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 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

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-27227

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 August 2015
Current Status: Answered by Aileen McLeod on 14 September 2015

To ask the Scottish Government on what basis ministers consider the potential increased carbon emissions from sites with deep peat when making decisions under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 where the total volumes of peat exacavated to make way for windfarm developments are not available.

Question reference: S4W-26842

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 July 2015
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 21 August 2015

To ask the Scottish Government who has overall responsibility for the management and development of the carbon calculator tool used in windfarm applications and associated guidance.

Question reference: S4W-26843

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 July 2015
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 21 August 2015

To ask the Scottish Government who is responsible for validating carbon assessments undertaken as part of planning applications for windfarms on peat soils.

Question reference: S4W-26846

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 July 2015
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 21 August 2015

To ask the Scottish Government how the outcomes of the windfarm payback calculator surveys coordinated by Carbon Landscapes and Drainage have informed Scottish Government decisions in relation to reviewing or updating the carbon calculator.

Question reference: S4W-26844

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 July 2015
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 21 August 2015

To ask the Scottish Government how carbon assessments submitted as part of planning applications for windfarms that are material to the decision but have not been validated should be taken into consideration by the decision-maker when the decision-maker is either a Scottish Government minister or another planning authority.

Question reference: S4W-26845

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 July 2015
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 21 August 2015

To ask the Scottish Government how stakeholders, including environmental groups, can participate in the development of the windfarm carbon calculator.

Question reference: S4W-26312

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 June 2015
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 20 August 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what 11 communities that “will lose out on the opportunity to invest in co-operative investment schemes” the Minister for Business, Energy and Tourism was referring to in his statement on onshore wind energy on 23 June 2015 (Official Report, c.11).

The communities referred to in the statement as being potentially affected by the UK government's early closure of the renewables obligation for onshore wind relate to the following three Falck renewables wind Ltd projects: Auchrobert in South Lanarkshire, Mochram Fell in Dumfries and Galloway, and Spaldington Airfield in Yorkshire.However, other communities will potentially be impacted. A statement issued by community energy Scotland on 15 July 2015 outlines clearly the direct impact on communities of the UK government's recent announcements on support for renewable energy. The statement is available on the Community Energy website at the following link:

http://www.communityenergyscotland.org.uk/news/15-jul-2015-uk-government-energy-policies-hit-community-groups-hard.asp

Question reference: S4W-26589

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 July 2015
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 28 July 2015

To ask the Scottish Government how much in Barnett consequentials has arisen in each year since 2007 because of increased UK Government expenditure on rail services, and how much of this it has allocated to rail services in Scotland.

The following table shows the Barnett consequentials received by the Scottish Government flowing from increased spending on rail services in England since 2007:

Event

Consequentials (£millions)

	2012-13	2013-14	2014-15	2015-16	Total
Autumn Statement 2011	1.2	1.2	4.9		7.3
Autumn Statement 2013		1.0	3.0	3.0	7.0
Autumn Statement 2014			2.2	7.7	9.9
Total	1.2	2.2	10.1	10.7	24.2

Barnett consequentials accruing to the Scottish Government are added to the total funding available to Scottish Ministers. It is then for Scottish Ministers to decide how the totality of the resources available to them should be allocated across all devolved spending programmes.

During the period April 2007 to March 2015, the Scottish Government has invested over £6 billion in rail services in Scotland. This has supported an increase of 14% in passenger journeys (33% in the last decade) to over 86 million through new and better ScotRail services, new tracks, six new stations and the electrification of the Airdrie-Bathgate, Paisley Canal, Cumbernauld and Whifflet routes.

A further £5 billion programme has been committed to 2019, which includes the re-opening of the Borders railway line, delivery of new electrified routes between Glasgow and Edinburgh via Falkirk High and Shotts and to Stirling, Alloa and Dunblane, as well as substantial improvements between Aberdeen and Inverness and between Inverness and the central belt.

Question reference: S4W-26309

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 June 2015
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 27 July 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what volume of peat is due to be excavated to make way for windfarms that have received planning permission but have not been built and how much carbon it estimates that it contains.

Question reference: S4W-26313

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 June 2015
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 27 July 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what support (a) it and (b) Skills Development Scotland will make available to support the skills transition to renewable wind energy.

The refreshed Energy Skills Investment Plan (SIP), published by Skills Development Scotland (SDS) in March 2015, outlined the priorities for collaborative action between industry and the public sector to meet skills needs across the energy sector.

Energy Skills Scotland will play a key role in driving forward the implementation of the SIP priorities and action plan, which include improving the promotion of science, technology and engineering subjects, addressing the gender imbalance within the energy sector, and increasing work experience and placement opportunities.

Key successes to date in supporting the skills transition to wind energy and renewables more broadly include support from the Energy Skills Partnership (ESP) for the development of wind turbine technicians training at a number of hubs across Scotland. ESP provided support in 2014-15 for more than 80 students in renewable energy work readiness activities such as ‘Working at Heights’, and support from SDS in 2014-15 for 278 modern apprentices to undertake specific units in emergent and renewable technologies.