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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: S5W-33165

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 10 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of the maximum current threshold value of polymerase chain reaction tests for COVID-19 undergo a viral culture performance for diagnosis of viral infections.

Question reference: S5W-33379

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 10 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how the COVID-19 testing process for students will be run.

Universities began the asymptomatic testing of students on 30 November. Testing is being offered on a voluntary basis to all university and college students who are changing households or returning home at the end of term and is being administered by individual institutions. Two tests will be necessary, 3 days apart, with PCR confirmation for positive results.

We have published guidance and an FAQ document for students, which sets out more detail on the testing programme. We are committed to working with universities to offer testing on a similar basis to students on their staggered arrival for the start of next term and will provide further detail on the testing arrangements in due course.

Question reference: S5W-33453

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 23 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 9 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has conducted of the success of the Saltire Tidal Energy Challenge Fund; how this is being measured; whether it plans any future analysis, broken down by each of the nine aims of the fund as stated on 29 March 2019, and whether it will place a copy of the record of work undertaken to date in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe).

The two projects funded by the Saltire Tidal Energy Challenge Fund are either ongoing or yet to be deployed. It is therefore too early to fully measure the Fund’s success in relation to a number of its aims.

As a condition of grant funding, projects are required to submit a report to Scottish Ministers summarising the outcomes and performance of the project, as well as disseminating successful learning points from the project for benefit of the wider tidal energy sector.

The Fund fulfilled the Scottish Government’s commitment to review and relaunch the Saltire Prize. In the absence of a route to market as a result of the UK Government’s withdrawal of revenue support for the sector, the Fund provided a fair and competitive route for the Scottish Government to support the further deployment of tidal energy in Scottish waters. The Fund is enabling two of Scotland’s leading tidal energy developers to innovate and take steps to reduce the levelized cost of energy for tidal stream energy, as well as stimulating Scottish supply chain activity.

Question reference: S5W-33454

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 23 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 9 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to it reportedly stating on 3 February 2018 that the Saltire Prize Medal for outstanding contributions to the development of marine renewable energy was being considered as part of the review of the main Saltire Prize, what was subsequently decided.

Question reference: S5W-33449

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 23 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 9 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the advertised condition that projects receiving money from the Saltire Tidal Energy Challenge Fund "are deployed in Scottish waters no later than March 2020", whether a new deployment date was agreed when the closing date was extended to September 2020; whether that new deployment date applied to all projects or just those applying during the extension period, and on what date each project was deployed.

The date by which projects supported by the Saltire Tidal Energy Challenge Fund were required to be deployed in Scottish waters was changed from March 2020 to September 2020 following feedback from stakeholders. This included comments received at an information event held on 6 March 2019. The timeline for deployment was applicable to all applicants and all projects.

The anticipated deployment dates for projects awarded funding were assessed to be realistic at the time offers of grant were made. The Scottish Government subsequently offered to provide flexibility on grant conditions, if required, to allow for the potential impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Both funded projects have made substantial progress since being awarded funding. MeyGen’s Subsea Hub was installed in September 2020, and Orbital Marine Power are scheduled to commence turbine operational related activities in early 2021.

Question reference: S5W-33446

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 23 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 9 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the Saltire Tidal Energy Challenge Fund had its closing date extended from 6 December 2019 to September 2020.

The Saltire Tidal Energy Challenge Fund was launched on 10 February 2019 with a closing date for applications of 6 December 2019. The closing date for applications remained unchanged throughout the call for applications.

The date by which projects supported by the Fund were required to be deployed in Scottish waters was changed from March 2020 to no later than September 2020 following feedback from stakeholders, including comments received at an information event held on 6 March 2019.

Question reference: S5W-33447

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 23 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 9 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Saltire Tidal Energy Challenge Fund, which was advertised as being open until September 2020, is now closed, and how much money is remaining.

The Saltire Tidal Energy Challenge Fund, which was launched on 10 February 2019 with total of up to £10 million available to help accelerate the commercial deployment of tidal energy in Scottish waters.

Following a process of evaluation and due diligence, two projects were supported under the Fund, with total funding of up to £4.945 million. Three further application for funds were received but were either withdrawn or not allocated funding. The Fund closed for applications on 6 December 2019 and no further funding will be distributed. The Scottish Government is considering the scope of future support for both the tidal stream and wave energy sectors in Scotland to ensure they can progress to commercialisation.

Question reference: S5W-33445

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 23 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 9 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government on how many occasions the Junior Saltire Prize competition ran; how much it distributed in total prize money, and whether it is still operational, or if there is a current equivalent, in light of the Scottish Government stating on 3 February 2018 that it was "being considered as part of the review of the main Saltire Prize".

The Junior Saltire Prize fund ran on six occasions and distributed
a total of £17,200 in prize money. The total prize money distributed
in each year is shown in the following table.

Year	Total (£)
2011-2012	2,700
2012-2013	3,000
2013-2014	2,750
2014-2015	2,750
2015-2016	3,000
2016-2017	3,000

Following a review of the Saltire Prize a decision was taken not
to relaunch the Junior Saltire Prize as part of the refocused Saltire
Tidal Energy Challenge Fund.

Question reference: S5W-33448

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 23 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 9 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government which projects have received money from the Saltire Tidal Energy Challenge Fund; how much funding each project received, and how this compared with the (a) amount applied for and (b) total project cost.

Orbital Marine Power were awarded up to £3.4 million for the Orbital O2 2MW Tidal Turbine Project. This award is equal to the total amount applied for to support a project with a total cost of approximately £13 million.

MeyGen Plc were awarded up to £1.545 million for the Subsea Hub Project. Total projects cost were approximately £2.6 million. The total amount applied for was reduced by the applicant during the application process, and the funding awarded was equal to the amount applied for to deploy the Subsea Hub as part of the wider MeyGen project.

Question reference: S5W-33452

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 23 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 9 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to freedom of information request reference FOI/18/01056, whether it will place in SPICe a copy of the annual costs since 2017-18 associated with the Saltire Prize and the subsequent Saltire Tidal Energy Challenge Fund, broken down by the costs for (a) launch, (b) events, (c) administration, (d) rebranding, (e) rescoping, (f) staffing, (g) expenses, (h) consultancy work and (i) other functions.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-21626 on 7 March 2019. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

Annual costs associated with the Saltire Tidal Energy Challenge Fund since 2019-20 are shown in the following table

Cost category

2019-20 (£)

2020-21 (£)

Consultancy

63,822

N/A

Technical Evaluation, Monitoring
and Governance

75,000