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: S6W-19394

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 5 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the reasons are for the reported change in the cost of balancing the electricity grid.

Question reference: S6W-19389

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 4 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its policy is to reduce electricity grid balancing costs.

Question reference: S6W-19392

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 23 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 4 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the total cost was of balancing the electricity grid in each year from 2018 to 2022.

Question reference: S6W-18914

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 09 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 29 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-14236 by Lorna Slater on 2 February 2023, whether the study to map the net zero gap skills on Scottish islands, as referred to on page 12 of the Carbon Neutral Islands Project Progress Report, has progressed beyond its "early stages" and the "initial meetings" that "were held in December 2022"; if so, whether it will provide a detailed report on progress, and, if not, for what reason it has not progressed, and when it is expected to do so.

Question reference: S6W-19195

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 29 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the analysis of the consultation on the New Build Heat Standard, which states that legislation will be prepared in spring 2023, when it plans to publish further information on the New Build Heat Standard.

The Building (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2023 , which will give effect to the New Build Heat Standard, if passed, were laid in parliament on 8 June 2023.

An accompanying policy note was published alongside these.

Commissioned research into ‘Zero Emissions Heating in New Buildings across Scottish Islands’ and a suite of impact assessments were published alongside the independent analysis of the New Build Heat Standard Consultation: Part II, also on 9 June 2023.

Work is now ongoing to update the building standards technical handbooks which will provide the relevant guidance for industry, and this is due to be published in Autumn 2023.

Question reference: S6W-19194

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 28 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to publish local authority analysis for the 2021 Scottish House Condition Survey.

The Scottish Government does not publish local authority analysis for single years from the Scottish House Condition Survey (SHCS), due to insufficient sample sizes.

The Scottish Government does usually publish local authority analysis using a three year pooled data set to ensure sufficient sample sizes. As set out in the most recent Scottish House Condition Survey 2021 Key Findings Report, (available at Scottish House Condition Survey 2021 ) there will be no Local Authority publication relating to the 2019 to 2021 three year period for two reasons.

Firstly, due to the Covid-19 pandemic the SHCS survey was suspended and there is no data for 2020. Secondly, the data from the 2021 external+ SHCS is not directly comparable with that for earlier years, due to methodological differences, and therefore it would not be appropriate to combine it with the data for 2019 (or earlier) to produce a multi-year analysis.

Question reference: S6W-19089

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 27 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding its policy on energy production in Scotland, what its position is on the assessment in the Climate Change Committee report, The Sixth Carbon Budget, that a balanced pathway to net zero will require 10 GW of nuclear power in the UK after 2025.

The Scottish Government welcomes the analysis set out in the Climate Change Committee’s Sixth Carbon Budget, where Scotland’s contribution to Net Zero is laid out in Chapter 4.

We recognise the contribution that nuclear generation makes to the current energy mix in Scotland; however, its contribution is set to decrease as we increase electricity generation from renewable and other low carbon sources. As set out in our draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan, significant growth in renewables, storage, hydrogen and carbon capture provide the best pathway to net zero by 2045, and will deliver a climate friendly energy system that delivers affordable, resilient and clean energy supplies for Scotland's households, business and communities.

Question reference: S6W-19197

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 27 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-18273 by Mairi McAllan on 6 June 2023, whether it will provide the information requested regarding what data it has on the number of sewage discharges, broken down by (a) incidence and (b) hours of discharge, into the North Sea from any point within 5 km north or south of Peterhead, in each year since 2017 up to the latest available data; what the approximate volumes were of any such discharges in each year; what assessment has been made of the potential impact of any such discharges on the health of users of the waters within that area; for what reasons there were any such discharges; what action it has taken since 2017 to reduce the number of discharges, and what is currently being done to prevent any further discharges, and for what reason it did not provide this information in its answer.

As the Scottish Government is not required to hold information on operational matters related to Scottish Water, I again refer the member to the published data available on Scottish Water’s website at https://www.scottishwater.co.uk/help-and-resources/document-hub/key-publications/urban-waters-improvements and https://www.scottishwater.co.uk/Your-Home/Your-Waste-Water/Overflow-Spill-Data . Should the member wish further information on this data, he may wish to contact Scottish Water directly.

As environmental regulator, it is a matter for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) to monitor, classify, protect and improve water quality at designated bathing waters. SEPA assesses the water quality of Peterhead (Lido) as “excellent” and further information is available on its website at https://www.sepa.org.uk/media/39944/peterhead-lido-bathing-water-profile.pdf .

I again refer the member to the answer to S6O-02060 for further information on wider measures to improve Scotland’s water environment. On 23 March 2023. The answer to the oral parliamentary question is available on the Parliaments website, the Official Report can be viewed at: Meeting of the Parliament: 23/03/2023 | Scottish Parliament Website

Question reference: S6W-19196

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 23 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-17985 by Neil Gray on 25 May 2023, for what reason it provided a link to a webpage that has not been updated in the three months that the question sought information on, and whether it will provide the information requested regarding which (a) companies and (b) industry bodies from the energy sector the new Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Fair Work and Energy has met with since taking on this ministerial role.

I have met with a range of stakeholders in the energy industry since taking on this ministerial role. As the Scottish Ministerial Code states, information on Ministerial engagements is routinely published online three months in arrears from the end of that month. Therefore, at the time of writing the current list, which provides details of engagements up to the end of February 2023, is up to date. It is anticipated that a list of engagements undertaken in March 2023 will be published shortly, with engagements held in April and May subsequently issued in line with the Ministerial commitment as described above. Once published the information can be found at: Ministerial engagements, travel and gifts - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .

Question reference: S6W-18871

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 22 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the work of its Expert Reference Group on Digital Assets.

The Expert Reference Group (ERG) on Digital Assets was established to provide legal clarification on accommodation of digital assets within Scots private law. The ERG is currently drafting a response to the Law Commission for England and Wales’ (LCEW) Consultation Paper on Digital Assets. The response will take into account any areas of divergence between Scots law and English law but will also confirm those areas where alignment might be of benefit.