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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 MSPs 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-16861

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 August 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 17 September 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of research findings from the USA and Australia that vaccinating children with 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) reduced hospital admission rates, what research it is undertaking on the impact of introducing a pneumococcal vaccination programme.

The pneumococcal vaccine PCV7 was introduced into the Scottish routine immunisation schedule in 2006. In 2010 the vaccine was replaced by PCV13, which contains the seven serotypes included in the PCV7 vaccine, as well as six additional serotypes which broadens the protection against pneumococcal disease.

Health Protection Scotland (HPS) has been working to evaluate the impact of the pneumococcal vaccination programme in Scotland since its introduction in 2006. This has been in collaboration with laboratory, academic and clinical partners. HPS has also contributed to wider UK evaluation, reporting to the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). Enhanced surveillance studies have also been undertaken with ISD colleagues to examine the impact on related hospitalisations, as well as additional surveillance work with European and US counterparts.

Question reference: S4W-16994

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 September 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 12 September 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of eligible women has been screened for cervical cancer in each of the last 10 years, also broken down by (a) NHS board and (b) age group.

Eligible women are invited to attend cervical screening once every three years and by convention uptake rates are reported on the previous 3.5 years. The latest figures on the percentage of eligible women who have been screened for cervical cancer in each of the last 10 years broken down by (a) NHS board and (b) age group are available on ISD’s Cervical Screening Annual Uptake Data webpage at:

https://isdscotland.scot.nhs.uk/Health-Topics/Cancer/Publications/2013-08-27/Annual_uptake_data.xls

Question reference: S4O-02388

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 September 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 September 2013

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish its response to The Review of NHS Pharmaceutical Care of Patients in the Community in Scotland.

Question reference: S4O-02341

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 August 2013
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 4 September 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to the owners of the former Kishorn oil yard in Wester Ross to regenerate the facility.

Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) and Kishorn Port Ltd signed a memorandum of understanding in January 2013. HIE has agreed to contribute up to £106,500 towards the cost of Kishorn Port's masterplanning process. Kishorn Port is seeking permission from Highland Council to develop the site as a fabrication and assembly hub for the offshore energy sector.

This is in addition to the previous work HIE has undertaken, which includes a socio economic review and financial assistance towards an assessment of engineering feasibility. HIE has also recently commissioned a shipping and logistics study and a market assessment into the potential of the dry dock.

Question reference: S4W-16423

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 July 2013
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 1 August 2013

To ask the Scottish Government who is being invited to join the expert ferry group that is being established by Transport Scotland; which service users will be invited to join; whether the meetings will be held in public, and whether the minutes of the meetings will be published.

Question reference: S4W-16430

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 July 2013
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 1 August 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what the remit will be of the expert ferry group that is being established by Transport Scotland.

The remit of the expert ferry group will be: to provide Scottish Ministers with considered advice about key ferries related issues in Scotland, as requested by ministers. On the request of Scottish Ministers provide advice on strategic issues highlighted by local ferry users groups or committees. The group would also provide advice to Scottish Ministers on the requirement for wider consultation, and on the progress made to implement the ferries plan proposals.

Question reference: S4W-15229

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 14 June 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a membership list for the Scottish Coal Industry Sector Taskforce and the criteria by which the members were chosen.

A list of the members of the Scottish Coal Industry Taskforce is provided in the following table.

No formal selection criteria is in place. Initial membership was sought from all major political parties and focussed on those council areas most affected by the redundancies announced at SRG.

This approach was taken by myself after taking soundings from party leaders. There are four members each from the SNP and Labour and one from each of the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats.

The membership of a Taskforce can vary as the group moves through different phases of work and others with skills relevant to a particular work stream become involved. Interested parties wishing to become members will be considered on an on-going basis.

Present Members

Fergus	Ewing	Taskforce - Chair
Russel	Griggs	Taskforce Co- Chair
Claire	Baker	MSP
Adam	Ingram	MSP
Elaine	Murray	MSP
Aileen	Campbell	MSP
Willie	Rennie	MSP
Willie	Coffey	MSP
Murdo	Fraser	MSP
Sandra	Osborne	MP
Cathy	Jamieson	MP
Chris	Bryceland	Scottish Enterprise
Gordon	McGuiness	Skills Development Scotland
William	Ramsay	COSA
Ronnie	Stewart	Unite
Nicky	Wilson	NUM
Stephen	Boyd	STUC
Grahame	Smith	STUC
Colin	McDowall	South Lanarkshire Council
Cllr Jim	Roberts	East Ayrshire Council
Cllr Maureen	McKay	East Ayrshire Council
Alex	Rowley	Fife Council
Douglas	Reid	East Ayrshire Council
Shirley	Linton	North Lanarkshire Council
Fiona	Lees	East Ayrshire Council
Gavin	Stevenson	Dumfries & Galloway Council
Ian	Johnson	Midlothian Council
Jim	Birrell	Fife Council
Simon	Cooke	The Coal Authority
David	Skilling	Scotland Office
David	Leitch	DECC UK Gov
Lin	Bunten	SEPA
John	Glen	Buccleuch Estates

George	Burgess	SG - SEPA Sponsor
David	Wilson	SG Energy
Alan	Coleman	SG - State Aid Unit
Margaret	Sutor	SG - PACE Team
Steven	McMahon	Transport Scotland

SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT

Question reference: S4W-15291

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 11 June 2013

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the interim report of Land Reform Review Group focuses on community ownership and whether this reflects a change in the group's remit.

The remit of the independent Land Reform Review Group (LRRG) has not changed. The consultation, which yielded 484 submissions, has brought forward a wide range of issues on a broad range of subjects, including farm tenancy issues and issues regarding access. In the view of the LRRG, as set out in its interim report, issues raised regarding farm tenancies represent an area already being considered by the Tenant Farming Forum and as such, the review group, as its interim report states, will now concentrate on taking forward a number of issues in respect of the implementation and geographic impact of community right to buy legislation in order to support communities throughout Scotland in achieving their social, economic and environmental potential. The work of the LRRG will also help to formulate potential approaches to extending right to buy to urban Scotland and will inform consideration of the Scottish Government’s community empowerment and renewal proposals.

As was stated during the Land Reform debate on 5 June 2013, issues regarding farm tenants will be considered as part of the review preceding the Agricultural Holdings Bill proposed for later in this parliamentary session.

Question reference: S4W-15170

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 4 June 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that a UK emissions performance standard of 450g CO2/kWh will (a) not create incentives that will lead to investment being diverted from renewables to gas and (b) adequately incentivise the development of carbon capture and storage in Scotland.

To meet Scotland’s future energy needs, some form of electricity generation from thermal plant is required as part of a balanced generation mix. As set out in our recent draft second Climate Change Report on Proposals and Policies, our indicative electricity generation scenario beyond 2020 assumes new gas plant being built in Scotland, progressively fitted with Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS).

Our target of delivering the equivalent of at least 100% of gross electricity consumption from renewables by 2020 together with the levels of support we have introduced through the Renewables Obligation (Scotland) sends a clear and strong investment signal to renewable generators in Scotland. Under Electricity Market Reform proposals, the introduction of Contracts for Difference will incentivise low carbon technologies, including renewables, and we remain committed to ensuring that investment in renewables continues in order to achieve our 100% target.

While the Emissions Performance Standard is a useful regulatory tool, the deployment of Carbon Capture and Storage at commercial scale will largely be driven by the carbon price floor, support through Contracts for Difference and by the UK’s CCS Commercialisation Programme Competition. The Carbon Capture and Storage Association agree these are the key mechanisms by which CCS will be incentivised.

Question reference: S4W-15169

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 4 June 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that carbon capture and storage is rolled out according to the schedule on page 75 of Low Carbon Scotland: Meeting our Emissions Reduction Targets 2013-2027, the Draft Second Report on Proposals and Policies.

The Draft Second Report on Proposals and Policies presents emissions and generating capacity based on a plausible generation scenario in Scotland to 2027. This scenario is based on a range of factors, including credible assumptions about: thermal plant extension, build and closure dates: average annual running times and the development and deployment of carbon capture and storage. The scenario presented is not definitive and is designed to give an indication of emissions from the sector by varying the amount of coal, gas and Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) on the system.

The principal mechanism for incentivising CCS in the UK is through the DECC CCS Commercialisation Programme Competition and we welcome the fact that the Peterhead CCS Project is a preferred bidder. However, for projects such as the Captain Clean Energy Project and others outside of the Competition process, an adequate CCS-related Contract for Difference through the Electricity Market Reform (EMR) process will be crucial to ensure their economic viability. This is the only way in which a vibrant CCS industry will be created in the UK and we will continue to work with UK Government to ensure this vital issue is properly reflected in the EMR process.