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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-02143

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 6 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-01498 by Graeme Dey on 6 August 2020, whether it will provide the information that was requested regarding how much of any remaining funds it plans to spend on the railway between Aberdeen and Dundee and, if this information is not held centrally at present, whether it will confirm if there is an option that none of the funding could be allocated to that route.

Question reference: S6O-00128

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to mitigate coastal erosion.

Question reference: S6W-02396

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 1 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it anticipates the Heat Pump Sector Deal Expert Advisory Group will meet its objective to report on its findings and strategy, as set out in the group's interim report published in June 2021.

Heat pumps will be a strategically vital technology to deliver low carbon heat in buildings as part of the Scottish Government’s statutory target to meet net zero emissions by 2045. Following a call from the Climate Emergency Response Group, we have established an expert advisory group to make recommendations to Scottish Ministers on the scope of a potential heat pump sector deal for Scotland.

The group is independently chaired by Mike Thornton of the Energy Saving Trust and supported by Scottish Government officials. In June, the group published a detailed interim report offering views across a range of important issues for the heat pump sector. Since then, the group have met to discuss these issues further with a view to finalising their recommendations in late summer. We are confident that the group will meet this objective and we have committed to responding to the group's recommendations in our final Heat in Buildings Strategy.

Question reference: S6W-01407

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 July 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 30 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what carbon-impact assessments have been completed for the planting of additional forestry, and what analysis it has carried out regarding whether this will help with achieving its net zero targets.

The contribution of additional new planting towards Scotland’s net zero targets has been calculated by the Scottish Government using an economy-wide model that projects future CO ₂ emissions and removals to 2045.

The forestry element of the model uses data from the forestry part of the UK GHG projections for Scotland and from estimates of forest growth following planting. The model is responsive to different levels of woodland planting in future. The UK GHG projections show the forest estate in Scotland remaining a carbon sink throughout the period to 2045.

Question reference: S6W-01400

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 July 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 26 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what research informed its setting a target of 21% of Scotland being covered in forest by 2032.

Question reference: S6W-01398

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 July 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 26 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that additional forests will take 20 years to cancel the carbon impact of cultivating them.

The majority of new woodlands created in Scotland will, over a 20 year period, sequester more carbon than is released during cultivation, and will continue to absorb carbon for the rest of their growing period. Scotland’s forests are predicted to remain a net sink through the period to 2045 and beyond.

In certain circumstances, where tree growth is expected to be moderate and where the soil is of a particular type carbon accounting can be less predictable and in those situations, greater attention is paid to the method of ground preparation as required through our new cultivation guidance. Scottish Forestry has engaged Forest Research (FR) to examine the impact of carbon release caused by forestry ground cultivation in organo-mineral soils, and is using that evidence to put in place methodologies that will ensure that growing trees will reabsorb carbon released from cultivation as quickly as possible.

Scottish Forestry will no longer approve high impact cultivation techniques, including shallow ploughing and other forms of linear cultivation on peat soils which are over 10cm in depth. Research evidence from FR demonstrates that by doing so there will be no net loss of carbon over a 20 year period, and afterwards the growing trees will continue to sequester and absorb carbon for the rest of the forest rotation.

Question reference: S6W-01454

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 July 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 25 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what actions it is taking to mitigate the risk of drought.

The Scottish Government is working with key business sectors, Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), Scottish Water, local authorities, and other stakeholders to make sure water is used efficiently; the first line of defence against the risks of drought.

SEPA has just consulted on a Water Resources Management Plan, which highlights the risk of climate change and the need to work in collaboration to develop a series of practical actions to deliver a more sustainable and resilient use of water. This builds on the approach taken under the National Water Scarcity Plan, which focuses on making early information available to allow water users to manage supplies during prolonged dry periods without harming the environment. Following the consultation SEPA will develop a more proactive approach that aims to increase the resilience of businesses and reduce the pressure on the water environment during droughts.

Scottish Water carefully considers the actions required to mitigate against any drought risk through its water resource plan to ensure it has resilience in its networks to cope with an increase in demand during extended periods of dry weather.

Question reference: S6W-01574

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 July 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 25 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) planning, or (b) preparation it has undertaken to prevent air pollution levels rising (i) to, or (ii) above pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels.

Green recovery must form a central part of Scotland's emergence from the COVID-19 pandemic. In relation to air quality, the key challenges will be to understand how the air pollution reductions seen during lockdown periods can be maintained long-term and sustainably, and how these changes can benefit the long-term health of the population

On 15 July 2021 the Scottish Government published its new air quality strategy 'Cleaner Air for Scotland 2 - Towards a Better Place for Everyone' (CAFS 2). CAFS 2 sets out a series of actions to deliver further air pollution reductions over the next five years. These actions include work being progressed across Government which will benefit air quality, such as continuing to take forward introduction of Low Emission Zones in Scotland's four largest cities, a £500 million funding commitment to active travel over the next five years, a reduction in motor vehicle kilometres by 20% by 2030 and the ban on the sale of new diesel and petrol cars and vans, also by 2030.

We are also taking forward proposals to control the sale of the most polluting domestic fuels, produce a code of good agricultural practice for improving air quality in Scotland and develop a public engagement strategy on air quality. At the same time we will ensure that CAFS 2 integrates fully with other Government plans and strategies that have implications for air quality, such as the Climate Change Plan update, the National Transport Strategy 2 and National Planning Framework 4.

Question reference: S6W-02032

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 30 July 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 24 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to provide governance and direction to local authorities to ensure that they are using the £500 million Bus Partnership Fund to promote bus use and support action on climate change.

Proposals to the Bus Partnership Fund are assessed against criteria which focus on the climate benefits of mode shift from private car to public transport. The criteria and weightings are as follows:

• Evidence of congestion and ideas to reduce congestion, through improved bus services (40%)

• How the proposal fits with the partnership area’s overall strategy for integrated transport, to encourage a modal shift from cars to more sustainable transport and reduce emissions (25%)

• Partnership strength and demonstrated commitment, which will include match in kind (20%)

• Deliverability: the ability of the lead local authority and its partners to deliver the proposed developments, including local political buy-in (15%)

Successful bidders to the fund are required to submit monthly progress reports to Transport Scotland. Each subsequent tranche of funding will be dependent upon their passing gateway reviews, which will provide further assurance that the funded infrastructure developments support action on climate change.

Question reference: S6W-02056

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 24 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government when it first became aware of the demand for payments by and to TS Prestwick Holdco or any other relevant group company in relation to (a) the proposed Clauchrie Windfarm and (b) any other developments that have resulted in either payment, demand or both.