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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-25269

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 20 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when the final Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan will be published, in light of the draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan being published on 10 January 2023.

Question reference: S6F-02845

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 February 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 February 2024

To ask the First Minister whether the Scottish Government still has a policy of a presumption against any new oil and gas licences.

Question reference: S6W-25273

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 19 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many times the A90 from Dundee to Aberdeen has been closed due to a lack of adequate drainage in each financial year from 2019-20 to date.

Question reference: S6W-25259

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 19 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been spent on safety improvements on the A96 between Inverness and Aberdeen in each of the last three financial years.

The following amounts have been spent on safety improvements on the A96 between Inverness and Aberdeen in each of the last full three financial years:

Year	Spent
2020-21	£102,076.99
2021-22	£102,018.66
2022-23	£610,017.72

This spend is delivered through Transport Scotland’s Trunk Road Casualty Reduction programme of works. These figures include costs for investigation and design.

These amounts do not include some elements of wider spend across the North East Operating Company Unit as it is not possible identify those that relate specifically to the A96.

Question reference: S6W-25274

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 19 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been spent on improving drainage on the A90 from Dundee to Aberdeen in each financial year from 2019-20 to date.

As trunk road maintenance costs are held on a whole route basis we are unable to provide figures for the section of the A90 trunk road from Dundee to Aberdeen.

However, please see the following table for details of how much was spent on improving drainage on the whole of the A90 trunk road for the financial years 2019-20 onwards. These works are in addition to regular asset inspections undertaken through the maintenance contracts, which then develop and prioritises programmes of works.

	2019-20	2020-21	2021-22	2022-23	2023-24	Total spend
Total	£612,625	£92,056	£564,815	£122,464	£1,035	£1,392,995

Please note that these figures relate to drainage-specific works. On occasions where drainage elements were included in larger schemes (e.g. major resurfacing works), we are unable to disaggregate drainage costs in those situations and as such, those figures will not appear in the table above.

Due to the condition of the drainage assets on the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR) section of the A90 trunk road, there have been no drainage-specific improvement schemes undertaken in this period.

Question reference: S6W-25272

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 19 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what the value of oil and gas exports, as a percentage of Scotland’s total exports, has been in each financial year from 2014-15 to date.

There are no statistics available on Scotland’s total exports including oil and gas on a quarterly or a financial year basis. On a calendar year basis, the latest available official statistics in development (previously known as experimental statistics) include estimates up to 2021.

	Exports of oil and gas as a percentage of total exports
2014	21.5%
2015	16.7%
2016	15.1%
2017	17.5%
2018	22.2%
2019	20.1%
2020(provisional)	15.1%
2021(provisional)	22.0%

Source: Supply and Use Satellite Accounts for Extra-Regio Activities: 1998-2021 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) (28 June 2023), calculations based on data from Table 1

Question reference: S6W-25248

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 19 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its plans to decarbonise the rail network between Aberdeen and the Central Belt.

No date has been set for the decarbonisation of the lines between Aberdeen and Edinburgh, and Aberdeen and the electrified network at Dunblane. However, in line with the Rail Decarbonisation Action Plan, these routes are under consideration for future decarbonisation through electrification by Transport Scotland, with plans at an early stage of development.

As set out in the Decarbonisation Action Plan, the order and pace in which decarbonisation is undertaken has always, and continues to, depend on business cases and available budgets.

Question reference: S6W-25235

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 19 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the effectiveness of the participatory budgeting awards from the Just Transition Fund for the north east and Moray on a just transition.

The Scottish Government works closely with the north east Just Transition Participatory Budgeting Fund partners who co-ordinate and deliver the fund. Officials carry out mid and end of year reviews to ensure the effective management of the fund and the principles of a just transition are followed. Partners produced a report on Year 1 and will produce a summary at the end of Year 2.

We will also undertake an evaluation of phase one of the Just Transition Fund in the 2024-25 financial year aiming to commence the next phase in the following financial year.

Question reference: S6W-25264

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 19 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of money from the Just Transition Fund to date has gone to (a) businesses and (b) community groups.

Question reference: S6W-25249

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 19 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when the conclusions of the review of the dualling of the A96 will be published.

The Scottish Government is committed to improving the A96.

The current plan is to fully dual the route and as part of this process we are undertaking a transparent, evidence-based review of the programme.

The significant interest in the review’s initial consultation generated 11,000 options to improve the corridor. It is only right that it has taken more time than originally anticipated, in order to properly examine and fully appraise these.

It is expected that the draft outcomes from the Review will be consulted on in the coming months, before a final decision can be reached.