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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: S4W-22211

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 July 2014
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 22 August 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what the membership is of the opencast coal mining working groups and on what basis members were selected.

Membership of the compliance working group:

Russel Griggs	Chair
Lin Bunten	SEPA
Graeme Walker	SNH
Professor George Fleming	Association of Environmental and Ecological Clerks of Works
George Eckton	COSLA
Alan Doak	AED Planning and Development Ltd.
Mark North	Kier Mining
Barney Pilgrim	Banks Group
Jerry Mulders	community representative
Elizabeth Morton	Deputy Chief Executive East Ayrshire Council
David McDowall	East Ayrshire Council
Nicky Wilson	NUM Scotland
Jim Birrell	Fife Council
Tim Brian	Scottish Government Inquiry Reporter
Graham Marchbank, Stuart McKay and Caroline Stafford	Scottish Government Policy and Secretariat

Membership of the finance working group:

Russel Griggs	Chair
Mark North	Kier Mining
Phil Garner	CoalPro
Iain Cockburn	Hargreaves
David Martin	Banks Group
Chris Norman	Heads of Planning Scotland
Lin Bunten	SEPA
Elizabeth Morton Council	Deputy Chief Executive East Ayrshire
Barry White	Scottish Futures Trust
Robin Caldow	CC Services
Professor Niall Lothian	Heriot Watt University
James Fowlie	COSLA
Graham Marchbank, Stuart McKay,
Caroline Stafford		Scottish Government Policy and Secretariat

Members were selected by the Scottish Government with reference to expertise and experience in the opencast coal sector with particular care to ensure broad representation across all parties interested in the sector. Substitutes or replacements attend from time to time.

Both groups will call on a presence from or write to other experts in relevant fields as required. So far this has included:

RSPB

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Heads of Planning Scotland

Institute of Civil Engineers Scotland

CoalPro

Coal Authority

Mineral Products Association (Scotland)

Community Alliance

Audit Scotland

Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors

Health and Safety Executive

RBS Group

Euler Hermes

Zurich Global

ACE European Group

Question reference: S4W-22210

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 July 2014
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 22 August 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what the remits are of the working groups established to take forward the outcomes of the consultation on the regulation of opencast coal mining in Scotland.

The main terms of reference for the finance working group are to assess the financial climate in assurance, make an assessment of parent company guarantees, the market in insurance policies and the pros and cons of escrow accounts, recommend how planning authorities should approach financial guarantees in future, consider the value of drafting bond templates,explore the matter of landowner accountability, and meet periodically to discuss evidence and draft conclusions.

The main terms of reference for the compliance working group are to take forward the options relating to compliance monitoring, mine progress plans, site surveys, enforcement and related matters, consider legislative and non-legislative measures, consider the value of a shared service or an independent compliance unit supporting planning authority autonomy, meet periodically to discuss evidence and draft conclusions.

Both groups will provide reports with conclusions and recommendations to the Opencast Coal Task Force before the end of 2014.

Question reference: S4F-02245

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 11 August 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 August 2014

To ask the First Minister what issues will be discussed at the next meeting of the Cabinet.

Question reference: S4F-02228

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 04 August 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 August 2014

To ask the First Minister what issues will be discussed at the next meeting of the Cabinet.

Question reference: S4W-22052

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 07 July 2014
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 30 July 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what implications the failure to restore opencast coal mines in the Muirkirk and North Lowther Uplands Special Protection Area could have for an independent Scotland becoming a member of the EU.

Question reference: S4W-22050

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 07 July 2014
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 30 July 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the European Commission regarding the restoration of the open cast coal mines in the Muirkirk and North Lowther Uplands Special Protection Area.

Question reference: S4W-22048

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 07 July 2014
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 30 July 2014

To ask the Scottish Government who has liability for controlled activities regulations licences at Powharnal and Grievehill open cast coal sites; whether it considers that the liquidators of Scottish Coal are in compliance with these licences at the Powharnal site in East Ayrshire, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Question reference: S4W-22051

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 07 July 2014
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 30 July 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how it will consider in-combination impacts of proposed developments on the Muirkirk and North Lowther Uplands Special Protection Area in light of the current impact of opencast coal mines in the area.

Question reference: S4W-21539

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 30 May 2014
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 27 June 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what modelling it has undertaken of the costs of the transition to independence in the event of a Yes vote in the referendum.

The Scottish Government has undertaken a range of work to prepare for the transition to independence, and our approach is set out in “Scotland’s Future”. Pages 343 to 350 explain that a number of factors will influence the size of the one-off investment that Scotland will make in the transition to independence. They include the negotiations that will take place between the two governments on apportioning assets and securing public services in Scotland, and the options that are chosen for improving systems and providing more modern and responsive public services for people in Scotland in the period following independence.

Question reference: S4W-21545

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 30 May 2014
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 27 June 2014

To ask the Scottish Government who took the decision not to publish an estimate of the transition costs to independence in the white paper on independence.