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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-28869

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 December 2015
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 6 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what the budget has been for the Scottish European Green Energy Centre in each year since its launch in 2009.

Question reference: S4W-28870

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 December 2015
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 6 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how it has kept the Parliament informed of developments regarding the Scottish European Green Energy Centre since its launch in 2009.

SEGEC regularly reports to the Scottish Government and its development agencies. Throughout its existence SEGEC has reported regularly on its work streams and progress to the SEGEC advisory group, consisting of representatives from Scottish Government, Scottish Enterprise, and Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

SEGEC itself reported to the Parliament's European and External Relations Committee's EU budget review inquiry in November 2009.

Question reference: S4W-28867

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 December 2015
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 6 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what the status is of the Scottish European Green Energy Centre.

The Scottish European Green Energy Centre (SEGEC) has been active since 2009. It was initially set up as a part-public, part-private time-limited initiative part funded through EU structural funds but also by the Scottish Government, Scottish Enterprise (SE), Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), Scottish Power and SSE. The structural funded ‘project’ came to an end in 2013 at which point the stakeholders agreed that the SEGEC team had proved to be of sufficient value for it to be maintained. It was agreed that the best solution would be integrating the SEGEC staff into SE. This SEGEC team now continues to carry out the same function as it had done prior to integration – assisting Scottish organisations to access EU funding for low carbon projects.

Regular progress and activity updates are provided to the SEGEC advisory group comprised of representatives from Scottish Government, HIE and SE. This group also provides SEGEC with a strategic steer. SEGEC has integrated well into SE and there have been mutual benefits for both with SEGEC being able to utilise SE’s extensive knowledge of companies and projects in Scotland and SE being able to utilise SEGEC’s knowledge of EU funding as well as the technical knowledge of the staff.

Question reference: S4W-28321

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 06 November 2015
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 23 December 2015

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it has not published its response to Meeting Scotland's Childcare Challenge: The Report of the Commission for Childcare Reform.

Question reference: S4W-28946

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 December 2015
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 23 December 2015

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the holding answer to question S4W-28321 by Aileen Campbell on 20 November 2015, for what reason it has been unable to provide the written response to the Commission for Childcare Reform’s report, given that it stated in its news release on 4 November 2015, New group to help expand early learning and childcare, that a response had been given at the Children in Scotland conference.

Question reference: S4W-28947

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 December 2015
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 23 December 2015

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it has not provided a substantive response to question S4W-28321, which received a holding answer on 20 November 2015, and when it will provide such a response.

Question reference: S4W-28833

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 December 2015
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 17 December 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has modelled the impact of increasing the student loan repayment threshold on the cost of the resource accounting and budgeting charge for providing student loans and what opportunity there is to do so in the current non-cash departmental expenditure limit.

As part of our consideration of increasing the student loan repayment threshold, the impact upon the resource accounting and budgeting (RAB) charge has been modelled.

As any increase in the repayment threshold would impact on the RAB charge and would require additional ring fenced non-cash Resource Delegated Expenditure Limit (DEL) budget arising from UK budget consequentials, varying the threshold of student loan repayments is a matter under continuing consideration.

Question reference: S4W-28832

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 December 2015
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 17 December 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) resource accounting cost and (b) budgeting charge is for providing student loans, also expressed as a percentage of initial loan outlay.

Question reference: S4W-28830

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 December 2015
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 17 December 2015

To ask the Scottish Government how much non-cash departmental expenditure limit it required to cover the cost of providing loans to Scottish-domiciled students in each of the last four years, and how much the Treasury provided toward meeting this.

The figures are provided in the following table:

Year	Final expenditure as in Scottish Government accounts	Final budget as published in spring budget revision*
2014-15	£149.4 million	£181.6 million
2013-14	£126.9 million	£183 million
2012-13	£215.6 million	£280.4 million
2011-12	£146.3 million	£87.5 million

*This budget is provided by HM Treasury based on Scottish Government estimates of in year requirements.

Question reference: S4O-05224

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 December 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has carried out of the number of beds needed in the proposed new Balfour hospital in Orkney.