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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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

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Question reference: S6W-06011

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 28 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 4 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to publish a substantive and cross-governmental response to the 81 specific recommendations of Scotland’s Climate Assembly.

Question reference: S6W-05528

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 4 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how much of the health resource Barnett consequentials received for 2021-22 remain unallocated.

Question reference: S6W-05508

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 4 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what impact it anticipates the closure of (a) Hunterston B and (b) Torness nuclear power station will have on consumer energy bills, and whether it will provide details of its projections.

We do not have modelling explicitly calculating the potential impact of the closures of Hunterston and Torness however we believe that nuclear power represents poor value for consumers. There remains considerable uncertainty around the economics of new nuclear generation, and the long-term storage of nuclear waste remains a difficult issue. The latest Contracts for Difference (CfD) auction delivered offshore wind at £39.65 per megawatt hour – substantially below the £92.50 awarded to Hinkley. Internal analysis tells us that in 2030 alone Hinkley could add almost £40/year to a consumer bill, whilst the equivalent offshore wind farm would reduce consumer bills by £8/year.

Question reference: S6W-06191

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 February 2022
Current Status: Awaiting answer

To ask the Scottish Government how it is applying evidence-based psychological interventions to change lifestyle behaviours related to (a) obesity, (b) disability and (c) chronic disease.

Question reference: S6W-06280

Asked by: Natalie Don-Innes, MSP for Renfrewshire North and West, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 February 2022
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 3 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether the COVID-19 Support Grant, COVID-19 Support Grant - Restart, and Bus Service Operators' Grant will be continued in the 2022-23 financial year.

Today I am announcing a new Network Support Grant which will run from 1 April 2022 to help maintain bus services while passenger numbers recover from the effects of the pandemic.

The Network Support Grant will replace the COVID Support Grant, COVID Support Grant - Restart, and the Bus Service Operators Grant. The Network Support Grant will provide more flexibility than the emergency COVID funding schemes, allowing services to adapt to changed travel patterns and will be available on the same terms to new as well as established operators to help improve efficiencies and the offer to passengers. The level of support provided under the grant will reduce as passenger numbers recover and we will retain key controls and obligations on participating operators

The draft Scottish Budget for 2022-23 provides up to £93.5 million for this, including £40 million in additional funding. Full details of the Network Support Grant can be found on the Transport Scotland website.

Question reference: S6W-05998

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 28 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 3 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many times it has met the Scotch Whisky Association since June 2021.

Scottish Ministers have met with the Scotch Whisky Association four times since June 2021. On occasion, Scotch Whisky Association staff also attend meetings such as the Scottish Government’s Ministerial Trade Board, where various industry stakeholders and the Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism & Enterprise is also in attendance. Discussions between Scottish Government officials and the Scotch Whisky Association take place regularly.

Question reference: S6W-05502

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 3 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government from where specifically it will source energy that is currently generated by the Hunterston B nuclear power station, following its closure.

Question reference: S6W-05504

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 3 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to deliver a fair and managed transition for workers currently working at the Hunterston B nuclear power station, following its closure.

Our draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan is currently being developed. This will include co-design as a key underpinning principle, ensuring workers from across the energy sector have the opportunity to contribute towards this process.

Additionally, we are investing in a green transition for North Ayrshire, supporting the region surrounding Hunterston B. The Scottish Government has invested £103 million in the Ayrshire Growth Deal which will support inclusive growth across the region; and help create good, green jobs.

Question reference: S6W-05510

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 3 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what it anticipates will be the source of energy that replaces that currently generated by nuclear power stations in Scotland; whether this will be from (a) fossil fuels or (b) renewable wind power; where precisely that power will be generated, and whether it will publish its calculations regarding how the current level of nuclear power generation will be replaced by these alternative sources.

Security of electricity supply is a reserved matter and is delivered by National Grid ESO across the whole of Great Britain under regulation from Ofgem. Scotland is part of a GB electricity system that is managed by National Grid in its role as Electricity System Operator. NGESO is responsible for sourcing generation to meet demand.

A mixture of renewables, storage and carbon capture technology – as well as increased interconnection across GB and to the continent – can support a secure and decarbonised power sector in Scotland following the closure of the existing large nuclear generators.

Scotland is currently a net electricity exporter and in 2020 exported 20.4 TWh of electricity, equivalent to powering every household in Scotland for 26 months. It only imported a little over 1 TWh of electricity, meaning that net exports of electricity were 19.3 TWh in 2020, its highest year on record.

Question reference: S6W-05505

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 3 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether its Just Transition (a) Fund and (b) plans will support workers currently working in the nuclear sector (i) in general and (ii) following the closure of the (A) Hunterston B and (B) Torness nuclear power station.

The ten-year £500 million Just Transition Fund has been established to support the North East and Moray region, which does not host any of Scotland’s nuclear power facilities.

Our forthcoming Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan will provide a clear roadmap for Scotland’s energy system. It will be co-designed with workers, businesses and communities across the country and establish a shared vision for Scotland’s energy system, identifying concrete steps to manage the economic and social impacts of the transition fairly.

This year we will outline our sequence of Just Transition Plans, including any sub-sectors or sites of the energy system that would benefit from an individual plan.