Parliamentary questions
Willie Rennie
1,353 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
31 May 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether, in relation to an independent Scotland, it has a position on the statement in Dimensions of Tax Design: The Mirrlees Review that “we should work towards a comprehensive system of congestion charging on the roads, replacing most of fuel duty”.
Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government has no plans to replace fuel duty with a comprehensive system of congestion charging on the roads.
31 May 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Sir James Mirrlees on the design of a tax structure for an independent Scotland.
Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-15422 on 12 June 2013. 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…
31 May 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to publish a report on its preferred structure of tax in an independent Scotland prior to the white paper on proposals for independence and, if so, when.
Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-15422 on 12 June 2013. 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…
31 May 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to an independent Scotland, what its position is on applying VAT to (a) food and (b) children’s clothing as suggested in Dimensions of Tax Design: The Mirrlees Review.
Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-15422 on 12 June 2013. 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…
31 May 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in its proposals for a tax system for an independent Scotland, what weight it will give to the findings in Dimensions of Tax Design: The Mirrlees Review and whether such proposals will form part of the white paper on proposals for independence.
Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-15422 on 12 June 2013. 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/parliamentaryb…
31 May 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether, in relation to an independent Scotland, it has a position on the statement in Dimensions of Tax Design: The Mirrlees Review that "the policy rationale for the zero-rating of food and children’s clothing is extremely weak”.
Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-15422 on 12 June 2013. 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…
31 May 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact on its poverty indicators of an independent Scotland applying VAT to (a) food and (b) children’s clothing.
Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-15422 on 12 June 2013. 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…
31 May 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the cost to an average family of an independent Scotland applying VAT to (a) food and (b) children’s clothing.
Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-15422 on 12 June 2013. 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…
31 May 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the statement in the minutes of the Fiscal Commission Working Group of 7 February 2013 that “the work of the Mirrlees Review would provide a helpful starting point”.
Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-15422 on 12 June 2013. 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…
31 May 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the recommendation in Dimensions of Tax Design: The Mirrlees Review to extend VAT to food and children’s clothing was a factor in the invitation for Sir James Mirrlees to join the Fiscal Commission Working Group.
Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-15422 on 12 June 2013. 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…
31 May 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the Fiscal Commission Working Group’s meeting on 28 May 2013 included instruction from ministers to rule out consideration of the recommendation in Dimensions of Tax Design: The Mirrlees Review to extend VAT to food and children’s clothes.
Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-15422 on 12 June 2013. 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…
31 May 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether ministers have instructed the Fiscal Commission Working Group to rule out consideration of the recommendation in Dimensions of Tax Design: The Mirrlees Review to extend VAT to food and children’s clothing.
Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-15422 on 12 June 2013. 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…
31 May 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the Fiscal Commission Working Group’s meeting on 28 May 2013 included consideration of the extension of VAT to food and children’s clothing.
Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-15422 on 12 June 2013. 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…
31 May 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the Fiscal Commission Working Group’s work in relation to options and opportunities for a tax system for Scotland includes consideration of the extension of VAT to food and children’s clothing.
Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the minutes of the meeting on 7 February 2013 of the Fiscal Commission Working Group. The minutes can be found at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Economy/Council-Economic-Advisers/FCWG The Fiscal Commission is considering the princi…
23 May 2013 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister what issues will be discussed at the next meeting of the Cabinet.
22 May 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the reported statement by the Minister for External Affairs and International Development at the Doha Forum on 21 May 2013 that “even at the moment, the United Kingdom Government is wanting the UK to leave the European Union” reflects the Scottish Government's understanding of th…
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government’s policy is that Scotland should remain part of the European Union, given the benefits of free movement and access to a single market covering more than 500 million fellow European citizens and around 20 million businesses. That positi…
22 May 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will place in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre details of its modelling of the impact of a 3% reduction in corporation tax (a) in relation to a reduction from 20% to 17% and (b) for a reduction from 23% to 20% as laid out in the report, Devolving Corporation tax in t…
Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government conducted modelling work in 2011 looking at the impacts of a policy equivalent to reducing the main rate of corporation tax in Scotland from 23% to 20%. The detailed results of the modelling are outlined in a document entitled, The Imp…
22 May 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the modelling of the impact of a 3% reduction in corporation tax referred to on page 39 of its publication, Scotland’s Economy: the case for independence, has been conducted recently to reflect the change in the expected UK corporation tax rate since the modelling was carried out…
Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answers to question S4W-15187 on 3 June 2013. 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…
20 May 2013 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister what issues will be discussed at the next meeting of the Cabinet.
13 May 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the Expert Working Group on Welfare and Constitutional Reform has assessed the commitments on welfare reform made by the Deputy First Minister in her speech of 13 May 2013, The Benefits and Possibilities of Independence.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The remit of the Expert Working Group on Welfare is to review and provide assurance on work undertaken by the Scottish Government on, the cost of benefit payments in an independent Scotland upon independence and the delivery of those payments in an independen…
10 May 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S4W-14535 and S4W-14540 by John Swinney on 3 May 2013, whether the evidence from (a) business organisations and (b) regulators regarding the section on page (i) 12 of the report that reads, “the development of this approach has been tested through dis…
Answer · John Swinney: The substance of the discussions we held with business organisations and regulators informed the paper Economic and Competition Regulation in an Independent Scotland, which is in the public domain.
2 May 2013 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister what issues will be discussed at the next meeting of the Cabinet.
29 Apr 2013 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister what issues will be discussed at the next meeting of the Cabinet.
26 Apr 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-13948 by John Swinney on 23 April 2013, whether it will publish the calculation that it used to generate the figure of £10 million referred to in the report.
Answer · John Swinney: The calculation referred to in the footnote on page 24 of the Report draws on the figures on operating expenditure per head included in Figure A2 on page 20.
26 Apr 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-13946 by John Swinney on 23 April 2013, whether it plans to publish further information on the funding of regulation and the extent of industry contributions and, if so, whether this will be prior to the publication of the white paper.
Answer · John Swinney: Information on the funding of UK regulatory bodies and industry contributions is already in the public domain.
26 Apr 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-13945 by John Swinney on 23 April 2013, whether it will publish the information that it received from each regulator that it used to make its calculation in the report.
Answer · John Swinney: The information used to underpin the calculation in the report is available from the relevant regulatory bodies and is already in the public domain.
26 Apr 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-13944 by John Swinney on 23 April 2013, whether it plans to meet the chair designate.
Answer · John Swinney: Plans are in place for a meeting with the chief executive designate and thereafter with the chair designate.
26 Apr 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-13943 by John Swinney on 23 April 2013, for what reason it has not published its dialogue with the governments and regulators of Australia and New Zealand used to underpin the report.
Answer · John Swinney: The discussions with the regulators and governments underpins the Report and is in the public domain.
26 Apr 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to questions S4W-13941 and S4W-13942 by John Swinney on 23 April 2013, whether it will publish (a) the material on health and safety regulation and (b) its conclusion on what it considers the best option for the function of competition appeals and, if so, whether t…
Answer · John Swinney: The powers gained by independence will ensure Scots’ vision for a better Scotland will be realised. The Government will continue to show how Scotland can achieve more as an independent country in a range of papers, speeches and events ahead of the referendum …
26 Apr 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-13939 by John Swinney on 25 April 2013, what topics were discussed during its meeting with the New Zealand Commerce Commission and where this meeting was held.
Answer · John Swinney: The meeting was held in Scottish Government premises in Scotland. The role, functions and logistics of operating the New Zealand Commerce Commission were discussed.