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: S4O-00138

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 August 2011
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 September 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to ensure the financial viability of the Edinburgh International Film Festival.

Question reference: S4W-02110

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 08 August 2011
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 26 August 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment has had with Cabinet colleagues to facilitate Scottish Water becoming a renewable energy generator and on the extent to which this could contribute to meeting the annual targets in the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009.

Scottish Water is the single largest consumer of electricity in Scotland, using 450 gigawatt hours per year. This equates to over 1% of Scotland’s electricity demand.

In March 2011, ministers approved Scottish Water’s growth plan for the 2011-15 period which aims to facilitate renewable energy generation. Scottish Water are forecasting investment of £55 million by 2015 which, when combined with investment from partners, would enable assets on Scottish Water’s land to generate more renewable energy than Scottish Water consumes.

Achievement of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 targets will be determined with reference to the net Scottish emissions account (NSEA). For emissions from the “traded sector”, which includes heavy emitters such as electricity generators, the NSEA measures Scotland’s share of EU Emissions Trading System allowances (EU ETS). This is in line with international practice and reflects the fact that reduction of allowances in the EU ETS is fixed.

Although the NSEA will track the EU ETS, decarbonising the electricity supply will play a vital role in decarbonising other parts of the Scottish economy such as transport, which will become increasingly reliant on electricity.

The Scottish Government recently increased its target to generate the equivalent of 100% of Scotland’s own electricity demand from renewable resources by 2020.

Question reference: S4W-02114

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 08 August 2011
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 26 August 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what monitoring it is conducting on the use of business rates discounts specified in the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009.

Section 67 of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act clarifies the position with regard to the power to introduce a business rates discount. The Scottish Government keeps the business rates regime under regular review, including the need for any new discount schemes.

The Scottish Government continues to encourage businesses to reduce their energy consumption in a number of ways. Our funding of the Carbon Trust and Energy Saving Trust ensures that companies of all sizes can access energy efficiency advice, while the Energy Saving Scotland small business loans scheme continues to provide interest-free loans to small and medium-sized enterprises to invest in energy efficiency measures. By installing energy saving measures, business will also reap the benefits of reduced energy bills, increasing their competitiveness and helping to tackle climate change.

Question reference: S4W-02107

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 08 August 2011
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 23 August 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment has had with the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth to ensure that the next Budget (Scotland) Bill fully funds the implementation of policies and proposals contained in the report, Low Carbon Scotland: Meeting the Emissions Reduction Targets 2010-2022: the Report on Proposals and Policies.

Question reference: S4W-02109

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 08 August 2011
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 23 August 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment has had with the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth on ensuring that the next Budget (Scotland) Bill increases funding for peatland restoration and the extent to which this could contribute to meeting annual targets in the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009.

The Scottish Government’s action to meet statutory emissions reduction targets is a collective responsibility across all ministerial portfolios, and all Cabinet Secretaries are currently engaged in discussions in preparation for the Spending Review. There are substantial uncertainties over the expected effects of peatland restoration on greenhouse gas emissions, and we are supporting research designed to improve the evidence base and inform future decisions.

Question reference: S4W-02108

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 08 August 2011
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 16 August 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment is taking to ensure his directorate's compliance with Part 4 of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009.

Question reference: S4W-02113

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 08 August 2011
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 16 August 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what monitoring it is conducting on the use of council tax discounts specified in the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009.

The Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 placed a duty on local authorities to introduce a minimum £50 discount for council tax, where householders undertake efficiency improvements to their home. The Scottish Government, as required by the act, will report on council tax rebate schemes in Scotland, after 1 April 2012.

The Scottish Government also provided funding to allow COSLA and the Improvement Service to commission a review of energy efficient council tax rebate schemes in Scotland. The review was completed in September 2010 and a copy of the report was published in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 51226).

Question reference: S4W-01853

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 25 July 2011
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 16 August 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how it ensures that returns submitted by operators for inclusion in the Scottish Environment Protection Agency's (SEPA) Scottish Pollutant Release Inventory are accurate and that they represent safe levels of emissions and waste transfers.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) provides an on-line system to enable businesses to supply data to the Scottish Pollutant Release Inventory (SPRI). The system should automatically identify where significant changes have occurred between reported emissions, and requires the operator to provide an explanation for such changes. SEPA staff should then review these explanations and follow up any which are considered questionable. Depending on the findings this may lead to corrections to the data entry.

Accuracy should also be ensured because, in addition to sampling by the operator (the types, frequency and methods of which will be specified in the conditions of the relevant permits/licences), SEPA undertakes its own monitoring of the pollutants released from discharging sites.

SEPA also provides guidance and support for regulated business to promote a consistent approach to reporting to SPRI.

Safe levels of emissions are ensured through conditions included within appropriate permits and licenses, compliance against which is monitored and enforced by SEPA staff.

Question reference: S4W-01852

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 25 July 2011
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 16 August 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how it ensures the accuracy of data in the Scottish Environment Protection Agency's (SEPA) Scottish Pollutant Release Inventory.

Question reference: S4W-01851

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 25 July 2011
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 16 August 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will ask the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) to review whether there have been instances of underreporting of chemical discharges by companies submitting information to the Scottish Pollutant Release Inventory.