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: S6W-23243

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 27 November 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 7 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what assurances it has (a) requested and (b) received regarding energy supplies via the Forties Pipeline System.

Scottish Government officials raised this question with INEOS on 29 November 2023 and have since received confirmation that the refinery does not currently process significant volumes of FPS derived crude, with the majority of the asset’s feedstock being imported. The business noted that, given the historical throughput of the FPS, there is sufficient capacity to process any additional volumes in the future.

Question reference: S6W-23244

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 27 November 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 7 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government where it anticipates oil extracted from the North Sea will be refined if this process ceases at the Petroineos site in Grangemouth.

As outlined in the Scottish Government’s Draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan, oil extracted from the North Sea is predominantly exported to international markets. The Scottish Government anticipates that this arrangement will continue and North Sea oil will continue to be refined in a number of international locations.

On 3 March 2023, the Scottish Government published the outputs of an independence analysis of Scotland’s Energy System, which provides a detailed overview of the oil and gas sector in Scotland. A link to this publication can be found here .

Question reference: S6W-23240

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 27 November 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 6 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of all engagements that (a) cabinet secretaries, (b) ministers and (c) civil servants have had with representatives of Ineos and/or Petroineos in 2023 to date.

Ministers and civil servants engage regularly with INEOS and Petroineos as a matter of course, given the strategic importance of the assets at Grangemouth.

Recent engagements include two site visits in at Grangemouth to discuss INEOS’ net zero roadmap, which were attended by the Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Net Zero and Just Transition and both the Energy Minister and myself in April and June.

I also met representatives of Petroineos’ Joint Ventures Partners in June 2023 as part of the Scottish Government’s regular engagement with the business.

The First Minister and I also spoke to senior management at the refinery on 23 November 2023, during which we outlined our expectation that the business should explore every possible option to extend refining operations beyond the conclusion of import terminal infrastructure construction.

Question reference: S6O-02834

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the vote on motion S6M-11342 on the Situation in the Middle East, on 21 November, whether it will provide an update on what action it has taken with the UK Government and international bodies to support the humanitarian response.

Question reference: S6W-22861

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 10 November 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 24 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that publicly owned Scottish Water is proposing to implement a regrading structure that will see a decrease in income to the lowest paid and an increase in income to the higher paid employees.

Question reference: S6W-22862

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 10 November 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 24 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to protect the lowest paid workers in Scottish Water who may face losing income due to the regrading exercise.

Question reference: S6W-22859

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 10 November 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 24 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to ensure that Scottish Water adheres to its commitment to “collectively bargain changes to pay and terms and conditions with our trade unions”, as set out in its Fair Work First Statement.

Question reference: S6W-22860

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 10 November 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 24 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will make representations to Scottish Water urging it to restart the job evaluation and regrading process with the full involvement of trade unions.

Question reference: S6W-22858

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 10 November 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 23 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what contingency plans are in place to ensure that the 2.62 million households and 159,219 business premises that are supplied by Scottish Water will be safe during the current industrial action.

Question reference: S6W-22866

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 10 November 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 23 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the income differential between the lowest and the highest paid workers in Scottish Water has been in each of the last five financial years.