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-14569

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 26 April 2013
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 13 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S4W-12317 and S4W-12330 by Richard Lochhead on 25 January 2013, whether it will review its responses, in particular its comment that “studies conducted under realistic field conditions have not identified any unacceptable risk at field population level”, in light of the House of Commons' Environmental Audit Committee report, Pollinators and Pesticides, which was published on 5 April 2013.

Question reference: S4O-02131

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 May 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the consultants’ report to the Intergovernmental Scottish Islands Renewables Steering Group.

Question reference: S4W-14411

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 April 2013
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 8 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-13889 by Fergus Ewing on 22 April 2013, whether it will provide an estimate of the date on which it will make available the names of the three recipients of support from the Renewable Energy Investment Fund.

Question reference: S4W-14410

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 April 2013
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 8 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-13555 by Fergus Ewing on 22 March 2013, whether it will provide details of the outcome of the economic assessment of each project receiving support from the Renewable Energy Investment Fund.

Question reference: S4W-14409

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 April 2013
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 8 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S4W-13555 and S4W-13888 on 20 March 2013 and 22 April 2013 respectively, whether it will set out the details of the outcome of the economic assessment for each project supported by the Renewable Energy Investment Fund.

Question reference: S4W-14408

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 April 2013
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 8 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S4W-13559 and S4W-13887 by Fergus Ewing on 20 March 2013 and 22 April 2013 respectively, whether it will state what estimate it has made of net jobs for each project receiving funding support from the Renewable Energy Investment Fund.

Investment decisions by REIF are made following consideration of a range of commercially sensitive information and analysis. This includes the net jobs estimated for each project which will not be divulged on a project by project basis but will form part of the evaluation of REIF after its initial three years of operation. For project deals completed, the intention is that the level of investment and investment leveraged will be made publicly available with the agreement of co-investors.

Question reference: S4W-14255

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 12 April 2013
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 7 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether the arrangements for sending waste from nuclear reactors to England for storage will remain in place if Scotland becomes independent and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

The management of radioactive waste is a devolved matter and, as such, is already the responsibility of the Scottish Ministers. The management of spent nuclear fuel and other nuclear materials is reserved to the UK Government.

Radioactive waste is not sent to England for storage. Spent nuclear fuels and other nuclear materials that are not classified as waste, are currently sent to Sellafield for reprocessing or storage in accordance with UK Government policy.

After a vote for independence on 18 September 2014, it will be in the interests of both Scotland and the rest of the UK for the legacy of nuclear waste to be dealt with in a responsible way that protects the integrity of our environment.

Question reference: S4W-14412

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 April 2013
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 2 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-13890 by Fergus Ewing on 22 April 2013, whether ministers have seen the economic assessments for each project supported by the National Renewables Infrastructure Fund and, if so, whether they will seek their publication by the relevant agencies.

The economic impact assessments relating to projects supported by the National Renewables Infrastructure Fund (N-RIF) are undertaken independently of Scottish Ministers. The economic impact assessments are held by Scottish Enterprise or Highlands and Islands Enterprise and are available through written request to the appropriate Chief Executive, with relevant provisions made for the protection of commercially sensitive information.

Question reference: S4T-00328

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 29 April 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 April 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the engine failure of the MV Hamnavoe, what contingency plans are in place to maintain the lifeline ferry service on the Pentland Firth.

Question reference: S4W-13891

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 22 March 2013
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 22 April 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S4W-13550 and S4W-12998 by Fergus Ewing on 20 and 5 March 2013 respectively, whether it will publish the funding packages and name the "other ports".

The "other ports" being referred to in the response to S4W-12998 were Westway, Inchgreen and Hunterston. Details of the funding package and private sector investment leveraged have previously been provided in response to question S4W-13548 on 9 April 2013.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.