Questions and answers

Chamber and committees

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 ��˿�� 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.

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Question reference: S4W-06439

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 March 2012
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 17 April 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how much the average council tax payer in each local authority area has saved since the inception of the council tax freeze.

Over the five year period the council tax freeze will have been in place (2008-13), the average Band D household in Scotland will have benefited from cumulative savings of £487. The following table sets out how much the average Band D household within each local authority area will have saved.

Average Band D saving from the council tax freeze (£) (2008-09 to 2012-13)*

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Aberdeen City	507
Aberdeenshire	490
Angus	464
Argyll and Bute	477
Clackmannanshire	493
Dumfries and Galloway	447
Dundee City	519
East Ayrshire	517
East Dunbartonshire	487
East Lothian	474
East Renfrewshire	464
Edinburgh, City of	480
Eilean Siar	442
Falkirk	464
Fife	475
Glasgow City	509
Highland	490
Inverclyde	513
Midlothian	525
Moray	490
North Ayrshire	486
North Lanarkshire	482
Orkney Islands	449
Perth and Kinross	486
Renfrewshire	496
Scottish Borders	460
Shetland Islands	459
South Ayrshire	488
South Lanarkshire	475
Stirling	499
West Dunbartonshire	503
West Lothian	490
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Notes:

*Derived from CTAXBASE 2010 and CTAS 2010.

1. assume 3.0% growth in council tax each year.

2. figures show effects on bills – the figures do not take account of council tax benefit.

Question reference: S4W-06440

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 March 2012
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 11 April 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the UK Government about devolving powers over alcohol and tobacco duty to the Scottish Parliament in light of the health impacts in Scotland of smoking and drinking alcohol.

The Scottish Government proposed devolving alcohol excise duty in the Scotland Bill. A detailed proposition to align tax revenues with the public spending cost from alcohol consumption in Scotland was sent to the UK Government on 6 October 2011. The UK Government has not included this proposal in the bill. There have been no discussions between the Scottish Government and the UK Government on devolving tobacco duty to the Scottish Parliament.

The Scottish Government remains strongly of the view that the Scottish Parliament should be responsible for all tax raising powers in Scotland, including alcohol and tobacco duty.

Question reference: S4W-06443

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 March 2012
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 10 April 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the UK Government about devolving power over fuel duty to the Scottish Parliament in light of the financial impact on Scottish businesses.

Since 2007, the Scottish Government has made regular representations to the UK Government regarding fuel duty and fuel prices in Scotland.

Most recently, the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth wrote to the Chancellor on 9 March 2012, urging him to introduce a fuel duty regulator and to reconsider the fuel duty increase planned for August - which will impose an additional burden on households and businesses at this challenging time.

The UK Government’s reluctance to act on this issue highlights the urgent need for Scotland to secure greater tax and legal powers - which would allow the Scottish Parliament to respond directly to the issue of rising fuel prices.

Question reference: S4W-06441

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 March 2012
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 29 March 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider linking non-domestic rate levels for licensed premises to the amount of alcohol sold.

Question reference: S4W-05689

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 February 2012
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 15 March 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to issue guidance to local authorities on the allocation of social housing to veterans and those leaving the military.

A practical guide to social housing allocations was published online in March 2011. This aims to help social landlords understand the requirements and the flexibilities they have in allocating their housing. It includes revised guidance on housing ex-service personnel to help social landlords consider and address their needs and ensure they are not disadvantaged. The guide also provides practical examples of approaches being used by landlords to manage housing allocations including in relation to ex-service personnel. The guide is available on the Scottish Government’s website at:

To further support landlords to understand and meet the needs of the armed forces community, additional practice examples of approaches being taken by social landlords to support service personnel will be developed and shared through the guide. Once additional practice examples have been identified, we will remind all social landlords of the importance of addressing the housing needs of our armed forces and veterans’ community and highlight the guidance, additional practice examples as well as the Scottish housing options leaflet for people leaving the armed forces and ex-service personnel.

Question reference: S4W-05688

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 February 2012
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 15 March 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the UK Government has provided funding to help house military personnel who have been made redundant.

Funding by the UK Government is a matter for the UK Government. But to support those who have served in the armed forces to find suitable housing the Scottish Government has:

Published a tailored housing options leaflet: A Scottish housing guide for people leaving the armed forces and ex-service personnel, which provides information on housing options and where to go for further advice and support. The leaflet is available online at: ;

Issued a new practical guide to social housing allocations in March 2011, which strengthens guidance on housing ex-service personnel to help social landlords address their needs to ensure they are not disadvantaged;

Amended Scottish legislation in 2010 to allow homeless ex-service personnel to establish a “local connection” through their service in an area in the same way that others can;

Provided priority access to people in the armed forces or veterans, widows, widowers and other partners of service personnel killed in action to the Scottish Government's Low-Cost Initiative for First Time Buyers (LIFT) shared equity schemes, and

In December 2011, announced funding to Ownership Options to provide a new project to help disabled ex-servicemen and women to access suitable housing. Ownership Options will recruit and train a disabled ex-service person to provide this service helping them to engage more effectively with the veterans’ community.

Question reference: S4W-05691

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 February 2012
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 8 March 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how many former military personnel are on each council house waiting list.

Question reference: S4W-05690

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 February 2012
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 8 March 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the UK Government has given any indication of its intention to transfer military housing to local authorities or housing associations.

Question reference: S4O-00807

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 March 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 March 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average council tax saving has been in Aberdeen since the council tax freeze was introduced.

Question reference: S4W-05705

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 February 2012
Current Status: Answered by Liam McArthur on 5 March 2012

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it plans to review the audit processes of the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman.

Under the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman Act 2002, the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman is required to keep and prepare accounts in respect of each financial year in accordance with an Accounts Direction from Scottish Ministers. The Ombudsman must send a copy of the annual accounts to the Auditor General for Scotland for auditing.

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The audit of accounts is undertaken by Audit Scotland, on behalf of the Auditor General, and the auditors’ responsibility is to audit and express an opinion on the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and international standards on auditing. The SPCB has no plans to review this statutory financial audit process.