Parliamentary questions
Gavin Brown
1,064 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
27 May 2014 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister when the business rates incentivisation scheme will become operational.
21 May 2014 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government how the Help to Buy (Scotland) scheme is progressing.
19 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it decided not to set targets for the 2014-15 business rates incentivisation scheme before the start of the financial year.
Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-21218 on 28 May 2014. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusi…
19 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to set targets for the 2014-15 business rates incentivisation scheme.
Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-21218 on 28 May 2014. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybus…
19 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the main (a) successes and (b) failures have been of the business rates incentivisation scheme.
Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-21218 on 28 May 2014. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybus…
19 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it decided not to set targets for the 2013-14 business rates incentivisation scheme during 2013-14.
Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-21218 on 28 May 2014. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybus…
19 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to set targets for 2013-14 under the business rates incentivisation scheme.
Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-21218 on 28 May 2014. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybus…
19 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to make payments for 2012-13 under the business rates incentivisation scheme.
Answer · John Swinney: John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-21218 on 28 May 2014. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/pa…
19 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made in relation to the business rates incentivisation scheme.
Answer · John Swinney: The Business Rates Incentivisation Scheme (BRIS) was introduced from 1 April 2012 to incentivise councils to maximise their existing business rates income and growing their tax base by providing councils with the potential to retain 50 per cent of any increas…
14 May 2014 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what further research it plans to carry out on the relationship between the state pension and life expectancy.
12 May 2014 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister who took the decision not to proceed with the Scottish Business Development Bank and when.
30 Apr 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-20802 by John Swinney on 30 April 2014, whether it will provide the information requested regarding how many years the financial projections will cover.
Answer · John Swinney: As announced in the parliamentary debate on the 26 March 2014 (Official Report, c. 29404), the Scottish Government will extend this analysis in the coming weeks to cover a number of years, building on the analysis in the white paper and its central conclusion…
24 Apr 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason £400,000 was reallocated from the justice portfolio to the administration budget at the 2013-14 spring budget revision.
Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-20849 on 12 May 2014. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybu…
24 Apr 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason £1 million was reallocated from the health and wellbeing portfolio to the administration budget at the 2013-14 spring budget revision.
Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-20849 on 12 May 2014. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybus…
24 Apr 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason £2.1 million was reallocated from the education and lifelong learning portfolio to the administration budget at the 2013-14 spring budget revision.
Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-20849 on 12 May 2014. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusi…
24 Apr 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason £400,000 was reallocated from the culture and external affairs portfolio to the administration budget at the 2013-14 spring budget revision.
Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-20849 on 12 May 2014. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybus…
24 Apr 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason £200,000 was reallocated from the investment and cities portfolio to the administration budget at the 2013-14 spring budget revision.
Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-20849 on 12 May 2014. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybus…
24 Apr 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason £100,000 was reallocated from the finance, employment and sustainable growth portfolio to the administration budget at the 2013-14 spring budget revision.
Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-20849 on 12 May 2014. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybus…
24 Apr 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason Scottish Government staff costs for 2013-14 increased from £149.9 million at the time of the autumn budget revision to £164.8 million at the time of the spring budget revision and whether it will provide a breakdown of the increase.
Answer · John Swinney: The majority of the increase in Scottish Government staff costs in the 2013-14 spring budget revision was offset by changes to other parts of the administration budget: £5.2 million of gross expenditure was offset by income, mainly funding for outward secondm…
22 Apr 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will provide substantive answers to questions S4W-20130 and S4W-20129, which received holding answers on 26 March 2014.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Answers to these questions were provided on 9 June 2014. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.…
22 Apr 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the comments by John Swinney on 26 March 2014 (Official Report, c. 29404), when it will publish its financial projections for an independent Scotland and how many years the projections will cover.
Answer · John Swinney: Scotland's Future provided analysis of the opening balance sheet for an independent Scotland in 2016-17. As announced in the parliamentary debate on the 26 March 2014 (Official Report, c. 29404), the Scottish Government will extend this analysis in the coming…
22 Apr 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the second Oil and Gas Analytical Bulletin did not contain revised estimates of future North Sea tax revenues.
Answer · John Swinney: As stated in the first Oil and Gas Analytical Bulletin in March 2013, the bulletins summarise ‘recent statistics and analysis of the Scottish oil and gas industry. The content of each bulletin therefore varies. The first bulletin focused on production levels…
22 Apr 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the updated Oil and Gas Analytical Bulletin will contain revised estimates of future North Sea tax revenues.
Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S4O-03136 on 24 April 2014. The answer can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28862.aspx?r=9116&mode=html#iob_82330.
22 Apr 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government on what date it will publish the updated Oil and Gas Analytical Bulletin.
Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S4O-03136 on 24 April 2014. The answer can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28862.aspx?r=9116&mode=html#iob_82330.
15 Apr 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-20469 by Fergus Ewing on 14 April 2014, what representations or proposals regarding VAT on tourism the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth made during the meeting with the Chancellor on 9 March 2012.
Answer · John Swinney: There was no meeting with the UK Chancellor on 9 March 2012. The representations made by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth on 9 March 2012 were made via the annual letter to the Chancellor setting out Scottish Government pro…
15 Apr 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-20469 by Fergus Ewing on 14 April 2014, whether it will publish the minute of the meeting on 9 March 2012 between the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth and the Chancellor.
Answer · John Swinney: There was no meeting with the UK Chancellor on 09 March 2012. The representations made by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth on 9 March 2012 were made via the annual letter to the UK Chancellor setting out Scottish Government…
15 Apr 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-20469 by Fergus Ewing on 14 April 2014, whether its letter to the UK Government of (a) 18 June 2012 and (b) 11 September 2012 regarding VAT on ski-lifts also called for action on VAT on tourism more widely.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-20739 on 6 May 2014. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Defau…
15 Apr 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-20469 by Fergus Ewing on 14 April 2014, whether it will publish its letter to the UK Government of (a) 18 June 2012 and (b) 11 September 2012 regarding VAT on ski-lifts.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: The text of the letter from the Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism to the UK Chief Secretary to the Treasury, issued on 18 June 2012, is as follows: “I welcomed the UK Government's budget decision to reduce to 5% the VAT applied on cable operated tr…
15 Apr 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-20469 by Fergus Ewing on 14 April 2014, whether its letter to the UK Government of 24 April 2012 regarding VAT on the purchase of static caravans also called for action on VAT on tourism more widely.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-20737 on 6 May 2014. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusi…
15 Apr 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-20469 by Fergus Ewing on 14 April 2014, whether it will publish its letter to the UK Government of 24 April 2012 regarding VAT on the purchase of static caravans.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: The text of the letter to the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, issued on 24 April 2012, is as follows “VAT ON STATIC CARAVANS - UK BUDGET 2012 I wrote in March 2012, prior to the UK Budget, setting out suggestions on a range of issues which would help boost …