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-32375

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 12 March 2010
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 24 March 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive how much energy is produced by microgeneration technologies installed in buildings occupied by it and its agencies, also expressed as a percentage of the overall energy usage across the estate.

Question reference: S3W-32380

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 12 March 2010
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 23 March 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive how many Energy Saving Scotland home loan applications have been received in each month since March 2009.

The following table illustrates the number of loans applied for and approved, plus the value of these, under the Energy Saving Scotland home loans scheme, broken down by month since the launch of the scheme on 8 October 2009.

Month	Number of Loan Applications	Number of Loans Approved	Value of Loans Approved (£)
October 2009	15	1	10,000
November 2009	93	21	124,105.16
December 2009	74	56	234,133.32
January 2010	91	54	256,692.65
February 2010	138	57	331,410.49
Total	411	189	956,341.62

Question reference: S3W-32382

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 12 March 2010
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 23 March 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive what the total value was of the approved Energy Saving Scotland home loan applications in each month since March 2009.

Question reference: S3W-32372

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 12 March 2010
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 20 March 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-16666 by Jim Mather on 22 October 2008, what assessment it has made of the impact of any changes introduced since 1 January 2009 to the accreditation standards for installers of microgeneration equipment on the (a) cost of accreditation, (b) numbers of installers achieving accreditation and (c) number of rejections.

Question reference: S3W-32370

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 12 March 2010
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 20 March 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-16666 by Jim Mather on 22 October 2008, what changes have been introduced since 1 January 2009 to the accreditation standards for installers of microgeneration equipment and what the reasons are for such changes.

No changes have yet been made to the accreditation standards for installers of microgeneration equipment in Scotland. The Scottish Government recently received proposals for changes to the accreditation requirements from the industry led working group. We are currently considering these. We are committed to reach a solution that will satisfy microgeneration installers but not exclude Scottish consumers from forthcoming UK-wide clean energy cash back schemes.

Question reference: S3W-32078

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 March 2010
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 15 March 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive on what date consultants were commissioned to undertake the strategic environmental assessment for offshore wind in Scottish territorial waters.

The SEA was taken forward in two parts. The first part; a screening and scoping assessment, was taken forward within government in spring 2009 and consulted on with key stakeholders. This assessment has been publicly available since June 2009.

The second part of the process; the production of an Environment Report, could only be commissioned after completion of the screening and scoping and after following Official Journal of the European Union contract requirements. The consultants, Halcrow, were commissioned on 24 November 2009.

Question reference: S3W-32080

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 March 2010
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 15 March 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason a strategic environmental assessment (SEA) for offshore wind in Scottish territorial waters has not yet been completed, given that an SEA for the rest of the United Kingdom’s territorial waters was completed in June 2009.

Question reference: S3W-32076

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 March 2010
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 15 March 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive when consultation will take place on the environmental report from the strategic environmental assessment for offshore wind in Scottish territorial waters.

Question reference: S3W-32069

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 March 2010
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 15 March 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive what the role is of the (a) Marine Energy Group, (b) Marine Energy Spatial Planning Group and (c) Marine Strategic Studies Forum.

The role of the Marine Energy Group (MEG) was to accelerate delivery of the world''s leading marine energy industry in Scotland and deliver a road map for the sector. The group has completed the road map and (as is common with other Forum for Renewable Energy Development in Scotland groups) has now been stood down. Should a need across industry emerge at a later date that calls for MEG to be reconvened again, the group will be reinstated.

The Marine Energy Spatial Planning Group (MESPG) was set up to address the main issues identified in the Marine Renewable Strategic Environmental Assessment, with the post adoption statement published by the Scottish Government in July 2008. The MESPG is responsible for the development of marine planning and simplified consenting processes to facilitate deployments and the commercial breakthrough of the marine renewables and offshore wind energy sectors in Scottish waters.

The Marine Strategic Studies Forum (MSSF) was established by MESPG to allow wider stakeholders to review MESPG project specifications and outputs and provide feedback to consultants and/or contractors undertaking commissions.

Question reference: S3W-32070

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 March 2010
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 15 March 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive what the membership is of the (a) Marine Energy Group, (b) Marine Energy Spatial Planning Group and (c) Marine Strategic Studies Forum.

The membership of the Marine Energy Group consisted of representatives from the following:

Scottish Renewables Forum

The Crown Estate

Scottish Government Energy

Marine Scotland

Highlands and Islands Enterprise

Scottish Enterprise

Scottish Development International

Scottish Renewables Forum and other representatives from the renewables industry

Energy industry

University of Edinburgh.

The membership of the Marine Energy Spatial Planning Group consists of representatives from the following:

Marine Scotland

Scottish Government Energy

Scottish Natural Heritage

The Crown Estate

Highland Council

Western Isles Council

Orkney Islands Council

Scottish Enterprise

Highlands and Islands Enterprise

Scottish Renewables Forum.

The membership of the Marine Strategic Studies Forum consists of representatives from the following:

Fishing Industry

the Chamber of Shipping

Northern Lighthouse Board

Maritime and Coastguard Agency

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds

Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society

Ministry of Defence

Convention of Scottish Local Authorities

Department of Environment and Climate Change

British Ports Association

Historic Scotland

Marine Energy Spatial Planning Group.