Craig Hoy

5 Dec 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) basic, (b) intermediate and (c) higher business rate (i) has been in each financial year since 1999-00 and (ii) will be in 2025-26.

Answer · Ivan McKee: Table 1 shows the non-domestic rates and thresholds in Scotland since 1999-2000. The rates for 2025-2026 were proposed in the Scottish Budget 2025-26.Table 1: Non-domestic rates since 1999-2000Financial yearRateable value bandRate1999-2000Up to and including …

5 Dec 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many properties will be subject to the higher property rate poundage in 2025-26, broken down by (a) industry sector and (b) local authority area.

Answer · Ivan McKee: Table 1 shows the number of properties liable for the Higher Property Rate by property class as at 1 October 2024. Table 2 shows the number of properties liable for the Higher Property Rate by council area as at 1 October 2024.The Scottish Government does not…

2 Dec 2024 · Portfolio Question

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.

26 Nov 2024 · Written Question

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

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: 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 individu…

26 Nov 2024 · Written Question

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.

Answer · Shona Robison: 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 Budge…

26 Nov 2024 · Written Question

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.

Answer · Shona Robison: 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…

26 Nov 2024 · Written Question

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.

Answer · Shona Robison: 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…

20 Nov 2024 · Written Question

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.

Answer · Shona Robison: We are currently expecting additional costs of around £600 million in 2024-25 for final pay deals settling above the public sector pay metric published in May.

14 Nov 2024 · Written Question

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.

Answer · Ivan McKee: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W- 30147 on 11 November 2024. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-commit…

14 Nov 2024 · Written Question

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.

Answer · Ivan McKee: The Scottish Government has noted the UK Government’s discussion paper on business rates with interest and will carefully consider the outcome.

14 Nov 2024 · Written Question

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.

Answer · Ivan McKee: 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 lowe…

14 Nov 2024 · Written Question

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.

Answer · Shona Robison: 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 pow…

12 Nov 2024 · Portfolio Question

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

11 Nov 2024 · Written Question

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

Answer · Jim Fairlie: 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…

11 Nov 2024 · Written Question

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

Answer · Jim Fairlie: 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 p…

11 Nov 2024 · Written Question

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.

Answer · Ivan McKee: 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…

6 Nov 2024 · Written Question

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

Answer · Neil Gray: GPs have raised their concerns about reported facility management cost increases by NHS Lothian directly with the Scottish Government and through their elective and professional representatives. As many of the representations received have been on behalf of m…

6 Nov 2024 · Written Question

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.

Answer · Neil Gray: NHS boards are responsible for managing their estates and agreeing terms for facilities management costs with their tenants. It would be for NHS Lothian and other boards to carry out any necessary impact assessment of the reported increase in facility managem…

6 Nov 2024 · Written Question

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.

Answer · Neil Gray: Phase Two of the 2018 GMS Contract will change the way that practice expenses are allocated, with direct reimbursement of costs. Scottish Government is discussing GP facility management costs with the BMA as part of this work.

6 Nov 2024 · Written Question

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…

Answer · Ivan McKee: 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.…

24 Sep 2024 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met with senior representatives from the Scottish hospitality industry.

12 Sep 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the budget provision to provide 100% rates relief for hospitality businesses on islands and specific remote locations; what consultation has taken place regarding the impact of applying this relief at that level, and what plans it has to maintain it.

Answer · Ivan McKee: The Scottish Fiscal Commission’s forecasts from December 2023 estimate the cost of Hospitality Relief for Islands and Specified Remote areas to be £4 million in 2024-25. An Island Communities Impact Assessment, published alongside the Non-Domestic…

11 Sep 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how much has been spent on work on the National Care Service to date.

Answer · Maree Todd: From 2021-22 through to the end of period 5 in 2024-25 a total of £28,730,224 has been spent on work related to the National Care Service.

11 Sep 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been spent on preparations for the National Care Service in each of the last 24 months, and how much it estimates the cost of operating the National Care Service will be in each of the next 12 months.

Answer · Maree Todd:  Costs Incurred M1M2M3M4M5M6M7M8M9M10M11M12M13 Adj2022-23     £805,364£689,179£1,157,770£907,007£1,049,521£1,473,735£3,488,250£301,1002023-24£935,454£504,272£…

3 Sep 2024 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much it estimates it will cost to fund the Minimum Income Guarantee scheme proposed in the Minimum Income Guarantee Expert Group Interim Report.

2 Sep 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many full-time equivalent police officers there were in 2023-24.

Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government publish full-time police officer numbers on a quarterly basis. The statistics published provide a snapshot of police strength at the end of each quarter. Police officer quarterly strength statistics Scotland - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)Th…

2 Sep 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many full-time equivalent nurses there were in 2023-24.

Answer · Neil Gray: The information requested on how many full-time equivalent nurses there were in 2023-24 can be found on the TURAS NHS Education for Scotland workforce statistics site at: NHS Scotland workforce | Turas Data Intelligence

2 Sep 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many full-time equivalent prison officers there were in 2023-24.

Answer · Angela Constance: I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:As of 2 April 2024 (the date on which SPS’ year end people data was collated), SPS’ full time equivalent figure across priso…

2 Sep 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many full-time equivalent teachers there were in 2023-24.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Data on teacher numbers and characteristics are collected in the annual teacher census, conducted in September of each year.Headline figures are published the following December as part of ‘Summary statistics for schools in Scotland’: https://www.…

2 Sep 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many full-time equivalent operational staff there were in the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service in 2023-24.

Answer · Siobhian Brown: Figures for the full time equivalent (FTE) number of operational staff in the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service at year end 2023-24 can be found at the SFRS published Fire Safety and Organisational Statistics 2023/24. These are a snapshot of the organisation o…