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-33126

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 09 April 2010
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 6 May 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive what (a) energy reduction, (b) energy efficiency and (c) renewable energy budget reporting requirements it must fulfil under the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009.

Section 94 of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act requires an annual carbon assessment of the Scottish Budget, with the Scottish Government producing a report describing the direct and indirect impact on greenhouse gas emissions of its expenditure plans.

The first such carbon assessment was published alongside the Draft Budget in September 2009, including the impact of both energy efficiency and renewables expenditure.

Question reference: S3W-33123

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 09 April 2010
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 6 May 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive how much it spends on energy efficiency initiatives, also broken down by (a) directorate and (b) funds channelled through agencies.

The following table illustrates the expenditure allocated to energy efficiency and renewable energy initiatives for financial year 2010-11. For the purposes of our policy and programme objectives, energy efficiency initiatives and energy reduction initiatives are treated as the same thing.

In addition to the expenditure outlined below, energy efficiency and renewables are supported through a number of other schemes that focus on other policy objectives. It is not possible to accurately estimate the level of energy efficiency and renewables expenditure which such schemes will incur in 2010-11. Similarly, energy efficiency and renewables expenditure by agencies is an operational matter for those agencies.

Directorate	Available 2010-11 Expenditure for Energy Efficiency/Reduction Initiatives (£ million)	Available 2010-11 Expenditure for Renewable Energy and Microgeneration Initiatives (£ million)
Energy	12.5	32.4
Housing and Regeneration	70.9*	0
Total	83.4	32.4

Note: *Includes the Energy Assistance Package''s core budget of £45.9 million, aimed at increasing incomes and reducing fuel bills, as well as improving the energy efficiency of homes.

Question reference: S3W-33300

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 April 2010
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 6 May 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with fisheries stakeholders on the implications of any early closure of white fish and nephrops fisheries due to 2010 quotas running out before the end of the year and what the outcome was.

Scottish Fish Producer Organisations are responsible for managing the uptake of quotas allocated to them in a way that best suits their members. The Scottish Government monitors their performance.

The Scottish Government has drawn the attention of the producer organisations and other fisheries stakeholders to the fact that the continuation of fishing activity at its current rate could lead to the early closure of whitefish and nephrops fisheries. On a number of occasions in recent weeks it has discussed with representatives of the fishing industry how fishing opportunities might best be managed in the context of the opportunities available and the uptake to date in terms of both landings and fishing effort.

The following table notes uptake of available quota on 28 April 2010:

	% Uptake
Stock	North Sea	West of Scotland
Haddock*	34	53
Whiting	49	95
Cod*	31	58
Saithe	56	53
Hake	51	30
Monkfish	19	58
Nephrops	27	18

Note: *For West of Scotland Haddock and Cod, figures quoted are for ICES Area Via.

Consultations with the fishing industry have involved stakeholders from all parts of the country and from each of the industry sectors. They have focussed on a number of points, including ways in which available fishing opportunities can be increased; methods by which the uptake of opportunities can be better rationed over the course of the year, and, ways in which greater flexibility can be introduced into licensing and other regulatory arrangements to provide fishing businesses with greater scope to adapt and grow.

The government is committed to working closely with the catching sector to help ensure a full year fishery, and will manage the non-sector vessels for which it has direct responsibility to achieve that outcome. It is for producer organisations to assess the consequences for the marketing of their produce of any failure to ensure continuity of supply.

Question reference: S3W-33298

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 April 2010
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 6 May 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the potential impact on (a) fish catching, (b) fish processing and (c) ancillary fisheries support businesses of any early closure of white fish and nephrops fisheries due to 2010 quotas running out before the end of the year and what the outcome was.

Question reference: S3W-33299

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 April 2010
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 6 May 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to action that it could take to help avoid early closure of white fish and nephrops fisheries due to 2010 quotas running out before the end of the year.

Question reference: S3W-33301

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 April 2010
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 6 May 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to the European Commission, HM Government and other EU member states regarding the introduction of EU regulations to allow Scottish fish producer organisations to purchase or lease quotas and days at sea from fishermen in other member states.

Question reference: S3W-33297

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 April 2010
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 6 May 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the take-up to date of the Scottish quota for (a) haddock, (b) whiting, (c) cod, (d) saithe, (e) hake, (f) monkfish and (g) nephrops in the (i) North Sea and (ii) west coast fishing waters and what the result is.

Question reference: S3W-33086

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 April 2010
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 4 May 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive what actions it is taking to support micro-hydro renewable energy schemes.

The Scottish Government has ensured that Scotland can benefit from the UK-wide feed in tariff for renewable energy schemes, including micro-hydro. The Feed in Tariff came into force on 1 April 2010.

Support is also provided to agricultural, forestry and rural micro businesses wishing to install micro-hydro schemes under the Scotland Rural Development Programme and advice and funding is available to Communities under the Community and Renewable Energy Scheme.

In addition, the Scottish Government supports interest-free energy efficiency loans through our Energy Saving Scotland Small Business Loans Scheme.

The Scottish Government also facilitates the Forum for Renewable Energy Development Micro Hydro Sub-Group, which is an industry led group tasked with taking forward actions identified in the Renewables Action Plan for the micro-hydro sector. The group is currently working with SEPA on its draft guidance for run of river hydro schemes, which should help developers in identifying suitable sites for development.

Question reference: S3W-33085

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 April 2010
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 4 May 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive how many micro-hydro renewable energy installations are operating, broken down by local authority area.

Question reference: S3W-33088

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 April 2010
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 4 May 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding it has allocated to support micro-hydro renewable energy schemes in each of the last five years.

The Scottish Government has provided funding for micro-hydro schemes under the SCHRI - Energy Saving Scotland Home Renewable Scheme, under the Scotland Rural Development Programme (SRDP) and under the Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES).

The breakdown for funding allocated under the SCHRI “ Energy Saving Scotland home renewables grant scheme is as follows:

FY	Number	Grant Value
2004-05	1	£3,833.41
2005-06	0	£0.00
2006-07	4	£15,244.18
2007-08	5	£16,935.45
2008-09	0	£0.00
2009-10	1	£4,000.00
	11	£40,013.04

Figures for the Scotland Rural Development Programme are not broken down by technology or year, however to March 2010 over £2 million of funding has been approved under the Renewable Energy Agriculture Option. Over £437,143 has been approved under the Renewable Energy Forestry Option and £609,705 has been approved under the Renewables Non Land-Based option. Funding is also available for Renewables Projects under the Diversification Outwith Agriculture Option, where businesses are diversifying into renewable energy production, but this option goes a lot wider than just renewable energy projects.

CARES has allocated grants to a number of hydro schemes, mostly larger than micro-hydro. In the last year, CARES awarded a grant of £2,757 to a micro-hydro scheme in Comhairle nan Eilean Siar.

Central Energy Efficiency Funding was provided from 2004-06, with £15 million being split between local authorities and £4 million provided to the NHS and £1 million to Scottish Water. A breakdown of the figures spent on micro-hydro is not held centrally.