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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: S6W-03289

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 6 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the Aberdeen to Laurencekirk Multi-Modal Study does not specifically reference a new station at Altens.

Question reference: S6W-03272

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 6 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government (a) whether and (b) when it plans to publish its next steps on the Nestrans Case for Change appraisal of Cove and Newtonhill railway stations, from November 2020.

Transport Scotland received Nestrans’ ‘Case for Change’ in November 2020, the first of three consecutive appraisal s reports for the study, which includes consideration of a range of multi-modal options, including potential options for stations at Newtonhill and Cove.

This Nestrans’ study is ongoing and the conclusions are still to come forward, including what potential options may emerge from the study. Further details on the study can be provided by Nestrans.

Question reference: S6W-03186

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 4 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the comment in the Programme for Government that “Current plans are to fully dual the A96 from Inverness to Aberdeen; however, we will undertake a transparent, evidence-based review of that, to include a climate compatibility assessment to assess direct and indirect impacts on the climate and the environment, reporting by the end of 2022”, under what circumstances the outcome of the review might lead to it deciding to withdraw the plans to carry out this work, and who will have responsibility for making the final decision.

Question reference: S6W-03184

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 4 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the comment in the Programme for Government that “Current plans are to fully dual the A96 from Inverness to Aberdeen; however, we will undertake a transparent, evidence-based review of that, to include a climate compatibility assessment to assess direct and indirect impacts on the climate and the environment, reporting by the end of 2022”, whether the decision to hold a review arose as a consequence of the discussions that it held with the Scottish Green Party regarding reaching a cooperation agreement.

Question reference: S6W-03185

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 4 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the comment in the Programme for Government that “Current plans are to fully dual the A96 from Inverness to Aberdeen; however, we will undertake a transparent, evidence-based review of that, to include a climate compatibility assessment to assess direct and indirect impacts on the climate and the environment, reporting by the end of 2022”, what the current expected date is for the upgrade work to begin, and what impact the planned review has had on this date.

Question reference: S6W-03001

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 4 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the comments by the Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Transport on 9 September 2021 that “I hope that all those members of the Scottish Parliament from the north-east will get behind the Acorn project”, whether all its ministers, including those in the Scottish Green Party and those representing the north-east, share this view.

The Scottish Government supports the development of carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) as an industrial scale decarbonisation system which has the potential to make a big impact on achieving Scotland’s emissions targets. The advice from the Climate Change Committee describes CCUS as a “necessity, not an option” to achieve net zero emissions.

The Scottish Government is supportive of the Acorn project at St Fergus, Aberdeenshire, considered the UK’s most advanced CCS project; we have worked closely with the Acorn project team from inception and provided policy support and funding through its feasibility and development phases. We believe that the Acorn CCS project is uniquely placed to be the least-cost and most deliverable opportunity to deploy a full chain CCS project in the UK, providing opportunities to repurpose existing legacy oil and gas pipeline infrastructure, and close access to vast offshore CO2 storage sites.

Acorn is leading the Scottish bid into UK Government’s cluster sequencing process to allow CCS to be deployed by the mid-2020s, and we are supportive of this bid. It is critical that the UK Government’s cluster sequencing process recognises Acorn CCS as one of the first two projects to commercialise in the 2020s.

The August 2021 agreement between the Scottish Government and the Scottish Green Party recognises that CCUS technologies will play a part in a just transition , and that ( t)he Scottish Government remains supportive of these technologies as part of the energy transition and in particular it remains committed to supporting the delivery of the Acorn project.

Question reference: S6W-03197

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 4 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-02565 by Graeme Dey on 13 September 2021, what information it has regarding when Network Rail will conclude its assessment of the options identified; who will select the most effective options; what the criteria are for this selection; when this selection will be made, and how long it will take "to compile a detailed plan for delivering the project".

The options selection work will be concluded by Transport Scotland, Network Rail and ScotRail by summer 2022. In accordance with the Rail Enhancements Capital Investment Strategy each of the options will be appraised to identify which offer the most benefits and also represent value for money.

Network Rail recently confirmed that positive progress is being made on the project with ground investigation works starting in October 2021.

Transport Scotland expect Network Rail to produce the final programme for delivering the project during autumn 2022.

Question reference: S6W-03199

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 4 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-02355 by Graeme Dey on 13 September 2021, whether it will confirm that the answer means that there is currently no plan to fully electrify the railway between Edinburgh Haymarket and Aberdeen.

Question reference: S6W-03198

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 4 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to S6W-02398 by Patrick Harvie on 13 September 2021, by what date it will have completed "developing and implementing a bespoke public engagement strategy for heat in buildings".

Question reference: S6W-03041

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 1 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-02357 by Graeme Dey on 13 September 2021, whether it will provide the information requested regarding whether fully electrifying the East Coast Main Line between Edinburgh Haymarket and Aberdeen is required for it to achieve its ambition to decarbonise Scotland's Railway, and for what reason it did not provide this information in its response.

The Scottish Government has maintained a rolling programme of rail electrification, unlike other parts of the UK. In line with our Rail Decarbonisation Action Plan it remains the expectation that the East Coast Main Line between Edinburgh Haymarket and Aberdeen will be fully electrified.

We will confirm investment decisions will be made in an appropriate manner following due appraisal, necessarily having regard to the capital funding available to the Scottish Government in the light of UK Government budgetary decisions, however positive progress is being made with Network Rail confirming ground investigation works for the Aberdeen to Central Belt project are starting in October 2021.