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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-01610

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 July 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 12 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its assessment is of the relevance of Professor Sir Partha Dasgupta’s recommendations for Scotland in The Economics of Biodiversity, and whether it will publish any assessment it has made.

The Scottish Government welcomes the key messages of the Dasgupta Review, which is highly relevant and demonstrates the central importance of biodiversity and environmental sustainability to economic policy. There are no plans to publish an assessment of the Review.

Our National Strategy for Economic Transformation will be published later this year and will focus on building an economy that will maximise Scotland’s economic, social and environmental wellbeing whilst delivering green economic recovery and green jobs, and building businesses and industries of the future. In 2022 we will publish our new post-2020 biodiversity strategy which will outline wider measures being taken to enhance Scotland’s biodiversity and natural environment.

Question reference: S6W-01613

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 July 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 12 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recommendations in Professor Sir Partha Dasgupta’s, The Economics of Biodiversity, that measures of economic success must be changed to guide Scotland towards sustainability, or risk endangering the prosperity of current and future generations, what work it is doing to develop alternative metrics of economic success as alternatives to GDP.

We are developing a cross-government framework, the Wellbeing Economy Monitor, to be published later this year. This work is grounded in Scotland’s National Performance Framework, to track progress towards our outcomes beyond GDP. It includes developing the four capitals approach to ensure we take a longer-term view and are able to join up effectively across Government, noting the inter-dependencies across the social, economic, human and natural capitals.

The National Performance Framework also contains a diverse range of measures of success including a new biodiversity indicator.

We also need to take account of the impact of our economy on nature in other countries. Zero Waste Scotland’s material flow accounts ( https://zerowastescotland.org.uk/research-evaluation/material-flow-accounts-mfa ) is an example of this.

Question reference: S6W-01611

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 July 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 12 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how it will respond to the findings of Professor Sir Partha Dasgupta’s report, The Economics of Biodiversity, which was published by the UK Government in February 2021.

Question reference: S6W-01614

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 July 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 12 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Dasgupta Review on The Economics of Biodiversity, which was published by the UK Government in February 2021, whether it will consider commissioning a Scotland-specific equivalent review, to build on the work of Professor Sir Partha Dasgupta.

The Dasgupta Review is comprehensive and takes a global perspective, and we are not planning to undertake a Scotland specific review. The Scottish Government is committed to enhancing research into biodiversity, as set out in our ‘Environment, natural resources and agriculture research: strategy 2022 to 2027’. This includes plans to establish a Scottish Centre of Expertise in Biodiversity, which will advise policymakers across central and local government and public bodies, on how best to address biodiversity loss.

Question reference: S6W-01554

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 16 July 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 12 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government (a) on what basis it took the decision to align close-contact services with non-essential retail for the purposes of the business restart grants, (b) what financial analysis was conducted to inform that decision, (c) how much it would have cost to align close-contact services with businesses in the leisure and hospitality sector, and (d) how much extra funding has been provided in restart grants to businesses that restarted after the 26 April 2021.

Close contact and retail premises and other sectors were aggregated from December 2020 in the context of payments of the Strategic Framework Business Fund and thereafter for top-up payments, and that was carried forward to the restart grants paid in April 2021, not least because close contact services tend to operate from adapted retail premises.

It is not possible to provide a definitive costing of the financial implications of increasing the levels of restart grants for close contact businesses. Initial analysis of potential costs was based on estimates of the numbers of close contact services premises developed by Scottish Government analysts, supplemented by further information on close contact service business numbers provided by individual Local Authorities. This analysis suggested that the costs of increasing grant rates for close contact services to those paid to leisure and hospitality premises could have been of the approximate order of an additional £20 million, over and above the package of financial support provided as part of the broader set of restart grants. However, this cost is an estimate, influenced by eligibility criteria, assumptions on uptake, and by information held by individual Local Authorities on the characteristics of the broader retail sector recipients of business support administered by them.

Restart grants were paid in April only.

Question reference: S6W-00972

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 12 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what plans are in place to renew beaver control licences when the current licences end on 16 August 2021.

When beavers became a European Protected Species in May 2019, NatureScot made a commitment to carry out a review of beaver licensing after two years.

This review will be concluded shortly following which Nature Scot will publish updated licence conditions and guidance for applicants on its website.

Following their review of beaver licensing, NatureScot has now issued the majority of the licence renewals, which are valid with effect from 17 August 2021 for a period of 2 years. Licence holders have been informed of the amendments to the conditions of the licence, including the provision of a map and compliance with codes of practice, which have been incorporated following the review.

Question reference: S6O-00049

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 June 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 June 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what revenue it estimates it will receive from Land and Buildings Transaction Tax in 2021-22.

Question reference: S6W-00206

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 May 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 4 June 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Scottish National Party manifesto commitment, what the cost would be of bringing the higher non-domestic property rate into line with that in England, broken down by industry sector.

In 2021-22, the Scottish poundage is 49.0p with a supplement at the Intermediate Property Rate (IPR) of 1.3p for properties with a rateable value from £51,000 to £95,000; and of 2.6p at the Higher Property Rate (HPR) for properties with a rateable value over £95,000. In England, the equivalent multiplier is 49.9p with a supplement of 1.3p for properties with a rateable value over £51,000. The following table shows the estimated costs of reducing the HPR to 2.2p, thus equalising the total tax rate paid by these properties in Scotland (49p + 2.2p) with the rate they would pay in England (49.9p + 1.3p) had this change been delivered in 2021-22.

Class	Cost to set HPR at 2.2p ‎ (£m)
Shops	1.67
Public Houses	0.00
Offices	2.02
Hotels	0.03
Industrial Subjects	2.79
Leisure, Entertainment, Caravans etc.	0.06
Garages and Petrol Stations	0.06
Cultural	0.00
Sporting Subjects	0.00
Education and Training	1.34
Public Service Subjects	0.66
Communications	0.08
Quarries, Mines, etc.	0.03
Petrochemical	0.45
Religious	0.01
Health and Medical	0.61
Other	0.31
Care Facilities	0.02
Advertising	0.01
Statutory Undertaking	3.64
All	13.78

Source: Scottish Assessors’ Valuation Roll as at 1 April 2021, Local Authority Billing Information as at 1 July 2020. Ratepayers who have repaid or have publicly committed to repaying the equivalent of the RHLA relief awarded in 2020-21 are assumed not to apply in 2021-22.

Figures may not sum due to rounding. Figures shown as ‘0.00’ have rounded to zero but are greater than zero.

In the longer-term, the annual cost of bringing the higher non-domestic property rate into line with England is likely to be higher due to the expiration of 100% Retail, Hospitality, Leisure and Aviation relief on 31 March 2022 and which is estimated to save ratepayers £719 million in 2021-22.

Question reference: S6O-00009

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 June 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 June 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the rural affairs secretary has had with the land reform minister regarding measures to be put in place to introduce regional land use partnerships.

Question reference: S5O-05083

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 February 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has allocated to support the outdoor education sector in its Budget for 2021-22.