Seòmar agus comataidhean

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

Criathragan Hide all filters

Displaying 9237 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S4W-25243

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 April 2015
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 16 April 2015

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-24763 by John Swinney on 1 April 2015, for what reason it has not yet published the responses to its consultation on an interim constitution in Scotland.

Question reference: S4W-25240

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 April 2015
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 16 April 2015

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-24973 by John Swinney on 1 April 2015, what the closing date was for the consultation on an interim constitution for Scotland.

Question reference: S4W-25027

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 20 March 2015
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 16 April 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether Revenue Scotland will be fully operational from 1 April 2015.

Question reference: S4W-25028

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 20 March 2015
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 16 April 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether there are issues that would cause difficulty with the implementation of the (a) Scottish Landfill Tax and (b) Land and Buildings Transaction Tax.

Question reference: S4W-25018

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 March 2015
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 2 April 2015

To ask the Scottish Government on what date it will publish a revised oil and gas bulletin.

The Budget 2015 represented an admission by the chancellor that his policy for the North Sea has been wrong and that the poor stewardship by successive UK governments has had a detrimental impact on our oil and gas sector. The measures announced by the chancellor are a step in the right direction for our oil and gas sector and reflect the types of reforms that both the Scottish Government and the industry, have been demanding for a number of years.

As yet the full impact of the March 2015 Budget measures is not clear, for example the Finance Bill 2015 permits the Treasury broaden the scope of the Investment Allowance by introducing subsequent regulations. I sought clarity from the UK Government on this matter when attending the Oil & Gas Council on 24 March 2015.

The Scottish Government will analyse the fiscal changes that the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in the Budget, in collaboration with stakeholders in the industry, and assess the impact that the reforms will have on future investment and production, and in turn tax revenues. When this analysis is complete we will publish an updated oil and gas Analytical Bulletin, as soon as is feasible.

Question reference: S4W-24973

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 March 2015
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 1 April 2015

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-24763 by John Swinney on 17 March 2015, on what date it will publish the responses to its consultation on an interim constitution for Scotland.

Question reference: S4W-24882

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 13 March 2015
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Burgess on 27 March 2015

To ask the Scottish Government how much of the £35 million discretionary housing payments budget allocated to local authorities in 2014-15 has been spent, broken down by local authority.

Question reference: S4W-24881

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 13 March 2015
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Burgess on 27 March 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the reduction in discretionary housing payments from the UK Government to local authorities for 2015-16.

The UK Government has reduced funding to Scottish local authorities for discretionary housing payments (DHPs) by £1.9 million, from £15.2 million in 2014-15 to £13.3 million in 2015-16.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) provides DHP funding based on housing benefit caseload and the impact of certain aspects of welfare reform on local authorities. The DWP has reduced the total core funding, as well as the funding linked to the benefit cap and changes to local housing allowance. The total funding available in Scotland linked to the bedroom tax has increased by £118,000 for 2015-16 compared to 2014-15.

The DWP publishes details of the UK Government’s contribution to local authorities for DHPs. Details of funding for 2015-16 are contained in the housing benefit circular S1/2015 which is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hb-subsidy-circular-s12015-discretionary-housing-payments-government-contribution-for-tax-year-2015-to-2016

Question reference: S4W-24880

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 13 March 2015
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Burgess on 27 March 2015

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason there is a reduction of £8.972 million in the discretionary housing payments budget for 2015-16.

The budget for funding local authorities for discretionary housing payments (DHPs) in both 2014-15 and 2015-16 is £35 million. The Scottish Government has provided local authorities with £26,028,194 for DHPs from 1 April 2015 and has retained £8,971,806 to be paid out at the end of 2015-16, according to local authorities’ housing benefit caseload data and actual levels of DHP expenditure.

This approach was agreed with COSLA to ensure each local authority receives sufficient funding to fully mitigate the bedroom tax in 2015-16.

Question reference: S4W-24974

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 March 2015
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 27 March 2015

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-24666 by Derek Mackay on 10 March 2015, when it will agree the final account and outturn costs with contractors involved in the A898 Erskine Bridge Vehicle Barrier Replacement project.