Questions and answers

Question reference: S6O-02406

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 June 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it and NHS Scotland are taking to implement the recommendations of the Cass Review into gender identity services for children and young people, as they apply to Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-18051

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 30 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether entitlement to the Small Business Bonus Scheme should be granted automatically to eligible ratepayers, as opposed to it having to be claimed for.

Public bodies have a duty to manage public finances appropriately and this includes ensuring that procedures for administering relief are suitably robust.

Most reliefs generally require an application to be made to the local authority except for universally available reliefs. This is because applications help local authorities determine whether a property is eligible for a particular relief.

The Small Business Bonus Scheme relief is available for properties where the rateable value of the property does not exceed £20,000 and where the rateable value of all of the ratepayer’s properties does not exceed £35,000 and where the property is not used for an excluded purpose.

An application for Small Business Bonus Scheme relief therefore requires ratepayers to declare information regarding their non-domestic properties in Scotland, allowing local authorities to determine whether the eligibility criteria for the relief is met.

Question reference: S6W-18050

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 30 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to promote the Small Business Bonus Scheme to eligible ratepayers.

Scottish Government and local authority websites provide information on a range of non-domestic rates reliefs, including the Small Business Bonus Scheme, with advice on eligibility criteria and how to apply. It also has a Non-Domestic Rates Calculator which is a tool which can provide ratepayers with an estimate of their non-domestic rates bill for the year and indicates whether a property may be eligible for the Small Business Bonus Scheme relief.

In response to a recommendation in the Barclay Review, the Scottish Government issued templates to all local authorities to support standardized bills across Scotland. These templates have been widely adopted and bills issued include advice that a range of reliefs and reductions are available to support ratepayers and direct them to further information.

Question reference: S6W-17846

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 25 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken to work with the business sector to alleviate any concerns regarding whether their demand is being met in relation to Scottish Government spending on apprenticeships.

Apprenticeships are a vital resource for employers to invest in their workforce and for people to develop their skills. Investing in skills across people’s lifetimes is critical to our future productivity and success, underlining our commitment to a skilled workforce set out within the National Strategy for Economic Transformation.

Skills Development Scotland (SDS) is responsible for managing the modern apprenticeship programme in line with Ministerial expectations, and taking into account industry demand. The Modern Apprenticeship demand assessment includes consultation with industry to inform the contracting strategy .

It is standard practice for SDS to work with employers and review changing employer demand for apprenticeship starts in-year, and they adjust the number of starts allocated to respond as appropriate within their budget.

This month, SDS concluded a reallocation process and will issue updated contract awards for over 2,000 new Modern Apprenticeship starts to providers with strong evidence of employer demand and where there is a need to support critical skills in the economy. SDS will continue to follow this process this financial year.

Question reference: S6W-17847

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 24 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding from the Scottish Budget 2023-24 has been allocated to the Flexible Workforce Development Fund.

Question reference: S6W-17843

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 23 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in the academic year 2022-23, how much it (a) received through the apprenticeship levy and (b) spent to fund apprenticeships through the (i) Flexible Workforce Development Fund and (ii) Scottish Government Apprenticeship programme.

The UK Government Apprenticeship Levy is a reserved tax on employers which was implemented by the UK Government. Scotland receives a proportionate share of tax revenues via the block grant as per the Fiscal Framework agreement with UK Treasury.

On 14 November 2016, the UK Government announced the Scottish Government’s settlement from the UK Apprenticeship Levy based on a population share of projected revenue for the first three years only. From 2020-21, the normal operation of the Barnett Formula has applied. As a result, the Scottish Government has no direct control or responsibility for its operation and we have not had a breakdown of Levy funding for Scotland since 2020-21.

SDS fund Modern and Foundation apprenticeships through their core grant in-aid budget. Audited spend for 2022-23 will be published in the SDS annual accounts later in the year, which will be available on the SDS website.

The Flexible Workforce Development Fund (FWDF) does not fund apprenticeships. It is designed to provide employers across Scotland with flexible training to upskill their current workforce.

Question reference: S6O-02270

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the latest data reportedly showing that a majority of Scottish taxpayers now pay higher income tax than those elsewhere in the UK.

Question reference: S6O-02259

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to assist any businesses that are struggling to recruit skilled workers.

Question reference: S6O-02210

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to reduce waiting times for NHS Scotland’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.

Question reference: S6W-16827

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 3 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how the public has been informed of the closure of the Dumb Dumpers fly tipping reporting service.

Previously the public were able to report flytipping via the Dumb Dumpers system (whereby reports could either be made online to Zero Waste Scotland, or via a telephone hotline hosted by SEPA) and to local authorities directly.

As of 1 April 2023, the Dumb Dumpers telephone line no longer accepts flytipping reports. A recorded message advises callers to contact the relevant local authority.

Online searches for the Dumb Dumpers hotline and web form are directed from the Zero Waste Scotland and SEPA websites to an online tool which helps visitors to identify the correct local authority to which the report should be made. A Frequently Asked Questions document has been developed and is available on both websites to inform the public of updated reporting arrangements and why this change has been made.

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