Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-13215

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 22 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to establishing a taskforce with an independent chair to oversee Gaelic-medium education teacher workforce recruitment, as reportedly recommended by Dr Michael Foxley and Professor Bruce Robertson.

The Scottish Government is aware of the paper that Dr Foxley and Professor Robertson have produced on Gaelic medium teachers and officials met with them on 1 December to discuss this.

The Scottish Government continues to work with university partners and other stakeholders to address recruitment issues for Gaelic education and other priority areas. The Strategic Board for Teacher Education oversees issues relating to teacher education including recruitment to the teaching profession.

We are considering the responses to our recent consultation on the Future of Gaelic and Scots. These will help strengthen our aims for the Gaelic language and support for those interested in teaching in Gaelic Medium Education.

Question reference: S6W-12989

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 22 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many fines have been issued for failing to maintain wind turbines properly since 2007, and what the individual amounts of any fines were.

Conditions may be attached to planning permissions for wind farm developments which “require wind turbines to be constructed and operated in accordance with the approved details and maintained in the approved colour, free from external rust, staining or discolouration, until such time as the wind farm is decommissioned”.

The Scottish Government does not monitor or enforce conditions attached to planning permissions, and therefore has not issued any fines relating to the failure to maintain wind turbines. It is the relevant local planning authorities who monitor and enforce development and operational controls imposed through conditions, and who can take enforcement action up to and including requiring removal of the turbine, as well as referring matters to the Procurator Fiscal to consider prosecution.

Question reference: S6W-12991

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 22 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how it currently monitors leading edge erosion on wind turbines, and whether it has any plans to increase this monitoring.

As per the answer to S6W-12989 on 22 December 2022, it is the responsibility of the wind farm operator to properly maintain their wind turbines, in accordance with their planning permission and any conditions imposed. The Scottish Government is not responsible for taking action in this area.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

Question reference: S6W-12987

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 22 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has provided any financial assistance towards the ongoing maintenance and repair of wind turbines, and, if this is the case, how much it has provided in each year since 2007.

Organisations which develop and install wind projects should always allow for a sinking fund for repair and maintenance costs, or take out insurance for repairs, maintenance, breakdown and loss of earnings.

Our Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES) does not provide funding for continued maintenance of wind turbines. However, it has provided ad hoc support to communities looking to repair small scale wind turbines.

Local Energy Scotland has delivered CARES on our behalf since 2013. Since then, CARES has offered approximately £128,000 in funding support towards the repair of community-owned wind turbines, including associated viability studies. This is as follows;

2014: £12,362;

2016: £16,189;

2018: £20,000;

2019: £41,472;

2020: £14,375;

2021: £24,000.

Question reference: S6W-12990

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 22 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to prevent wind turbine erosion as a result of rain and hail.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-12989 on 22 December 2022, it is the responsibility of the wind farm operator to properly maintain their wind turbines, in accordance with their planning permission and any conditions imposed. The Scottish Government is not responsible for taking action in this area.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .

Question reference: S6W-12982

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 22 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding electric vehicle (EV) charging points in the Highlands and Islands region, how (a) many there are and (b) much it has allocated for this purpose, broken down by each local authority area.

Scotland is leading the way on electric vehicle charging infrastructure, with more EV chargers per capita than the rest of the UK. The latest figures showing that Scottish electric vehicle drivers benefit from 60 public charge points per 100,000 population. This compares to the UK as a whole at 45.2, England 53, Wales 34.9 and Northern Ireland at 18.4 charge points per 100,000 population.

A) Scottish Government only holds information on charge points registered on the ChargePlace Scotland (CPS) network, we do not hold charge point information for the wider public charging network run by commercial operators. The total number of publicly available charge points registered on the CPS network broken down by Local Authority area in the Highlands and Islands region is shown below. These charge points are owned by councils, other public bodies, charities and businesses who received grant funding from the Scottish Government.

Local Authority Area in Highlands & Islands Region	Total Public EV Charge Points on CPS Public Network
Argyll & Bute Council	68
Highland Council	164
Moray Council	39
Orkney Council	34
Shetland Council	28
Western Isles / Eilean Siar Council	32

Table A: Total public EV charge points on the CPS network in H&I Region.

B) Scottish Government has to-date awarded over £9 million of funding to local authorities and over £2 million to other public bodies, third sector organisations and private businesses in the Highlands & Islands region to support development of the ChargePlace Scotland public charging network. Table B below shows the breakdown:

Local Authority area in Highlands & Islands Region	Funding to the LA for EV Charging (£)	Funding to non-LAs for EV Charging (£)
Argyll & Bute Council	1,023,000	367,348
Highland Council	4,338,00	1,654,954
Moray Council	1,172,000	152,141
Orkney Council	1,120,000	65,966
Shetland Council	666,000	79,124
Western Isles / Eilean Siar Council	773,000	98,668
Total	£9,092,000	£2,418,202

Table B: Scottish Government funding for public EV charge point installation.

Question reference: S6W-12988

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 22 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any plans to conduct a study on the impact of microplastic pollution and toxic compounds from wind turbines.

The Water Framework Directive does not currently include the requirement for the monitoring and assessment of microplastic pollution and specifically Bisphenol A in the water environment.

However, the Scottish Government continues to support active research under the current RESAS Strategic Research Programme 2022-2027 , and the Centre of Expertise on Water. Current plans include work which will further develop the understanding of sources and levels of emerging contaminants, including microplastics, in Scotland’s freshwaters and river sediments and recommend priorities and strategic approaches for future monitoring in Scotland.

Question reference: S6O-01743

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 December 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to accelerate the reopening of historic sites managed by Historic Environment Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-12978

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 21 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of sewage services in the Highlands and Islands region are provided privately for (a) commercial activities and (b) domestic properties.

The Scottish Government does not hold this data. However, some 126,339 properties are connected to Scottish Water’s sewer network in the North region (which includes Highlands and the Western Isles). In 2021, the National Records of Scotland reported the total number of households in the Highlands and Islands as:

Highland Council – 110,743
Na h-Eileanan Siar – 12,925
Orkney Islands – 10,758
Shetland Islands – 10,554

Therefore approximately 13% of domestic properties may have private sewerage arrangements in the Highlands and Islands. Overall, the Scottish Government estimates that 8% of households across Scotland have private sewerage arrangements.

Question reference: S6W-12976

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 21 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether there are any plans in the next three years to construct new sewage systems in the Highlands and Islands region.

Scottish Water is currently progressing over £23 million of investment in the Highlands and Islands to improve wastewater treatment, enable growth and to maintain its wastewater assets throughout the area. This is primarily to upgrade and improve existing assets as previous investment periods were focused on building new treatment works in many areas across this region to ensure a high standard of treatment and improve environmental water quality.

Scottish Water continues to work with developers that require new sewerage infrastructure in order to extend the public sewer network, with Scottish Water making a financial contribution to a reasonable contribution level established in regulatory guidance.

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