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-35188

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 July 2010
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 30 July 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications for Saltire Prize Official Applicant status (a) have been made and (b) were successful.

One application has been received and will be awarded Saltire Prize Applicant Status. A further three potential applicants have indicated their intention to compete following the outcome of the Further Scottish Leasing Round for wave and tidal energy being opened by The Crown Estate later this year.

It is intended that the application period for the Saltire Prize Grand Challenge will remain open as long as possible. The competition opened for business in March 2010, and the application period will remain open until January 2015.

Question reference: S3W-35048

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 July 2010
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 23 July 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any local authority has cited an objector under 16 to appear in court.

Question reference: S3W-35047

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 July 2010
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 21 July 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any local authority has taken an appeal to court against its own licensing committee and, if so, when and what the result was.

Question reference: S3W-34743

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 June 2010
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 20 July 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-34319 by Stewart Stevenson on 18 June 2010, when it expects the review into the exact need for new capacity for generating electricity from non-renewable sources to be completed and the findings to be published.

Question reference: S3W-34742

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 June 2010
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 16 July 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-34319 by Stewart Stevenson on 18 June 2010, what the terms of reference are for the review into the exact need for new capacity for generating electricity from non-renewable sources.

The Scottish Government''s Climate Change Delivery Plan, published on 17 June 2009 sets out at a high level the options available to meet the statutory targets in the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009. This includes a largely decarbonised electricity generation sector by 2030 using renewables complemented by fossil fuelled plants with carbon capture and storage.

As part of their obligations under s.38 of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act (2009), Scottish Ministers are required to lay a report outlining the impact on emissions of the exercise of their electricity generation related functions. To fulfil this obligation, and in light of recent developments in our renewables potential, the Scottish Government is currently conducting an internal study on the extent of the need for new thermal generation. This will take account of our clear policy on CCS and CCS retrofit which requires demonstration of CCS for new coal plants on a minimum of 300MW net from day one, retrofitting by 2018 following a review of the technical and economic viability of CCS, and full CCS on new builds from 2020, and will reflect the competitive and dynamic nature of the electricity market.

The report will include an assessment of energy demand and supply projections “ including the current electricity supply base, projected rates of renewables deployment and planned retirement of existing baseload plants. It will also be informed by the energy storage and demand management study.

The outcome of the study will provide a high level assessment on the extent of need for new thermal generation capacity and an evaluation of the potential security of supply issues that may occur in Scotland during the expected transformation towards a decarbonised electricity supply sector by 2030. This assessment will be one of the factors taken into account in considering policy on future generation options, alongside environmental, social and economic criteria.

The initial findings will be presented to the Thermal Generation and CCS Industry Advisory Group for its consideration and advice before the report is published in the autumn.

Question reference: S3W-35197

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 July 2010
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 15 July 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions its officials have had with (a) Aberdeen City and (b) Aberdeenshire Council regarding opting out of the council tax freeze for 2011-12.

Question reference: S3W-35193

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 July 2010
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 15 July 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth last met the administration of (a) Aberdeen City and (b) Aberdeenshire Council and what matters were discussed.

Question reference: S3W-35192

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 July 2010
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 15 July 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive when its officials last met officials from (a) Aberdeen City and (b) Aberdeenshire Council and what matters were discussed.

Question reference: S3W-35196

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 July 2010
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 15 July 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth has had with (a) Aberdeen City and (b) Aberdeenshire Council regarding opting out of the council tax freeze for 2011-12.

Question reference: S3W-34317

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 June 2010
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 21 June 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive under what circumstances a public local inquiry would have to be held before a decision could be taken on an application for a development that has national development status under the National Planning Framework for Scotland 2.