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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: S6W-14916

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 6 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-12640 by Mairi McAllan on 8 December 2022, which states that "we expect to issue the release on Scottish Government's attendance and expenses incurred at COP27 by the end of January 2023", whether the release was issued, and, if so, whether it will provide it.

Question reference: S6W-14794

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 2 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many trees have been cut down or removed in order to make way for onshore windfarm development in the last 10 years, broken down by project and year.

Question reference: S6W-14795

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 2 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many trees it estimates will need to be removed to make way for onshore windfarm developments that have secured planning permission.

Question reference: S6W-14793

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 2 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many trees it estimates will need to be removed in order to meet its 2030 targets for onshore windfarm development.

While the Scottish Government holds some relevant information relating to tree removal as a result of onshore windfarm developments on Forestry and Land Scotland sites, it does not hold information relating to all onshore windfarms. Further data is held by Local Planning Authorities.

Where trees are proposed to be felled for the purpose of building an onshore wind farm it is most likely that there would be a condition attached to the consent requiring compensatory planting. This is to accord with the Scottish Government’s policy on the control of woodland removal – The Scottish Government's Policy on Control of Woodland Removal (forestry.gov.scot)

The monitoring and enforcing of such conditions are undertaken by the Local Planning Authority.

Question reference: S6W-14585

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 2 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-12522 by Patrick Harvie on 9 December 2022, whether it has concluded reviewing its "cost estimates to deliver the heat transition on this basis", and when it plans to "provide a further update" in order to answer the question.

Question reference: S6W-14978

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 2 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when the (a) Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Transport and (b) Minister for Just Transition, Employment Employment and Work last visited Aberdeen, and what engagements were undertaken.

On 11 January 2023 I visited Aberdeen to attend the opening of the National Subsea centre and for a media round table to discuss the launch of the draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan.

On 9 February 2023 the Minister for Just Transition, Employability and Skills visited Opportunity North East and Net Zero Technology Centre to hear updates on projects funded via the Just Transition Fund. The Minister also met with Aberdeen City Council Co-Leaders and Chief Executive to discuss Just Transition in the region.

Question reference: S6W-14586

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 28 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-12922 by Jenny Gilruth on 21 December 2022, which states that it expects "an update from Transport Scotland on this matter imminently", whether the update has now been produced, and, if so, whether it will provide a revised answer to the question.

Question reference: S6O-01945

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 February 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact of the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service capital budget for 2023-24 on the amount of maintenance work required in court buildings across the country.

Question reference: S6T-01182

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 February 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to a report by WWF Scotland that states that Scotland will fall "significantly short" of its target for decarbonising heating in homes.

Question reference: S6O-01922

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 February 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the Rural Housing Fund.