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 1376 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S3W-15316

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 01 August 2008
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 25 August 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what the legal status is of the term traffic distributor road.

Question reference: S3W-15175

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 July 2008
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 20 August 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive how much investment in clean coal technologies ministers plan to make (a) in the current financial year and (b) during the current spending review period.

Investment in clean coal technologies in Scotland is largely a matter for the private sector promoted by regulation in relation to carbon emissions. However, financial support is required for demonstration of carbon capture and storage and we have urged the UK Government to move quickly in that respect.

In the current financial year, the Scottish Government has contributed £75,000 to the Scottish Centre for Carbon Storage towards the Scottish carbon capture and storage (CCS) joint study, which will identify storage sites for carbon captured from future thermal power stations, as well as addressing transportational and economic issues. This supports funding from a range of private sector partners.

Scottish Enterprise has awarded R&D Plus funding support of £2.84 million over the current spending review period to Doosan Babcock for the creation of a research centre specialising in research into clean coal and CCS technologies. This funding was announced on 1 July.

In addition, we are currently further developing the business plan for the Scottish European Green Energy Centre, which will foster research and commercialisation opportunities for Scottish universities and industry including in clean coal technologies.

Question reference: S3W-15173

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 July 2008
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 20 August 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what range of technologies ministers regard as necessary for coal-fired power stations to be considered as clean coal stations.

There are a range of potential technologies, some of which are still in development, that can reduce emissions, such as carbon capture, supercritical boilers, or flue gas desulphurisation. The package of energy and climate change directives being negotiated by the European Union will drive the development of necessary technologies to reduce emissions associated with burning coal.

We will shortly be consulting on guidance in relation to consent for construction of thermal power stations, and this will seek views on requirements in respect of emissions reduction.

Question reference: S3W-15178

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 July 2008
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 20 August 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive when ministers expect carbon capture and storage technologies to be ready for use in Scotland.

The current Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) competition being run by the UK Government sets a deadline of 2014 for the chosen project to be operational on a commercial scale. We are hopeful that a Scottish based project will win that competition.

We are also playing an enabling role to assist the development of CCS more generally such as funding research into identifying future carbon stores and participating in the UK Energy Bill''s provisions on carbon storage.

We believe that all of this work will ensure that CCS technologies will be ready for deployment in Scotland at the earliest possible opportunity.

Question reference: S3W-15174

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 July 2008
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 20 August 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what level of (a) carbon emissions and (b) sulphur and other pollutants ministers would regard as acceptable for coal-fired power stations to be considered as clean coal stations.

Levels of carbon emissions, sulphur and other pollutants from coal-fired power stations are strictly regulated by EU emissions and air quality legislation. The European Union is currently negotiating its Climate and Energy package, which includes new and revised directives on Carbon Capture and Storage, the Emissions Trading Scheme and industrial emissions.

These new directives will set the framework for what levels of emissions will be considered acceptable from coal-fired power stations in future to meet the EU''s agreed target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by 2020.

Question reference: S3W-15176

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 July 2008
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 20 August 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of electricity generation capacity ministers expect to be delivered by coal by 2020.

The composition of Scotland''s future electricity generation will be dependent on a number of factors, including relative cost of fuels, requirements in relation to carbon emissions and related investment decisions made by the private sector. Therefore, we do not have a specific prediction for coal-based generation.

It will be for the industry to bring forward proposals for new or replacement capacity, and Scottish ministers will consider each on its merits under our consenting powers in the Electricity Act 1989. We will be consulting shortly on new guidance for applications for consent to construct thermal power generation.

Question reference: S3W-15177

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 July 2008
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 20 August 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what the impact would be on carbon emissions if coal-fired generation capacity were replaced by equivalent renewable capacity.

It is likely that thermal baseload, utilising carbon reducing technology, will be required into the future to help meet security of supply objectives.

If fitted with carbon capture and storage equipment, estimates from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change are that emissions from coal-fired generation would fall by up to 90%.

Where renewable energy replaces thermal generation without carbon capture and storage, a significant reduction in carbon emissions may also be expected.

Question reference: S3W-15187

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 July 2008
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 14 August 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what records it maintains of public buildings, including schools, that were constructed with the use of asbestos and if this information (a) has been or (b) will be made available to the public.

Question reference: S3W-14923

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 July 2008
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 30 July 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to implement the recommendations in the Scottish Law Commission’s Report on Conversion of Long Leases, published in 2006.

Question reference: S3W-14927

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 July 2008
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 29 July 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider introducing legislation to protect the status of existing common good assets in perpetuity.