- Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 18 November 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 5 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what its current estimate is of the amount of community benefit funds currently being paid for both onshore and offshore wind developments.
Answer
It is not possible for the Scottish Government to mandate the provision of community benefits through energy regulation because the relevant powers are reserved to the UK Government. However, we continue to encourage renewable energy businesses to offer community benefit packages in line with our Good Practice Principles; promoting a national level equivalent to £5,000 per installed megawatt per annum for onshore renewable developments, index linked for the operational lifetime of the project.
Local Energy Scotland, who deliver our Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES), administer a voluntary register of community benefits payments and a community benefits map. This indicates a community benefit commitment of around £24 million will have been paid out from renewable energy projects in Scotland over the past year (from November 2021 to November 2022).
All developers of renewable energy developments and local communities in receipt of community benefit payments are encouraged to use and input to the register. The register and map can be viewed here:
Work is underway to review the Good Practice Principles for Community Benefits from Offshore Renewable Energy Developments.
- Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 November 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 5 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding any impact on Scotland, what its position is on whether the UK Government should leave the Energy Charter Treaty.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-12547 on 5 December 2022 All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at /chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .
- Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 18 November 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 5 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how many additional public electric vehicle (EV) charging points are planned across Scotland, broken down by (a) local authority area and (b) estimated timescale for delivery.
Answer
The Scottish Government has invested over £65m in the ChargePlace Scotland Network that now has over 2,400 publicly available electric vehicle charge points, alongside supporting homes and businesses to install almost 20,000 charge points. A range of factors will influence the number of charge points required – and delivery plans will be determined by both public and private investment.
Our focus is on making sure that the public charging network builds on the benefits of ChargePlace Scotland, which includes maintaining comprehensive coverage across all parts of Scotland. To that end, our £60m EV Infrastructure Fund has the potential to at least double the size of the public charging network over the next four years. This is over and above the commercial investment in charge points now taking place across Scotland.
- Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 November 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 5 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding any impact on Scotland, what its position is on whether the Energy Charter Treaty is functioning well.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-12547 on 5 December 2022. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at /chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .
- Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 November 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 5 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding any impact on Scotland, whether it considers the Energy Charter Treaty should be reformed, and, if so, what its position is on how it should be reformed.
Answer
The Scottish Government is in regular contact with the UK Government’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy about the continuing discussions to renegotiate the Energy Charter Treaty, with a view to identifying and mitigating any particular impacts on Scotland.
The Scottish Government is aware of the concerns raised by The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and others that International Investment Agreements, such as the Energy Charter Treaty, may lead to ‘regulatory chill’. That is why, in our Vision for Trade, we are clear that no part of a trade or investment agreement should limit the ability of the Scottish Parliament to regulate in devolved areas, or constrain much-needed action to achieve our net zero goal.
- Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 November 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 5 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding reform of the Energy Charter Treaty.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-12547 on 5 December 2022. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at /chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .
- Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 17 November 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 5 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it supports the reopening of the railway between Dumfries and Stranraer.
Answer
An option for reopening the rail line between Dumfries and Stranraer was assessed as part of the second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2). The outcome of this was that this option did not form part of the strategic transport investment recommendations within STPR2.
Instead, recommendations set out in STPR2 for rail focus on the decarbonisation of the remainder of the network; measures to increase the amount of freight travelling by rail, including on the key routes in South West Scotland serving Stranraer and Dumfries; and on improving connectivity between our major cities.
However, there remains a path for regional or local rail projects to come forward, and Transport Scotland will consider these subject to a strong business case being developed in accordance with Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG) and suitable funding being available.
- Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 11 November 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 22 November 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how the Sandford principle, as expressed through section 9 (6) of the National Parks (Scotland) Act 2000, is applied.
Answer
Paragraph 9(6) of the National Parks (Scotland) 2000 Act states that, if it appears to the National Park Authority that there is a conflict between the National Park aim set out in section 1(a) (i.e. to conserve and enhance the natural and cultural heritage of the area) and other National Park aims, the Authority must give greater weight to the aim set out in section 1(a).
The National Park Authorities in Cairngorms and Loch Lomond & The Trossachs are required by the Scottish Ministers to prepare a National Park Plan setting out how they will deliver the aims of the National Park collectively in relation to their area. The National Park Plan is approved by the Scottish Ministers.
For example, the current Cairngorms National Park Partnership Plan 2022-2027 is the strategic management plan for the area and provides a strategic policy context for decision making within the National Park. Section 9 (6) of the National Parks (Scotland ) Act 2000 is embedded in the Park plan and its subsidiary documents and it guides decision making within the Park. The National Park Authority can also apply section 9 (6) to individual decisions if it feels the aims are in conflict and greater weight should be given to the first aim.
- Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 11 November 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 22 November 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether section 9 (6) of the National Parks (Scotland) Act 2000 has been successful in conserving and enhancing the natural heritage of National Park areas.
Answer
National Park Authorities are committed to conserving and enhancing natural heritage within Scotland’s National Parks and their decision making has been guided by the National Park aims set out in the National Parks (Scotland) 2000 Act and the principle set out in section 9 (6) of the Act. As an example of success in conserving and enhancing the natural heritage in the Cairngorms, over 5000ha of new woodland has been established over the last 5 years of which 96% is native and over half by regeneration.
The Scottish Government launched a public consultation in May to look at what people value about National Parks in Scotland and what they should deliver in future – in particular how they can help to protect and restore nature, tackle climate change and promote sustainable land use. This has been followed by a second consultation – organised by NatureScot – on the approach to National Parks in Scotland and the selection criteria for new National Parks. This consultation seeks views on section 9(6) of the Act, how it is applied and whether it is fit for purpose.
- Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 November 2022
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 17 November 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of 2021 graduate probationary primary teachers have secured full-time employment in Scottish state schools after completing their probation.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 17 November 2022
