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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-12497

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 January 2013
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 6 February 2013

To ask the Scottish Government when it first informed the UK Government that it wanted to table its six-point list of demands on fuel poverty at the joint energy summit held on 24 January 2013.

The Scottish Government had a number of meetings and communications with Scotland Office officials, dating from August 2012, to organise a joint energy summit and to ensure that the event achieved positive outcomes for Scottish households suffering from high energy prices. Difficulty in securing earlier UK Ministerial attendance resulted in the summit date of 24 January 2013.

In the interim, the Deputy First Minister asked to meet with each of the major energy companies, regarding assistance for vulnerable consumers.

A meeting was held between Scottish Government and Scotland Office officials on 15 January 2013 to discuss the agenda for the summit. Scottish Government officials made the Scotland Office aware of the Deputy First Minister’s meetings with the major energy companies (confirmed in an email of 18 January 2013), who would be attending and also raised matters of concern to stakeholders regarding the Energy Companies Obligation. Scottish Government officials also requested a nominated Department for Energy and Climate Change official to discuss what matters they were planning to raise at the summit. A teleconference between Scottish Government officials and a Department for Energy and Climate Change official on 21 January 2013 covered the respective issues for the summit.

On 22 January 2013 Scottish Government officials emailed Scotland Office officials to confirm that the Minister for Housing and Welfare would address support for vulnerable customers in Scotland and the asks of energy suppliers and UK Government in her agenda item. Scotland Office officials confirmed by email that they were content with these points.

Question reference: S4W-12495

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 January 2013
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 5 February 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether the briefing notes prepared for ministers for the fuel poverty debate on 23 January 2013 (Official Report, c.14759) referred to the six-point list of demands on fuel poverty, which were contained in its subsequent news release and, if not, whether it will publish these notes.

Question reference: S4W-12501

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 January 2013
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 5 February 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has of how many calls were made to the telephone hotline number on fuel poverty published on 23 January 2013 online and in a news release and for what reason the hotline number appears to have been incorrect.

It is not possible to estimate how many calls were made to the telephone number initially uploaded in the online news release as this is not a number maintained by the Energy Saving Trust. There was no significant difference in the overall number of calls received to the Home Energy Scotland hotline on 23, 24 and 25 January 2013. A technical problem was the reason why an incorrect telephone number was uploaded onto the Scottish Government website, despite the original version of the document being correct, and this has since been corrected.

Question reference: S4W-12502

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 January 2013
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 5 February 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how much time (a) officials and (b) special advisers spent on (i) developing the six-point list of demands on fuel poverty and (ii) checking the accuracy of the telephone hotline number contained in its news release on fuel poverty published on 23 January 2013.

Question reference: S4W-12494

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 January 2013
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 5 February 2013

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason ministers did not appear to refer to the six-point list of demands on fuel poverty during the debate on 23 January 2013 (Official Report, c.14759), which were contained in its subsequent news release.

The opening and closing speeches for the fuel poverty debate referred to the Government motion and issues raised by members in the debate. The Minister for Housing and Welfare updated members on the Deputy First Minister’s meetings with the major energy companies and how we wished to see Scotland receive its fair share of Energy Company Obligation (ECO) funding. The six-point list of demands for the Summit included these concerns, and also concerns raised in the debate such as improved regulation of energy companies and ensuring ECO is delivered throughout Scotland and supported by robust and relevant reporting.

Question reference: S4W-12500

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 January 2013
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 5 February 2013

To ask the Scottish Government when it decided to issue the news release published on 23 January 2013 containing its six-point list of demands on fuel poverty.

Question reference: S4W-12498

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 January 2013
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 5 February 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its news release on fuel poverty of 23 January 2012, which called for information on the operation of the energy company obligation to be put in the public domain, whether it was aware that the UK Government had already done so in summer 2012.

The Scottish Government’s ask is “That the UK Government ensures the Scottish Government receives robust and relevant information on how its new ECO schemes is being delivered in Scotland” and did not refer to more general information about the operation of the Energy Company Obligation. The relevant UK legislation states “The Administrator (OFGEM) must submit to the Secretary of State a report each month setting out the progress which suppliers have made towards meeting their obligations under this Order”.

Concerns about the reporting of what was being delivered in Scotland under the previous Carbon Emissions Reduction Target, have been raised at the Economy, Energy and Tourism committee in the recent past. Scottish Government officials have been working for a number of years with Department for Energy and Climate Change, energy suppliers, Energy Saving Trust and OFGEM and what is now Energy UK to improve the data on CERT. Data for the first year of four years of CERT (up to March 2012) for professionally installed loft and cavity wall insulation was published as official statistics by the Energy Saving Trust in August 2012. The Committee expressed a desire that Energy Company Obligation (ECO) reporting would provide robust and relevant information demonstrating that Scotland is benefitting from an obligation paid for by all consumers.

We will continue to press UK Government and OFGEM to ensure that ECO reporting contains detailed and timely information on its delivery in Scotland.

Question reference: S4W-12499

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 January 2013
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 5 February 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it had with the UK Government on the operation of the energy company obligation prior to the joint energy summit held on 24 January 2013.

Question reference: S4O-01760

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 January 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 31 January 2013

To ask the Scottish Government when it will complete the service model assessment for ferry services in Orkney.

Question reference: S4W-12241

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 January 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 23 January 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how many times the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning has met colleges to discuss waiting lists in the last six months.