Questions and answers

Question reference: S5W-07981

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 10 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Annabelle Ewing on 22 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it had had with the UK Government regarding the fire risk from faulty white goods.

Regulations concerning the safety of products are reserved and, while there has been no discussion between Scottish Government and UK Government on this, we welcome the UK Government’s recent action in establishing a working group to improve the safety of white goods.

In Scotland there is an information sharing protocol between the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) and its network of partnership agencies which allows the sharing of information about fire-related product safety issues.

Question reference: S5W-07982

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 10 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Annabelle Ewing on 22 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service regarding collecting the data on the number of fires caused by (a) mobile telephone chargers and (b) e-cigarettes.

Through the Fire and Rescue Framework for Scotland 2016, Scottish Ministers require SFRS to collect, produce and analyse data and other intelligence to promote the safety and well-being of communities.

SFRS works with partners in communities to identify risks and to target fire prevention activities at those most vulnerable and it is SFRS, in collaboration with those partners, who is best placed to identify the data required to inform fire prevention strategies on a local and national basis.

Question reference: S5W-08093

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 21 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding how much has been raised by the North Sea (a) oil and (b) gas sector in each of the last three years through (i) royalties, (ii) the supplementary charge, (iii) ring-fenced corporation tax and (iv) petroleum revenue tax, and what estimate it has made for each of the next three years.

Question reference: S5W-08097

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 21 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding the level of exploration there has been in the North Sea oil and gas sector in each of the last five years, and how successful this has been.

Information on the number of exploration and appraisal wells drilled is produced by the Oil and Gas Authority. This information can be found via https://www.ogauthority.co.uk/data-centre/data-downloads-and-publications/well-data/

Oil and Gas UK also provide information in the success rates of exploration and appraisal activity. This information can be found via: http://oilandgasuk.co.uk/businessoutlook.cfm

Question reference: S5W-08098

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 21 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what it based its most recent oil and gas price predictions on.

Question reference: S5W-08096

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 21 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding how much private sector investment there has been in North Sea oil and gas (a) exploration and (b) development and production in each of the last three years, and what estimate it has made for each of the next three years.

The Scottish Government Oil and Gas Production Statistics 2015-16 includes estimates of oil and gas production activity in Scotland (including Scottish adjacent waters). It reports production volumes, approximate sales income, operating costs and capital expenditure. This can be found via http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Economy/oilgas1516

Expenditure statistics for the UK Continental Shelf, including short term forecasts to 2018, are produced by Oil and Gas UK and can be found in the Business Outlook Report 2017 via http://oilandgasuk.co.uk/businessoutlook.cfm

Question reference: S5W-08100

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 21 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding the (a) volume and (b) value of trade of North Sea (i) oil, (ii) oil-related products, (iii) gas and (iv) petrochemicals in each of the last five years.

Statistics on the estimated commodity balances for Scotland, including the North Sea, of oil, petroleum products and natural gas are published at http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Economy/oilgas.

Estimates for trade in oil and gas, oil-related products and petrochemicals in value terms can be found via the following sources:

Statistics on the estimated value of exports of oil and gas from Scotland, including the North Sea, are published at: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Economy/oilgas.

Export Statistics Scotland, which provide estimates of exports for onshore petrochemicals are published at: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Economy/Exports/ESSPublication

Energy in Scotland 2017 was published on 23 February 2017 and provides a detailed overview of energy statistics for Scotland, including oil and gas statistics. This can be found via: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Business/Energy/EIS

Question reference: S5W-08094

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 21 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many North Sea oil and gas fields are the subject of decommissioning proposals, and how much it would cost to decommission these over the next three years.

The UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy regulates the decommissioning of offshore oil and gas installations and pipelines. A table of draft decommissioning programmes under consideration and approved decommissioning programmes can be found via the following link: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/oil-and-gas-decommissioning-of-offshore-installations-and-pipelines

There are a number of estimates around the potential cost and timing of oil and gas decommissioning activity, including:

Scottish Enterprise and Highland and Islands Enterprise published an Oil and Gas Decommissioning Action Plan in December 2016. This includes an analysis of decommissioning costs and activity. This can be found via: https://www.scottish-enterprise.com/knowledge-hub/articles/publication/oil-gas-decommissioning-action-plan

The Oil and Gas Authority’s Decommissioning Strategy summarises current cost projections, outlines efficiency improvements and transformative options that will support the delivery of Maximising Economic Recovery UK. This can be found via: https://www.ogauthority.co.uk/decommissioning/strategy/

Oil and Gas UK’s Decommissioning Insight 2016 report presents forecasts of offshore oil and gas infrastructure decommissiong in the UK and Norway over the next ten years. This can be found via: http://oilandgasuk.co.uk/decommissioninginsight.cfm

Question reference: S5W-08095

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 21 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding how many people have been (a) directly and (b) indirectly employed by the North Sea oil and gas sector in each of the last three years, and what estimate it has made for each of the next three years.

The Office for National Statistics produces statistics on employment by sector and region in the Labour Force Survey and Business Register and Employment Survey. These can be found via: https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes.

Energy in Scotland 2017 was published on 23 February 2017 and provides a detailed overview of energy statistics for Scotland, including oil and gas statistics. This can be found via: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Business/Energy/EIS

Question reference: S5W-08099

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 21 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what the impact would be on the North Sea oil and gas sector of a one-dollar (a) rise and (b) fall in the (i) oil and (ii) gas price.

Chamber and committees