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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-04958

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 20 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what additional steps it has taken to increase the resilience of power networks, following Storm Arwen.

Throughout Storms Arwen and Barra the Scottish Government’s Resilience Division maintained daily contact with the power companies and close engagement continues.

It must be noted that resilience of the electricity networks is reserved and is the responsibility of the UK Government. The Scottish Government will be engaging with both the upcoming Ofgem and UK Government Storm Arwen reviews.

In addition, the Deputy First Minister requested that the Scottish Government’s Resilience Division begin work on the scope and terms of a review into the Storm Arwen response on 30 November 2021, and on 14 December 2021 he formally commissioned the Scottish Resilience Partnership to collate evidence from local resilience partnerships to inform the findings of the review.

The Scottish Government will also gather evidence from other relevant groups, for example the voluntary sector and utilities companies, including power companies.

‎This work is already well underway and we aim to publish a review paper with recommendations in mid-January.

Question reference: S6W-04866

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 17 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to introducing an emergency alert system for catastrophic and extraordinary events, similar to those in place in other jurisdictions, such as the USA and some European countries.

Scotland’s resilience response structures involve very well established mechanisms for coordinating clear public communications during emergencies, and organisations involved in the response will work together to ensure swift and accurate advice is provided across a range of media.

The specific emergency alert system in place in other countries, used for example to warn of earthquakes, utilises a technology known as Cell Broadcasting. Activating this capability on the UK telecoms network is a matter reserved to the UK Government, and we note that the introduction of this technology, initially anticipated for summer 2021, is now scheduled for early 2022. Scottish Government officials are working with their counterparts in the UK Government to ensure that the deployment of any such capability reflects the devolved responsibilities of our responder organisations.

Question reference: S6W-04867

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 17 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) strategy and (b) resilience planning was undertaken to account for the possibility of extraordinary events, such as Storm Arwen, occurring during the COVID-19 pandemic and associated measures, such as lockdown.

Resilience structures in Scotland are designed to be adaptable and responsive to a wide range of risks.

Ministers regularly receive briefing on specific risks or emergencies throughout the year and the Scottish Government’s resilience arrangements constantly monitor for emerging issues and threats.

In the autumn of 2021, recognising the heightened risk of concurrent events – including COVID, winter weather, and supply chain issues – additional reporting and monitoring arrangements were put in place to ensure Ministers retain a close oversight of the complex and overlapping risk picture. Since 30 September, this has included daily reporting and weekly meetings of SGORR, with assessments on the key concurrent risks facing Government and planning activity being taken.

Question reference: S6W-04569

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 16 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-02681 by Richard Lochhead on 22 September 2021, whether it will provide the information that was requested regarding the budget stream(s) from which the 10-year £500 million Just Transition Fund for the North East and Moray will be drawn.

Question reference: S6W-04892

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 13 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what the monthly average sales income has been for fishermen in each of the last three years.

For the years 2018 to 2020, the average monthly sales income has been calculated for fishers employed on Scottish Vessels. This is given in the following table:

Monthly average sales income for fishers on Scottish registered vessels, 2018 - 2020

	2018	2019	2020
Landed value (£) in real terms	£624,485,606	£615,801,328	£487,707,712
Number of fishers employed	4,860	4,886	4,737
Monthly average sales income (£)	£10,708	£10,503	£8,580

The information on fishers employed is collected as at 31 December in each year and reflects those employed during the year. Some of these fishers are irregular, so will not work on the vessel full-time, so will have a lower income. This means that we are unable to provide monthly averages for each month as we do not know how many fishers were employed in each month. It should also be noted that some fishing sectors will have larger incomes than others and different crew share arrangements will be in place, meaning that some fishers on the same vessel will earn more than others.

The landed value in real terms and monthly average sales income are given in pounds and have been adjusted to 2020 prices by adjusting for inflation. As this is based on landed value only, it is not a reflection of earnings as no costs have been accounted for.

Question reference: S6W-04579

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 22 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 10 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what quantity of CO2 emissions has the Hunterston B power plant generated in each year of production.

Question reference: S6W-04578

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 22 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 10 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what quantity of CO2 emissions has each operational gas-fired power station generated in each year of production.

As part of demonstrating compliance with the EU Emissions Trading System relevant installations must submit verified emissions data. The information for CO2 Equivalent (e) emissions from Scottish Installations for the period 2008-2020 is published online. Peterhead is the only Scottish gas fired power station, however there are other facilities such as at Grangemouth that occasionally may provide electricity to the grid.

https://ec.europa.eu/clima/eu-action/eu-emissions-trading-system-eu-ets/union-registry_en#ecl-inpage-1120

2021 data under the UK Emissions Trading System has not yet been submitted.

Question reference: S6O-00525

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 December 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of GP numbers and surgery provision in the north east.

Question reference: S6W-04560

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 22 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 2 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to make the installation of heating systems, such as heat pumps, more accessible to groups with less technical literacy.

The Scottish Government wants individuals and organisations to see energy efficiency and low and zero emissions heating as a positive choice, to understand the options available, and know where they can get help and trusted advice. The new National Public Energy Agency, as set out in our 2021/22 Programme for Government, will lead on a programme of public engagement to raise awareness and understanding of the changes that people need to make.

In the Heat in Buildings Strategy, the Scottish Government committed to developing and implementing a bespoke public engagement strategy for heat in buildings, with a focus on raising the profile of energy efficiency and zero emissions heating options so that people are aware of the benefits, as well as enabling people to actively participate in shaping the development of policy. This will be underpinned by an inclusive, people centred approach. We have also committed to developing a quality assurance policy statement which will outline our actions for quality assurance and consumer protection in relation to domestic energy efficiency and heat retrofit work in Scotland.

The Scottish Government currently provides significant support to both domestic and non-domestic groups through Home Energy Scotland (HES) and the Energy Efficient Business Support (EEBS) service (Business Energy Scotland from April 2022) respectively. HES is a single point of access for householders, providing free, bespoke, impartial advice and support on energy efficiency, renewable heating and fuel poverty support in Scotland. EEBS currently provides a substantial, free advice and support offering targeted to Scottish SMEs to uptake energy efficiency measures and zero emission heating.

As we accelerate the transformation of Scotland’s homes and workplaces, as well developing plans for the National Public Energy Agency, we are investing in growing our advice services and continuously improving them to meet the needs of householders and businesses.

Question reference: S6W-04439

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 2 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to enforce the transition of buildings to an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of C by 2033, and whether it plans to impose any restrictions or bans on sales of properties that have not achieved an EPC rating of C by 2033.

The recent Heat in Buildings Strategy confirmed our intention to consult upon and deliver regulations by 2025 setting minimum energy efficiency standards equivalent to EPC Band C across private housing, where this is technically feasible and cost effective. We have proposed backstop dates for meeting these standards of 2028 for Private Rented Sector housing and 2033 for Owner Occupied housing.

In relation to enforcement, we will be considering a number of options ahead of a detailed consultation on proposals for regulation during summer 2022, in line with the commitment in our Heat in Buildings Strategy.

On 30 November we launched a call for evidence for a National Public Energy Agency which may have a role on delivery of our proposed heat and energy efficiency standards. However, this is one of a number of alternatives, and subject to detailed investigation and consideration.

Next year’s consultation will also consider proposals for the ways in which any new energy efficiency standards may dovetail with the housing market and conveyancing processes. Our aim will be to work with the market, and to reduce disruption as much as possible.