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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: S4F-02286

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 22 September 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 September 2014

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

Question reference: S4W-22209

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 how it will ensure that participants in the opencast coal mining working groups have no conflict of interest and that governance of the groups is independent of organisations or individuals who own or control opencast coal mining sites.

The Scottish Government ensures an absence of conflict of interest on the groups by drawing on wide input from industry, environment, community, local authority, independent assessor and business interests.

Strong chairmanship is required to ensure all aspects of the restoration process are fairly and evenly represented in the content, discussion and output from the groups. Ministers appointed Professor Russel Griggs OBE, a Non-Executive Director of the Scottish Government and chair of the Scottish Government’s independent Regulatory Review Group to chair both groups in order to ensure continuity. Professor Griggs also chairs the Scottish Mines Restoration Trust: an independent charitable trust created to help facilitate the restoration of legacy opencast coal sites across Scotland.

In terms of governance, the groups are run in a formal structure where minutes are taken and circulated to all participants for agreement to ensure all interests are being fairly and accurately represented and all issues are even-handedly addressed and recorded.

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-22213

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 how (a) environmental groups, (b) relevant ecological expertise and (c) community interests are being represented in the opencast coal mining working groups.

As set out in the written answer to PQ S4W-22211 on 22 August 2014, Scottish Natural Heritage and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency represent environmental interests. The Association of Environmental and Ecological Clerks of Works represent ecological interests. Community and National Union of Mineworkers representatives represent the community interest.

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: S4W-22212

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 when it will publish an analysis of responses received to the consultation on restoration of opencast coal mining sites.

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-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.