorities in Scotland spent £53 million on supported services nationwide.

Question reference: S6W-31176

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 26 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide the latest data on the number of supported rural bus services in Scotland.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the number of rural bus services supported by local authorities. Bus services in Scotland were deregulated by the then Conservative UK Government under the Transport Act of 1985 and are mostly provided by private operators. Under the Transport Act 1985, local authorities have a duty to identify where there is a social need for particular bus services and can subsidise these at their discretion. Funding is provided to local authorities in their annual settlement to support services they consider socially necessary and for all community transport services, including rural transport networks. In 2022-23, local authorities in Scotland spent £53 million on supported services nationwide.