Seòmar agus comataidhean

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

Criathragan Hide all filters

Displaying 1943 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S4W-27626

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 September 2015
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 5 October 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the economic impact of it declaring Scotland to be GM-food free.

The Scottish Government’s decision to opt out of growing EU approved GM crops was taken to protect the clean, green image of Scotland’s multi-billion pound food and drink sector. As the latest official figures show, the sector generated a record £14.3 billion for our economy and accounts for around 20% of all Scotland’s exports. Food exports alone are up by 57% from 2007. This growth has occurred without the cultivation of GM crops in Scotland.

The Scottish Government’s long-standing policy takes account of the wider social and economic ramifications that growing GM crops might have for Scotland and our unique brand. We know, from a recent Bank of Scotland study, that over 78% of firms surveyed said that Scottish provenance has a good reputation in international markets. And many of our key export markets for potatoes ask for sight of a GM-free certificate. Scottish food and drink is valued at home and abroad for its natural, high quality and often attracts a premium price.

Question reference: S4W-27655

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 September 2015
Current Status: Answered by Aileen McLeod on 2 October 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether the decision on the permanent reintroduction of beavers will be (a) a decision in principle to retain or remove, followed by a further period of time to establish the necessary legal and practical detail to deliver this or (b) a fully considered legal and funded proposal that is ready to be implemented right away.

Question reference: S4W-27654

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 September 2015
Current Status: Answered by Aileen McLeod on 2 October 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what the timetable is for announcing a decision on the future of beavers in Scotland.

Question reference: S4W-27627

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 September 2015
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 1 October 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what evidence it has to support the statement by the Minister for Business, Energy and Tourism on 17 September 2015 that the cost of providing sufficient electricity storage to deal with the intermittency issue arising from onshore wind power “will be far less than the enormous cost of the Hinkley Point nuclear power station” (Official Report, c. 62).

Large hydro storage projects are an effective way of storing energy produced from onshore wind farms. The Department of Energy and Climate Change electricity generation statistics show that the pre-development and expected construction costs of this technology are far lower than nuclear. While the UK Government has made a commitment to provide a bespoke contract for difference for nuclear, there remain a number of barriers to investment in large scale pumped storage that have not been addressed through the Electricity Market Reform process.

Question reference: S4O-04670

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 September 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 October 2015

To ask the Scottish Government how the Higher Education Governance (Scotland) Bill will maintain democracy in universities.

Question reference: S4W-26251

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 June 2015
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 29 September 2015

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met officials from the Department of Energy and Climate Change to discuss the proposed closure of Longannet power plant and its potential replacement with a combined cycle gas turbine plant.

I have sought a meeting with Amber Rudd to discuss a number of energy matters since her appointment. An agreement was eventually made to meet her on 12 October 2015.

The Scottish Government has had extensive engagement with a range of parties over Longannet. I have set out the full range of this engagement in a series of related parliamentary questions. I refer the member to the answers to questions S4W-25246 and S4W-25247 on 7 May 2015, S4W-25248 on 1 May 2015, S4W-25588, S4W-25589, S4W-25591 and S4W-25895 on 2 June 2015, S4W-25896 and S4W-25897 on 26 June 2015 and S4W-26515 on 4 August 2015.

In terms of new thermal generation in Scotland, I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-26252 on 4 August 2015. I already consented a combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) station at Cockenzie in 2011, which Scottish Power confirmed on 18 August 2015 will not now be built, because a combination of high carbon taxes and high transmission charging means that running a thermal plant in Scotland is uneconomic.

In written evidence to the Public Petitions Committee on 16 January 2015 Hugh Finlay, Scottish Power’s Generation Director said:

“There continues to be a number of obstacles in the way of the construction of the CCGT development, undoubtedly the biggest being the continuation of the transmission charging regime that discriminates against new generation in the north.”

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

Question reference: S4O-04646

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 September 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 September 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to minimise disruption to local residents and motorists during the A9 dualling.

Question reference: S4O-04594

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 September 2015
Current Status: Answered by Aileen McLeod on 16 September 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact on rural Scotland of its plans to introduce business rates on sporting businesses.

The Scottish Government has published a Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment and an Equality Impact Assessment for the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill, which includes the proposal to end the exclusion of shootings and deer forests from the valuation roll.

The Scottish Government has also published a screening determination, under the Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005, that the Bill is not likely to have significant environmental effects and therefore that a Strategic Environmental Assessment is not required.

Question reference: S4W-27079

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 August 2015
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 9 September 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what support mechanisms are available to landrace farmers.

Question reference: S4W-27094

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 17 August 2015
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 9 September 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) location, (b) size, (c) hub height, (d) number constructed, (e) consent for the building, (f) scope of and (g) other information regarding onshore wind turbines it provides to the Department for Energy and Climate Change's Renewable Energy Planning Database.

The Scottish Government does not provide the Department of Energy and Climate Change with the details referred to in the question. Information about wind farm applications that are determined by Scottish Ministers under Section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 are available on the Scottish Government website at http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Business-Industry/Energy/Infrastructure/Energy-Consents.