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-21999

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 16 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 25 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many countryside ranger posts there are.

Question reference: S3W-21842

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 25 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will task Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise with preparing a detailed supply chain analysis for, and in close collaboration with, the marine renewables industry.

The Scottish Government and the marine renewables industry are working closely with Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise to consider how we collectively take forward a detailed supply chain analysis of marine renewables in the very near future. The need for this analysis has been identified as a short-term action point by the FREDS (Forum for Renewable Energy Development in Scotland) Marine Energy Group (MEG).

Question reference: S3W-21840

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 25 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to prepare a detailed supply chain analysis for the marine renewables industry.

The need for a detailed supply chain analysis has been raised by the marine renewables industry within the FREDS (Forum for Renewable Energy Development in Scotland) Marine Energy Group (MEG). The Scottish Government, Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise are working closely with the marine renewables industry to consider the most effective way of taking forward this analysis.

When completed the findings of this analysis will guide the future actions of MEG and will also feed into the Scottish Government''s on-going work around the Renewables Action Plan to be published in June.

Question reference: S3W-21841

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 25 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has received from the marine renewables industry about the need for a detailed supply chain analysis.

The need for a detailed supply chain analysis has been raised by the marine renewables industry within the FREDS (Forum for Renewable Energy Development in Scotland) Marine Energy Group (MEG). As a short-term action from MEG, the Scottish Government and the marine renewables industry are working closely with Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise in taking forward this analysis for both the marine renewables and offshore wind industries.

When completed, the findings of this analysis will guide the future actions of MEG and feed into the Scottish Government''s on-going work around the Renewables Action Plan to be published in June.

Question reference: S3W-22001

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 16 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 19 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met representatives of the Scottish Countryside Rangers’ Association.

Question reference: S3W-21558

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 13 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will accede to the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation’s request for a joint legal opinion to be given by the Scottish and UK law officers on the legality of the Scottish Executive’s proposals on fishing quotas and licences.

Question reference: S3W-21555

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 13 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has discussed the legality of its proposals on fishing quotas and licences with Her Majesty’s Government; whether a joint position was agreed, and, if so, what that joint position is.

Question reference: S3W-21554

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 13 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what advice it has obtained on the legality of its proposals on fishing quotas and licences and whether it will make that advice public.

Question reference: S3W-20998

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 13 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 12 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-20102 by Shona Robison on 4 February 2009, whether it considers there to be a contradiction between the statement that there is no intention to withdraw existing direct payments in Orkney and the number of recipients of direct payments in Orkney between 2007 and 2008 dropping by 33% while the number rose in most other council areas and what the reasons are for its position on the matter.

The decline in numbers of direct payments recipients in Orkney between financial years 2006-07 and 2007-08 equates to a drop in service user numbers of 15. Orkney Council have explained the drop citing a number of reasons, including four deaths, changes in levels of need and one person moving from the area. Orkney Council have said that no direct payments have been withdrawn from individuals in receipt who wished to carry on with their packages. The budget allocated to direct payments by the council remains constant and has not been reduced. Work continues locally within the council to review the use and funding of direct payments.

There are early indications that the number of clients in receipt of direct payments will increase from financial year 2007-08 to 2008-09.

Ultimately, self-directed support is a matter of choice for individuals. However, we are developing a strategy with a reference group and funding a number of pieces of work, including three local authority test sites, to improve the uptake of self-directed support across Scotland.

Scottish Government officials are about to undertake visits to each local authority over the next year to fully understand the local circumstances affecting uptake with a view to informing the self-directed support strategy and, if necessary, legislation.

Question reference: S3W-21386

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 11 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has undertaken, is undertaking, or plans to undertake a survey into the availability across Scotland of schemes for the provision of free home insulation and whether it will outline the results of any such survey undertaken.

The Scottish Government has not undertaken, nor does it currently plan to undertake any survey into the availability of free home insulation schemes across Scotland.

We are however aware through the development of our fuel poverty programmes, and the work we are doing with the energy supply companies through the Scottish Carbon Emission Reduction Target (CERT) Strategy Steering Group that the availability of free home insulation to priority group customers through CERT varies across Scotland.

We have raised this issue with the UK Government on a number of occasions during the development of the CERT programme. The UK Government is currently consulting on increasing the target under the Carbon Emission Reduction Target by 20%. Scottish minister recognise that the design of the CERT programme can disadvantage households in rural areas of Scotland and intend to raise this in our formal response to this consultation.

Scottish households are paying for CERT through their fuel bills, and we must ensure that Scottish communities reap the benefits from CERT and other similar funding programmes, and we need a cast iron guarantee that new energy investment includes Scotland''s rural and island communities.

We have also raised the issue of equal access across Scotland for priority group customers with the energy suppliers through the Scottish CERT Strategy Steering Group, and in the development of the new Energy Assistance Package.

Information on a number of installed energy efficiency measures through a number of Scottish and UK Government programmes is in included in the Home Energy Efficiency Database (HEED).

The Scottish Government funds the Energy Saving Scotland advice network to provide households with information on the most suitable sustainable energy measures for their particular circumstances. This includes advice on the availability of free or subsidised measure, including home insulation.

The Energy Saving Scotland advice network uses the information from the HEED to better target their advice to those areas where energy efficiency measure have not already been undertaken.

The Scottish Climate Change Bill includes a mandatory provision for Scottish ministers to produce an Energy Efficiency Action Plan for Scotland within one year of the bill becoming an act. The availability and cost of a number of energy efficiency measures, including home insulation will be considered during the development and implementation of this action plan.