Chamber and committees

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Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs 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

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Question reference: S6W-43142

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
Date lodged: Friday, 16 January 2026
Current Status: Holding Answer by Fiona Hyslop on 30 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6O-05362 by Kate Forbes on 14 January 2026, by what date before the end of the current parliamentary session the Cabinet Secretary for Transport will provide an update on the procurement method for the dualling of the section of the A96 between Inverness and Auldearn and the Nairn by-pass, and what the timetable is for its construction.

Question reference: S6W-43141

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
Date lodged: Friday, 16 January 2026
Current Status: Holding Answer by Fiona Hyslop on 30 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6O-05362 by Kate Forbes on 14 January 2026, how much investment has been confirmed for each of the next four years for dualling the A96, and for what specific purposes the investment has been allocated each year.

Question reference: S6W-43143

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
Date lodged: Friday, 16 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 29 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the advice note, and any speaking note, provided to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government for the draft 2026-27 Budget statement relating to the dualling of the (a) A9 and (b) A96, including the section of the A96 between Inverness and Auldearn and the Nairn by-pass.

As recognised in the provisions of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, it is necessary to maintain appropriate space for Ministers to receive advice from officials. The Scottish Government therefore would not release such material. The statement I delivered to Parliament on the 2026-27 Scottish Budget, on 13 January 2026, is available online at the following link: Scottish Budget 2026-2027: Finance Secretary's statement - 13 January 2026 - gov.scot. The status of the A9 and A96 is set out in the Infrastructure Delivery Pipeline, annexes A and B, which is available at the following link: Infrastructure Delivery Pipeline 2026 - gov.scot.

Question reference: S6W-43377

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 January 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 11 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Scottish Retail Consortium’s analysis of its draft Budget 2026-27, as set out in its Post-Scottish Budget submission to the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee, that Scotland’s less competitive retail hospitality and leisure sectors rates relief compared with England is at odds with the commitments on tax competitiveness outlined in its Tax Strategy, New Deal for Business Implementation Plan, and the 2021 Scottish National Party manifesto, and contradicts the Retail Industry Leadership Group’s vision of making Scotland the best place in the UK to grow a retail business.

Question reference: S6W-43318

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
Date lodged: Monday, 26 January 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 9 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the decision taken in its draft Scottish Budget 2026-27 to provide a smaller business rate discount for retail and hospitality premises than will apply in England from April 2026, what analysis or assessment it has undertaken of the potential risk to the funding of Business Improvement Districts should commercial investment in retail and hospitality shift to England if Scotland does not introduce a commensurate reduction in the business rate.

Question reference: S6W-43319

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
Date lodged: Monday, 26 January 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 9 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the decision taken in its draft Scottish Budget 2026-27 to introduce Retail Hospitality and Leisure sectors rates relief, what analysis or assessment it has undertaken of the potential risk to commercial investment in retail, hospitality and leisure shifting to England if Scotland does not introduce a commensurate reduction for premises liable for the Higher Property Rate.

Question reference: S6W-43317

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
Date lodged: Monday, 26 January 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 9 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the decision taken in its draft Scottish Budget 2026-27 to provide a smaller business rate discount for retail and hospitality premises than will apply in England from April 2026, what analysis or assessment it has undertaken of the potential risk to fulfilling its Town Centres Action Plan should commercial investment in retail and hospitality shift to England if Scotland does not introduce a commensurate reduction in the business rate.

Question reference: S6W-43320

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
Date lodged: Monday, 26 January 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 9 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it had with its Tax Advisory Group regarding excluding premises liable for the Higher Property Rate from the new retail, hospitality and leisure sectors rates relief.

Question reference: S6O-05410

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 January 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether, without the use of private finance to enable construction of key infrastructure projects, there is a risk that Scotland could be seen as less attractive for inward investment and as a location for business, compared with other European countries.

Question reference: S6W-42681

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 14 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the decision taken in the UK Government Budget to provide a permanent business rate discount for retail and hospitality businesses in England from April 2026, whether it will adhere to its pledge in the New Deal for Business Group Implementation Plan to deliver a competitive business rates system.

The draft Budget published on 13 January ensures the estimated revenues raised from non-domestic rates in 2026-27 will be 6% lower in real terms than pre-COVID, using the Consumer Price Index.

The strong package for 2026-27 decreases the Basic, Intermediate and Higher Property Rates in 2026-27, delivering the lowest Basic Property Rate since 2018-19 and businesses and communities will be supported with a generous non-domestic rates relief package worth an estimated £864 million in 2026-27. This includes the Small Business Bonus Scheme which remains the most generous scheme of its kind in the UK and is confirmed for the next three years, as well as transitional relief schemes.

It also continues a number of reliefs which are not available elsewhere in the UK, or are less generous, such as the Business Growth Accelerator Relief, Day Nursery relief, Fresh Start relief and the UK’s most generous package of reliefs for the energy-generating sector.

Recognising the challenges faced by the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors, for the next three years we will offer 15% relief for eligible properties in these sectors liable for the Basic or Intermediate Property Rates, capped at £110,000 per business per year; and extend and expand 100% relief for the next three years to retail, hospitality and leisure premises located on islands as defined by the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018, and in prescribed remote areas (Cape Wrath, Knoydart and Scoraig) capped at £110,000 per business per year.

Around half of the properties in the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure sectors continue to be eligible for 100% SBBS relief in 2026-27. A further 37,000 properties could benefit from the new 15% relief for Retail, Hospitality and Leisure properties with a rateable value up to and including £100,000 and on Islands.

Taken together around 89,000 properties (or 96%) across the three sectors could benefit from zero or reduced rates and the budget guarantees that support for the full three years of the revaluation.

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