Questions and answers

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 ��˿�� 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: S4W-12498

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 January 2013
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 5 February 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its news release on fuel poverty of 23 January 2012, which called for information on the operation of the energy company obligation to be put in the public domain, whether it was aware that the UK Government had already done so in summer 2012.

The Scottish Government’s ask is “That the UK Government ensures the Scottish Government receives robust and relevant information on how its new ECO schemes is being delivered in Scotland” and did not refer to more general information about the operation of the Energy Company Obligation. The relevant UK legislation states “The Administrator (OFGEM) must submit to the Secretary of State a report each month setting out the progress which suppliers have made towards meeting their obligations under this Order”.

Concerns about the reporting of what was being delivered in Scotland under the previous Carbon Emissions Reduction Target, have been raised at the Economy, Energy and Tourism committee in the recent past. Scottish Government officials have been working for a number of years with Department for Energy and Climate Change, energy suppliers, Energy Saving Trust and OFGEM and what is now Energy UK to improve the data on CERT. Data for the first year of four years of CERT (up to March 2012) for professionally installed loft and cavity wall insulation was published as official statistics by the Energy Saving Trust in August 2012. The Committee expressed a desire that Energy Company Obligation (ECO) reporting would provide robust and relevant information demonstrating that Scotland is benefitting from an obligation paid for by all consumers.

We will continue to press UK Government and OFGEM to ensure that ECO reporting contains detailed and timely information on its delivery in Scotland.

Question reference: S4W-12499

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 January 2013
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 5 February 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it had with the UK Government on the operation of the energy company obligation prior to the joint energy summit held on 24 January 2013.

Question reference: S4O-01760

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 January 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 31 January 2013

To ask the Scottish Government when it will complete the service model assessment for ferry services in Orkney.

Question reference: S4W-11893

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 17 December 2012
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 23 January 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what biomass electricity generating plants have been built in Scotland and how much government subsidy they have received.

There are four biomass power stations currently operating in Scotland, listed in the following table.

Operator	Location	Details	Funding Support	Date Funding Awarded
Balcas	Invergordon ��	8.8 MW combined heat and power (CHP) station, fuelled by wood chips ��	Grant of £5.5 million from Highlands and Islands Enterprise	October 2006
E.ON UK Ltd	Lockerbie ��	46 MW CHP station, fuelled by wood chips and sawmill co-products ��	Grant of £18 million from UK Government’s Bioenergy Energy Capital Grants Scheme	2004
United Paper Mills	Irvine	26 MW, CHP station, fuelled by paper mill residues ��	Grant of £10 million (Regional Selective Assistance) from Scottish Enterprise	October 2006
EPRL ��	Westfield, Fife ��	12.5 MW, fuelled by chicken litter	None	N/A

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These stations are accredited under the Renewables Obligation (Scotland) mechanism, and are awarded Renewables Obligation Certificates in respect of any eligible power which they generate.

Question reference: S4W-12241

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 January 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 23 January 2013

To ask the Scottish Government��how many times the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning has met colleges to discuss waiting lists in the last six months.

Question reference: S4W-11939

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 December 2012
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 22 January 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to consider whether the charitable activities of independent schools should entitle them to relief on non-domestic rates payments.

Question reference: S4W-12242

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 January 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 22 January 2013

To ask the Scottish Government��when��it will publish the findings of the audit of the processes by which colleges compile waiting lists.

Question reference: S4W-11895

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 17 December 2012
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 21 January 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has cost to install district heating systems in the areas neighbouring biomass plants, broken down by plant.

Question reference: S4W-11894

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 17 December 2012
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 21 January 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how many biomass plants have a method of recovering the heat produced by burning materials; how many of these are used to provide heating in the surrounding area, and how many properties are served by each.

Question reference: S4W-11792

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 December 2012
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 24 December 2012

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it took to resolve the industrial dispute involving Serco NorthLink, the RMT union and the Northern Isles ferries between the issue being raised (a) by Tavish Scott MSP during First Minister's Questions (FMQ) on 1 November 2012 and by Liam McArthur MSP during FMQ on 6 December 2012 and (b) by Liam McArthur MSP on 6 December and the end of day on 12 December.

The industrial dispute between the RMT union and Serco NorthLink Ferries was rightly a matter to be resolved through negotiation between the two parties. However, from 31 October 2012 - the point at which the RMT announced their intention to ballot members – Transport Scotland officials were in regular contact with the ferry operator in order to ensure that a resolution was being actively sought.

Following the announcement on 3 December 2012 of the RMT’s intention to hold a strike, officials kept up daily contact with the Serco NorthLink Managing Director, Stuart Garrett. In addition, on 7 December 2012 I spoke by phone on a number of occasions with both Mr Garrett and with the RMT’s Secretary General, Bob Crow. I urged both parties to continue to work towards a solution which would avoid any disruption to these lifeline services, particularly given the approaching Christmas and New Year holidays. I also spoke to other trade union interests during that time. I updated parliament on the background to the dispute in my Ministerial Statement on 13 December 2012.

I welcome the news that the planned strike action has been suspended following positive discussions between the parties and hope that the ongoing dialogue will bring this dispute to a successful conclusion with no further impact on the communities served by Serco NorthLink Ferries.