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 1292 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S4O-02569

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 November 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 13 November 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what steps the Scottish Futures Trust has taken to ensure that non-profit distributing model investment achieves forecast levels.

Question reference: S4W-17988

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 October 2013
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 5 November 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-17733 by John Swinney on 17 October 2013, when it expects to be able to publish targets for 2013-14 for the business rates incentivisation scheme.

As explained in my response to question S4W-17733, COSLA Leaders took the decision that they did not want to consider the review of the 2012-13 Business Rates Incentivisation Scheme (BRIS) targets until the final non-domestic rates audited figures for 2012-13 are available, which will not be until the end of February 2014 at the earliest.

It is our intention that we will publish agreed 2013-14 targets as soon as possible after we have reached agreement with COSLA on the final 2012-13 targets.

Question reference: S4W-17987

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 October 2013
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 5 November 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-17733 by John Swinney on 17 October 2013, whether it has been able to assess whether the business rates incentivisation scheme is proving effective in the absence of agreed targets.

The absence of agreed targets for 2012-13 should have little or no impact on the effectiveness of the business rates incentivisation scheme. Clearly it would have been helpful to have agreed targets but as I explained in my response to question S4W-17733 this has not been possible given the decision taken by COSLA leaders to delay any decision until the audited 2012-13 returns are available.

Irrespective of what the final agreed targets are, individual local authorities know that they will get to keep 50% of any additional business rates collected over and above the final agreed targets.

Question reference: S4F-01651

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 04 November 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 November 2013

To ask the First Minister what issues will be discussed at the next meeting of the Cabinet.

Question reference: S4W-17873

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 October 2013
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 29 October 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether any of its ministers have visited the United Nations in Geneva in the last six months and, if so, (a) how many officials accompanied the minister, (b) what meetings the minister had, (c) for which meetings officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office were present and (d) whether it will publish the text of the remarks made by the minister at each meeting.

The Minister for External Affairs and International Development visited Geneva from 23 to 25 September 2013, where he met with a number of UN organisations to discuss areas of mutual interest. The Minister was accompanied by 3 Scottish Government officials, and officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office were present at all meetings. In terms of the specific UN organisations the Minister met with during his visit, these included UNICEF, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees, UN Institute for Training and Research, the International Labour Organisation and the Conference on Disarmament. The Scottish Government does not routinely publish the text of remarks made during meetings, and we have no plans to do so in this instance.

Question reference: S4F-01632

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 28 October 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 31 October 2013

To ask the First Minister what issues will be discussed at the next meeting of the Cabinet.

Question reference: S4W-17510

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 27 September 2013
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 23 October 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-16954 by Fergus Ewing on 26 September 2013, whether it will indicate in the white paper whether any policy proposals relating to oil and gas have not been endorsed by the Independent Expert Commission on Oil and Gas.

Question reference: S4W-17512

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 27 September 2013
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 23 October 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-16964 by Fergus Ewing on 24 September 2013, whether the Independent Expert Commission on Oil and Gas will be able to publish minority viewpoints.

Question reference: S4W-17505

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 27 September 2013
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 23 October 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-16954 by Fergus Ewing on 26 September 2013, whether it will publish the views submitted by the Independent Expert Commission on Oil and Gas prior to publication of the white paper.

Question reference: S4W-17508

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 27 September 2013
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 23 October 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-16954 by Fergus Ewing on 26 September 2013, whether the Independent Expert Commission on Oil and Gas will endorse every policy point in the white paper relating to the industry.