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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.

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Question reference: S6W-31341

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 15 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 26 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when it will fulfil the commitment in its Framework For Tax and the recommendation of the Barclay Review of Non-domestic Rates to restore the level playing field with England for commercial premises liable for the higher property rate.

The Framework for Tax 2021 stated the Scottish Government’s commitment to ensuring that the largest businesses pay the same combined poundage in Scotland as in England by the end of this parliamentary session.

Over 95% of properties are liable for a lower poundage rate in Scotland than in anywhere else in the UK. Since the Barclay Review made this recommendation, we have introduced the Intermediate Property Rate on 1 April 2020. On 1 April 2023, we increased the rateable value threshold at which the Higher Property Rate applies, from £95,000 to £100,000.

Question reference: S6W-31342

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 15 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 26 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the UK Government discussion paper, Transforming business rates, which proposes a permanently lower business rate for the retail sector from 2026-27, and whether it is considering a similar approach.

Question reference: S6W-31343

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 15 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 25 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact and extent of the decision to increase employer national insurance contributions on the retail sector in Scotland.

The majority of taxation powers – including over National Insurance Contributions – remain reserved to the UK Government.

Given the potential impact for businesses across the country, the UK Government should have looked across the range of tax powers at their disposal before pushing through this increase to Employer NICs.

It is disappointing that the UK Government failed to engage with the Scottish Government on this significant policy change in advance, and I am concerned about the additional pressure this decision places on the retail sector in Scotland.

The Scottish Government recognises how vital the Retail sector is to Scotland’s economy. Shops and retailers support local communities, attract people into our towns and cities, utilise local supply chains, offer fulfilling employment and support other economic sectors such as tourism and hospitality.

Scotland’s Retail sector makes a significant contribution to Scotland’s economy, comprising 14,325 registered businesses in 2023, accounting for 8.3% of Scotland’s total, and contributing £5.9 billion in gross value added (2021), equivalent to around 4.0% of all Scottish GVA. It is also a major employer, employing 227,000 people in 2022, accounting for 8.7% of all employment in Scotland.

Scottish Ministers maintain that the Scottish Government must be engaged as a priority on reserved tax changes so that we can prepare for the potential impact.

The Scottish Government is committed to supporting the country’s Retail industry, and we will continue to engage directly with the sector.

Question reference: S6W-31175

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 21 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, not including any other non-domestic rates relief schemes that it has in place, how much it has spent on non-domestic rates relief specifically for the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors in the financial year (a) 2022-23, (b) 2023-24 and (c) 2024-25 to date.

The outturn cost to the Scottish Government of providing each relief, including Retail, hospitality, and leisure relief in 2020-2023, are available in Table 3 of Non-domestic rates income statistics, available at https://www.gov.scot/publications/non-domestic-rates-income-statistics/.

At the December 2023 Budget, Islands and specified remote areas hospitality relief was forecast by the Scottish Fiscal Commission to cost £4 million in 2024-2025, available in Figure A.10 in Scotland’s Economic and Fiscal Forecasts December 2023, at https://fiscalcommission.scot/publications/scotlands-economic-and-fiscal-forecasts-december-2023/. Updated forecasts for 2024-2025 will be released alongside the December 2024 Budget.

Question reference: S6W-31340

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 15 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 21 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government in light of the commitment in the Framework For Tax and Scottish National Party 2021 manifesto, what the cost would have been in (a) 2021-22, (b) 2022-23, (c) 2023-24 and (d) 2024-25 of bringing the Higher Property Rate into line with that in England, broken down by industry sector.

Question reference: S6W-31089

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 14 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Minister for Public Finance's reported statement on BBC Scotland's The Sunday Show on 3 November 2024 that the Barnett consequential funding from the recent UK Budget is actually worth an extra £300 million for the 2025-26 Scottish Budget, what calculations it made for the minister to arrive at this conclusion.

The total Resource (RDEL) Block Grant funding received by the Scottish Government (SG) in 2024-25 is currently £39.8 billion. For 2025-26 the Spending Review confirms a resource block grant of £41.1 billion, £1.3 billion higher than 2024-25.

The following table shows the real terms calculations.

	£billions	£billions
	2024-25	2025-26

RDEL (excluding depreciation)	39.8	41.1

GDP Deflator	1.000	1.024

Real Terms Calculation	39.8	40.1

Increase	-	0.3

RDEL figures are as provided by HM Treasury.

GDP deflators taken from OBR publication on the day of the UK Budget.

Question reference: S6O-03983

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish Scotland's tax strategy.

Question reference: S6W-31090

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 13 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether any impact assessment of the reported increase in GP facility management costs has been conducted, and, if so, whether the results of any such assessment will be published.

Question reference: S6W-31092

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 13 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many GPs have made formal representations regarding reported facility management cost increases by NHS boards.

Question reference: S6W-31091

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 13 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to mitigate any long-term effects of the reported increase to GP facility management costs in NHS boards, including NHS Lothian, and, if so, how it plans to do so.