Parliamentary questions
Craig Hoy
1,298 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
24 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether Business Improvement District levies in Scotland are capped.
Answer · Tom Arthur: It is for individual Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) to set levy rates and to decide if a cap should be applied. BIDs must clearly set out in their BID proposal documents who is liable for the levy, the amount of levy to be collected and how it is calcu…
22 Jan 2025 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service regarding the setting of mandatory timescales for decisions relating to the charging and prosecution of criminal proceedings.
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many of the directorates of its (a) executive agencies, (b) non-ministerial offices, (c) executive non-departmental public bodies, (d) advisory non-departmental public bodies and (e) other significant national bodies are shared with other public bodies.
Answer · Ivan McKee: How public bodies are organised and structured depends on their status, function and the services they deliver. Public bodies determine the best way to structure their organisation to achieve their objectives, taking into consideration their own lines of acco…
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many employees are shared across more than one of the advisory non-departmental public bodies.
Answer · Shona Robison: For the advisory non-Departmental Public Bodies that the Scottish government holds employee information for, our data shows no employees are assigned on our HR management information system to more than one advisory non-Departmental Public Body.
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many employees are shared across more than one of its other significant national bodies.
Answer · Shona Robison: For the significant national bodies that the Scottish government holds employee information for – our data shows no employees assigned on our HR management information system to more than one significant national body.
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many employees are shared across more than one of its executive agencies.
Answer · Shona Robison: For the Executive Agencies that the Scottish Government holds employee information for, our data shows no employees are assigned on our HR management information system to more than one Executive Agency.
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many employees are shared across more than one of the executive non-departmental public bodies.
Answer · Shona Robison: For the Non-Departmental Public Bodies that the Scottish government holds employee information for, our data shows no employees are assigned on our HR management information system to more than one Non-Departmental Public Body.
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many employees are shared across more than one of the non-ministerial offices.
Answer · Shona Robison: For the non-Ministerial offices that the Scottish government holds employee information, our data shows no employees are assigned on our HR management information system to more than one non-Ministerial office.
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which property classes are included in its definition of "hospitality" for its planned 40% non-domestic rates relief scheme for 2025-26.
Answer · Ivan McKee: The Scottish Budget announced 40% hospitality relief in 2025-26 for properties with rateable values up to and including £51,000, and capped at £110,000 per business.Secondary legislation for this relief will be laid before the Scottish Parliament.…
15 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many civil servants (a) retired, (b) took voluntary redundancy and (c) were made redundant involuntarily, broken down by grade (i) A3, (ii) A4, (iii) B1, (iv) B2, (v) B3, (vi) C1, (vii) C2 and (viii) C3 in (A) 2021-22, (B) 2022-23, (C) 2023-24 and (D) 2024-25 to date.
Answer · Shona Robison: (a) The number of civil servants in Scottish Government core directorates who retired in recent years are as follows: 2021-20222022-20232023-2024April to September 2024A31611145A488118B110968B225202114B327283221C115161920C21416158C37253Please note that d…
15 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many full-time equivalent civil servants were employed at grade (a) A3, (b) A4, (c) B1, (d) B2, (e) B3, (f) C1, (g) C2 and (h) C3, in (i) 2021-22, (ii) 2022-23, (iii) 2023-24 and (iv) 2024-25, and what the numbers are projected to be in 2025-26.
Answer · Shona Robison: The below table shows the distribution of FTE by grade, within Scottish Government Core, for the dates requested.SG Core FTE by Grade 21-22 to 24-25 31-Mar-2231-Mar-2331-Mar-2430-Sep-24A3411369303276A4449449385375B11,1551,1451,1191,053B21,7331,8381,7381,…
15 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many civil servants are currently employed in roles related to the deployment of artificial intelligence within the public sector.
Answer · Ivan McKee: The Scottish Government does not hold responsibility for the recording and monitoring of staff grades and structures across the public sector, so we can only respond in relation to our own staffing.Artificial Intelligence is increasingly being used in a numbe…
15 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it next plans to provide an update on the use of artificial intelligence within the public sector.
Answer · Ivan McKee: Our next formal update will be as part of a parliamentary debate currently planned for early June, subject to ministerial and parliamentary timetables. It is planned that this debate will focus on AI and its current and future impact in the Health sector.Howe…
15 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much sponsorship funding it has provided to Nordic Horizons or associated organisations, since May 2021.
Answer · Angus Robertson: Nordic Horizons has not received any funding from the Scottish Government since 2018.
15 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which public opinion and research organisations it has commissioned to carry out any work regarding Scottish independence or Scotland's constitutional future, since May 2021.
Answer · Angus Robertson: The Scottish Government has not commissioned any public opinion and research organisations to carry out any work regarding Scottish independence or Scotland's constitutional future since May 2021.
15 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on the research, compilation and publication of the Building a New Scotland series of papers.
Answer · Angus Robertson: Across the Scottish Government, a range of staff have been or will be involved in independence work. We do not routinely record details of individual tasks carried out by civil servants, including the number of hours spent on research and compilation, as ther…
15 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many full-time equivalent civil servants are currently engaged in work relating to Scottish independence.
Answer · Angus Robertson: The Scottish Government has set out its commitment to giving people information about independence. A range of civil servants across the Scottish Government provide input to developing and communicating this information.
15 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it anticipates that it will publish the next paper in the Building a New Scotland series.
Answer · Angus Robertson: The Scottish Government will publish further material on independence to give the people of Scotland the information they need. No date for publication has yet been determined.
15 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much it plans to spend in 2025-26 on work related to Scottish independence.
Answer · Angus Robertson: In December 2024, the Government’s proposed spending and tax plans for 2025 to 2026 were published here Scottish Budget - gov.scot. This includes budget provision for a range of activity related to the constitution which will be deployed across Minister…
7 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the scope and format is for the review commissioned by Public Health Scotland into the potential regulation of alcohol advertising and marketing.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government has commissioned Public Health Scotland (PHS) to undertake an evidence review to support decisions on potential proposals in relation to alcohol marketing and advertising that may be taken forward in future. The scope of the review wil…
7 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much the review commissioned by Public Health Scotland into the potential regulation of alcohol advertising and marketing will cost.
Answer · Neil Gray: The alcohol marketing review is being carried out as part of the remit of work Public Health Scotland (PHS) is already commissioned and funded to do. PHS is a national Special Health Board, funded by the Scottish Government to work collaboratively, focusing o…
7 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the review commissioned by Public Health Scotland into the potential regulation of alcohol advertising and marketing will involve (a) calls for evidence and (b) stakeholder evidence sessions.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The evidence review undertaken by Public Health Scotland (PHS) will focus solely on existing literature, studies and research in order to set out potential areas of action on alcohol marketing and advertising. The commission is not seeking to develop or deliv…
7 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the timetable is for the review commissioned by Public Health Scotland into the potential regulation of alcohol advertising and marketing.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government is expecting findings from the independent Public Health Scotland evidence review of the existing literature, studies and research on alcohol marketing and advertising to be available in Spring 2025.
19 Dec 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-32003 by Shona Robison on 19 December 2024, whether the soonest time that it was practicable for it to communicate its final decision regarding its policy on mitigating the two-child cap to the Scottish Fiscal Commission (SFC) was later than the SFC…
Answer · Shona Robison: Yes. The Scottish Government keeps a range of measures under consideration as it develops and finalises its Budget. Final decisions are communicated with the Scottish Fiscal Commission (SFC) as soon as is practicable.
19 Dec 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to questions S6W-30147 and S6W-31340 by Ivan McKee on 11 November and 21 November2024 respectively, what the estimated cost would be in 2025-26, broken down byindustry sector.
Answer · Ivan McKee: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-32778 on 7 January 2025. 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-committee…
19 Dec 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to publish more details regarding its 10-year programme of public sector reform.
Answer · Ivan McKee: The Scottish Government published a detailed update to Finance and Public Administration Committee on 19 December 2023 setting out our reform plan.With actions across 4 workstreams we are clear on the work that Scottish Government is doing. We are working to …
19 Dec 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many civil servants are currently working on its 10-year programme of public sector reform.
Answer · Ivan McKee: Our commitment to reform is not a single programme; it is a cross system approach with a focus on strategic priorities which we set out in the Budget. This work is being progressed through multiple and interconnected work-streams and requires a whole-of-gover…
19 Dec 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what it estimates social security spending will be, as a percentage of its total revenue budget, by 2029-30.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Based on Scottish Government forecasts for 2029-30 the total Fiscal Resource Budget is forecast to be £60.2 billion. Social Security expenditure for 2029-30, as forecast by the Scottish Fiscal Commission, is £8.9 billion. Therefore, Social Securit…
19 Dec 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much it plans to save in (a) 2025-26, (b) 2026-27, (c) 2027-28, (d) 2028-29 and (e) 2029-30, as a result of its programme of public sector reform.
Answer · Ivan McKee: The Scottish Government is committed to making savings by driving key efficiency programmes such as Scottish Single Estates, Commercial Value for Money (CVfM), Collaborative Procurement frameworks, Oracle Cloud implementation, the Intelligence Automation Cent…
19 Dec 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which (a) external agencies and (b) consultancies are engaged in its 10-year programme of public sector reform.
Answer · Ivan McKee: The Scottish Government cannot deliver reform alone and is working with local government, public bodies, third sector and the private sector to build a consensus and common vision for achieving sustainable public services and establishing the infrastructure t…