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: S3W-36371

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 17 September 2010
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 28 September 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Cabinet Secretary for Justice expects to make a final decision on the recommendations given by the Scottish Police Services Authority on its forensic services modernisation plans.

Question reference: S3W-36366

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 17 September 2010
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 28 September 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Cabinet Secretary for Justice last met the Scottish Police Services Authority board and what issues were discussed.

Question reference: S3W-36372

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 17 September 2010
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 28 September 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive on what authority the board of the Scottish Police Services Authority decided not to make public its recommendations on the forensic services modernisation plans.

Question reference: S3W-35918

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 August 2010
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 23 September 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive, given its conclusion that the Energy from Waste Potential in Scotland report showed that “heat-only plants could meet 6% of Scotland’s existing heat needs”, what proportion of this 6% does it estimate will come from (a) thermal-only output from waste-streams identified as potentially suitable for combustion and (b) anaerobic digestion.

Question reference: S3W-36260

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 September 2010
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 23 September 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-35792 by Richard Lochhead on 9 September 2010, what external body will be responsible for carrying out a strategic review of Scottish grid infrastructure for marine energy to identify longer term grid infrastructure upgrades on the basis of expected development locations.

We do not envisage any external body taking on this important role for Scotland. However, our Second National Planning Framework highlights a suite of energy infrastructure and grid development projects across Scotland that we have identified as projects of national priority in helping deliver sustainable economic growth, tackle climate change, and enable Scotland to move towards a low carbon economy.

The Scottish Government also has regular, detailed and ongoing engagement with Ofgem, National Grid, renewable energy developers, Scottish transmission system operators, DECC and the European Union, on strategic grid infrastructure development and reinforcement across Scotland. This includes working in the Electricity Networks Strategy Group, which has set out the strategic onshore and offshore grid development for Scotland that will support connection of up to 11.4 GW of renewable energy by 2020.

Question reference: S3W-35898

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 August 2010
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 21 September 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the publication of the report Building a roadmap for heat - 2050 scenarios and heat delivery in the UK, what role it envisages for heat-grids to help manage the matching of electricity demand and supply in future updates to the Renewable Action Plan.

The Scottish Government recognises the potential role of renewable electricity for heating, and has already supported community owned wind to heat small scale projects in more remote areas of Scotland.

District heating is a new focus in our policy development and actions relating to this will be highlighted in the forthcoming energy efficiency action plan.

In addition, the Scottish Government is funding a heat mapping pilot in the Highland Council area. The data collected will incorporate heat demand and supply as well as skills and services. The map will be a useful tool to help identify opportunities to maximise the use of renewable heat within all planned new developments (industrial, commercial and domestic) and refurbishment projects.

Question reference: S3W-35897

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 August 2010
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 21 September 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the closure of the Community and Renewable Energy Scheme to new applications, when it intends to publish the remit of the feasibility study it has commissioned to look into early stage financing for renewables’ projects.

The Scottish Government has already commissioned a feasibility study whose summarised remit is to investigate the need and demand for a loan fund to be used by community groups and landowners to finance renewable energy projects. The study will also explore the benefits that such a fund could bring to Scotland. The full remit will be available on the latest news section of the Scottish Government''s energy website on 23 September 2010, found at the following link

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Business-Industry/Energy.

Question reference: S3W-35894

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 August 2010
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 17 September 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive when it initially planned to establish a pilot project to develop a national data-sharing centre to improve the co-ordination of scientific work in relation to consents and planning for renewable energy projects and what the timetable for this was.

Question reference: S3W-35893

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 August 2010
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 17 September 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of its commitment to develop National Occupational Standards (NOS) to support the range of renewable technologies via Sector Skills Council’s NOS development plans, whether the safety competences developed by OPITO for the offshore oil and gas industry should be applied to the offshore renewables sector.

As the lead trade and professional body for the UK wind and marine renewables industries, RenewableUK have held initial discussions with OPITO regarding safety competencies.

Following on from those discussions RenewableUK have taken responsibility for the health and safety training standards and approvals protocols for the wind energy and marine renewables sector in the UK.

The Scottish Government continues to be in close engagement with RenewableUK in order to ensure this critical issue is taken forward in Scotland.

Question reference: S3W-35896

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 August 2010
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 17 September 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to fund the pilot project to develop a national data-sharing centre to improve the co-ordination of scientific work in relation to consents and planning.