- Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 November 2022
-
Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 5 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding any impact on Scotland, whether it considers the Energy Charter Treaty should be reformed, and, if so, what its position is on how it should be reformed.
Answer
The Scottish Government is in regular contact with the UK Government’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy about the continuing discussions to renegotiate the Energy Charter Treaty, with a view to identifying and mitigating any particular impacts on Scotland.
The Scottish Government is aware of the concerns raised by The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and others that International Investment Agreements, such as the Energy Charter Treaty, may lead to ‘regulatory chill’. That is why, in our Vision for Trade, we are clear that no part of a trade or investment agreement should limit the ability of the Scottish Parliament to regulate in devolved areas, or constrain much-needed action to achieve our net zero goal.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 November 2022
-
Current Status:
Answered by Dorothy Bain on 5 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service regarding any investigations into the Park Inn tragedy of 26 June 2020, in Glasgow.
Answer
The Lord Advocate is constitutionally responsible for the investigation of sudden, unexpected and suspicious deaths in Scotland. These functions are exercised independently of government. It would therefore be inappropriate for Scottish Government to have any discussions with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) regarding the nature of its ongoing investigations.
- Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 18 November 2022
-
Current Status:
Answered by Mairi McAllan on 5 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has conducted an impact assessment to determine the final sum allocated to the loss and damage funding, and, if so, whether it will it publish the details of this.
Answer
We have undertaken an external audit of the climate justice fund and an impact assessment to ensure policy coherence for sustainable development for the overall approach in order to better understand the needs for loss and damage support. As agreed following the evaluation, all Climate Justice Fund money for the £5m pledge will be allocated on the basis of an independent needs assessment with stakeholders and those communities impacted. Once conducted, we will respond accordingly and deliver a participatory, co-designed programme that fully meets the needs of the communities that it seeks to serve. In line with funds already delivered to loss and damage, all sums granted will be monitored and evaluated.
- Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Friday, 18 November 2022
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 5 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how many additional public electric vehicle (EV) charging points are planned across Scotland, broken down by (a) local authority area and (b) estimated timescale for delivery.
Answer
The Scottish Government has invested over £65m in the ChargePlace Scotland Network that now has over 2,400 publicly available electric vehicle charge points, alongside supporting homes and businesses to install almost 20,000 charge points. A range of factors will influence the number of charge points required – and delivery plans will be determined by both public and private investment.
Our focus is on making sure that the public charging network builds on the benefits of ChargePlace Scotland, which includes maintaining comprehensive coverage across all parts of Scotland. To that end, our £60m EV Infrastructure Fund has the potential to at least double the size of the public charging network over the next four years. This is over and above the commercial investment in charge points now taking place across Scotland.
- Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 18 November 2022
-
Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 5 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to issuing guidance regarding the Deposit Return Scheme’s online takeback service.
Answer
In line with the principle of industry responsibility for Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), it is for retailers (in consultation with the scheme administrator, Circularity Scotland Ltd) to decide how to comply with the obligation to provide a takeback service for scheme articles sold online. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has published guidance to support retailers in complying with their obligations:
https://www.sepa.org.uk/regulations/waste/deposit-return-scheme/retailers/online-retailers/
However, as set out in the answer to S6W-12236 on 1 December 2022, we are considering measures to reduce the burden this obligation places on industry, and are working closely with SEPA to ensure that the guidance is updated if necessary as a result of this work.
All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .
- Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Friday, 18 November 2022
-
Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 5 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it is its policy to exit the integrated UK electricity market, the current subsidy regime and transmission arrangements in the event of Scotland becoming independent.
Answer
We will set out our approach to the future electricity market in an Independent Scotland in the forthcoming Net Zero prospectus paper.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Friday, 18 November 2022
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 5 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider making a regulation in exercise of the power conferred by sections 17(2), (3) and (3ZA) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 to test a 30 mph speed limit on the length of the M8 between Junction 22 and Junction 15, which is the area originally designated as the Glasgow Inner Ring Road, in order to assess its impact on traffic congestion and the reportedly dangerous levels of vehicle noise and emissions pollution in the inner urban area of Glasgow caused by both the current 50 mph limit and scale of the motorway infrastructure.
Answer
The Scottish Government currently has no plans to reduce the speed limit on the M8 through Glasgow for the purposes of assessing the relationship between speed limit and congestion, noise and air pollution.
- Asked by: Fulton MacGregor, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 18 November 2022
-
Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 5 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce waiting times for cancer patients in Lanarkshire.
Answer
£10 million of funding has been directed to support Cancer Waiting Times improvements in our NHS across 2022-23, of which NHS Lanarkshire received a share of £1,229,861. Funding will be targeted towards the most challenged specialties, including colorectal. Significant funds are going towards up-skilling nurses and investment to support extended working days and weekend working to increase capacity and treat patients as timely as possible.
In addition the First Minister announced on 10 October that two new Rapid Cancer Diagnostic Services will be established, one of which will be developed in NHS Lanarkshire within existing infrastructure. The service will provide primary care with access to a new fast-track diagnostic pathway for patients with non-specific symptoms suspicious of cancer, such as weight loss and fatigue.
- Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Friday, 18 November 2022
-
Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 5 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a full list of active groups and sub-groups within the Finance and Economy portfolio.
Answer
The list of active groups and sub-groups within the Finance and Economy portfolio includes:
- Apprenticeship Approval Group (AAG)
- Business Support Partnership
- Climate Emergency Skills Action Plan - Implementation Steering Group
- Clyde Mission Strategy Group
- Community Wealth Building (CWB) Bill steering Group
- Creative Industries Leadership Group
- Developing the Young Workforce Employers Forum
- Digital Collaborative Governance Group
- Economic Leadership Group
- European Structural and Investment Funds Programme Board
- European Structural and Investment Programme Monitoring Committee
- European Structural and Investment Programme Monitoring Committee Working Group
- European Structural and Information Technology Board
- Financial Services Growth and Development Board
- Flexible Workforce Development Fund Senior Strategic Group
- Foundation Apprenticeship Enhancement Group
- Green Freeports Programme Board
- Industry Leadership Chairs Group
- Innovation Strategy Steering Group
- Input-Output Expert Users Group (IOEUG)
- Lifetime Skills Offer Steering Group
- Life Sciences Scotland Group
- Ministerial Trade Board
- National Strategy for Economic Transformation Delivery Board
- National Strategy for Economic Transformation Portfolio Board
- National Strategy for Economic Transformation Skilled Workforce Programme Board
- Public Sector Network Steering Group
- Regional Economic Policy Advisory Group
- Retail Industry Leadership Group
- Scottish Apprenticeship Advisory Board (SAAB) Group Board
- Scottish Apprenticeship Advisory Board (SAAB) Standards And Frameworks Group
- Scottish Apprenticeship Advisory Board (SAAB) Employer Engagement Group
- Scottish Apprenticeship Advisory Board (SAAB) Employer Equalities Group
- Scottish Apprenticeship Advisory Board (SAAB) Apprentice Engagement Group
- Scottish Business Growth Group
- Scottish Cities Alliance Chief Executive Officers Group
- Scottish Cities Alliance Delivery Group
- Scottish Cities Alliance Leadership Group
- Scottish City Region and Growth Deal Delivery Board
- Scottish Economic Statistics Consultation Group
- Scottish Government and Business Organisations Meeting
- Scottish Government Labour Market Evidence Programme
- Scottish Taskforce for Green and Sustainable Financial Services
- Skills Ministerial Group
- Strategic Leadership Group for Advanced Manufacturing
- Sub-Scotland Economic Statistics Group
- Tourism and Hospitality Industry Leadership Group
- Wellbeing Economy Governments (WEGo)
- Young Persons Guarantee Equalities Subgroup
- Young Persons Guarantee Employer Advisory Group
- Young Persons Guarantee Implementation Planning Group
Please note these groups will be kept under review.
- Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Friday, 18 November 2022
-
Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 5 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6T-00960 by Lorna Slater on 15 November 2022, which potential offshore wind developments were included in the figure in the statement that Scotland has “over 40GW of potential offshore wind developments already in the pipeline”.
Answer
The offshore wind developments included in the estimate of 40GW of potential offshore wind developments in the pipeline, subject to planning and consenting decisions, and finding a route to market, included:
3.8 gigawatts of projects currently under construction or awaiting construction [1]
- Seagreen
- Inch Cape
- Moray West
- Neart na Gaoithe
4.2 gigawatts of projects with lease options [2]
- Berwick Bank
- Pentland Floating Offshore Wind Farm
- 5.7 gigawatts of estimated capacity for targeted oil and gas decarbonisation projects under the INTOG leasing round [3]
- 0.5 gigawatts of estimated capacity for Innovation projects under the INTOG leasing round [4]
- 27.6 gigawatts from 20 ScotWind projects [5]
[1] Scottish Energy Statistics Hub - Pipeline renewable capacity by planning stage
Scotland, 2022 Q2
Scottish Energy Statistics Hub (shinyapps.io)
[2] Marine Scotland – Marine Projects
Marine Projects | Marine Scotland Information
[3] Scottish Government, Sectoral marine plan – offshore wind for innovation and targeted oil and gas decarbonisation: initial plan framework
Supporting documents - Sectoral marine plan - offshore wind for innovation and targeted oil and gas decarbonisation: initial plan framework - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
[4] Scottish Government, Sectoral marine plan – offshore wind for innovation and targeted oil and gas decarbonisation: initial plan framework
Supporting documents - Sectoral marine plan - offshore wind for innovation and targeted oil and gas decarbonisation: initial plan framework - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
[5] Crown Estate Scotland, “ScotWind Awards with Project Partners November 2022” https://www.crownestatescotland.com/resources/documents/scotwind-awards-with-project-partners-november-2022
