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-13785

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 18 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how much of the £80 million funding from the Emerging Energy Technologies Fund to help the Scottish Cluster project accelerate its development, which was announced on the 14 January 2022, has been paid out to date.

We have offered £80 million from our Emerging Energy Technologies Fund to support the deployment of the Scottish Cluster. Due to delays with the UK Government awarding the Scottish Cluster, the offer of financial support was not required and we have re-profiled funding into subsequent years. We remain committed to supporting the Scottish Cluster and continue to urge to UK Government to commit to a concrete timeline and processes to ensure the Track 2 sequencing process commences in 2023.

Question reference: S6W-13620

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 17 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether another budget line was reduced in order to allocate a further £60.9 million to deliver Hulls 801 and 802 in its draft Budget, and, if so, which budget line was reduced.

Question reference: S6W-13376

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 17 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what mode(s) of transport the Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenants' Rights used to attend the Open Government Partnership Europe Regional Meeting in Rome on 11-12 October 2022; what the job titles were of the Scottish Government officials or employees that attended with him, and what the total costs were of attendance at this meeting.

Question reference: S6W-13400

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 16 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how expert parties and interested stakeholders can inform the work of its Bioenergy Expert Panel.

Question reference: S6W-13401

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 16 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the membership of the (a) Bioenergy Policy Working Group and (b) Bioenergy Expert Panel is, and when it will publish the minutes of the meetings of these two groups.

a) The Bioenergy Policy Working Group comprises Scottish Government officials from a number of policy areas.

Agriculture Transformation for Environment and Climate Change
Bioenergy
Biodiversity
Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS)
Critical Energy Infrastructure & Commercial Projects
Domestic Climate Change
Environmental Protection - Air Quality
Environmental Quality and Circular Economy
Heat Strategy
Hydrogen
Industrial Decarbonisation
Industrial Strategy and Technologies
Just Transition
Land Use Strategy
Land Use Transformation
Natural Capital and Land Management
Office of the Chief Economic Adviser (OCEA)
Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Services (RESAS)
Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture (SASA)
Scottish Forestry
Sustainable Aviation
Transport - Supply Chains and Alternative Fuels
Whole Energy System

Minutes from the meetings will be published as soon as practical. However the group are still in the process of developing policy and considering options.

b) The Bioenergy Expert Panel has still to be assembled, and we are currently reviewing when and how it will be established.

Question reference: S6W-12923

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 10 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reference to its announcement of an additional £200 million of funding to improve capacity, connectivity, performance and journey times for passengers and freight between Aberdeen and the Central Belt, as set out on page 11 of the Scotland's Railway July 2022 publication, Enhancements Delivery Plan, on what date the additional £200 million of funding was announced; how much has been spent to date; on what it has been spent, and whether it will provide details of any improvements to connectivity, performance and/or journey times that have been achieved.

The additional £200m of funding was first announced by Keith Brown MSP on 28 January 2016.

Network Rail advise that the cost of work done to date on the project is £6.5m (as of 12 November 2022).

Key areas of work completed to date include:

The development of a concept timetable that meets the projects stated output specification.
Design and development of infrastructure interventions that are required to deliver the proposed timetable.
Survey, site and ground investigations at the locations where each of the interventions is being developed.
Environmental assessment to support development of Environmental Screening for the project
Development of an Outline Business Case for the project, drawing on the information generated from each of the above activities

There has already been a number of improvements in recent years to the capability of the Aberdeen to Central Belt route, including signalling alterations in the Aberdeen area to create additional capacity.

Question reference: S6W-13348

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 10 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the (a) selection criteria, (b) process and (c) delivery mechanism for how the £5 million in loss and damage funding, which it announced at COP27, will be allocated.

Officials are planning to undertake stakeholder engagement events early in 2023 in order to inform the delivery mechanism and selection criteria for this funding. Recommendations will then be put to Ministers in advance of any formal agreement being made with the aim of the selection process starting in Q1 of FY 23/24. Through this process, officials will deliver a participatory, co-designed programme that fully meets the needs of the communities that it seeks to serve. The minister is happy to update parliament once a ministerial decision is taken.

Question reference: S6W-13350

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 10 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what projects will be supported by the Climate Justice Fund in financial year 2023-24.

The CJF in 2023-24 expects to fund the Climate Just Communities programme, which will operate in Malawi, Rwanda and Zambia; the WEDO programme, which supports women delegates to be visible and heard during significant global negotiations; and a human rights defenders fellowship, which will support environmental fellows through the existing SG-led programme. In addition, once the selection process and delivery mechanism for the £5m funding for non-economic loss and damage is finalised, initiatives can begin to be funded through this programme.

Question reference: S6W-13349

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 10 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding will be allocated to the Climate Justice Fund in financial year 2023-24.

Question reference: S6W-13337

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 10 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-12638 by Patrick Harvie on 15 December 2022, when it will publish the data, in light of it already being used for policy formulation and implementation.