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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: S5W-23974

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 21 June 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 17 July 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of research by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, which suggests that 94% of Raytheon’s sales are arms, what action it has taken to ensure that the £91,009 in public funding that it provided to Raytheon in 2017 to support facilities management has not contributed to the manufacture of munitions.

Question reference: S5W-23935

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 June 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 17 July 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how it defines the blue light sector with regard to its enterprise funding.

Question reference: S5W-23975

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 21 June 2019
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 11 July 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-22963 by John Swinney on 14 May 2019, when the audit being carried out by Education Scotland will conclude, and whether it will publish the findings.

We take child and adolescent mental health very seriously. Since 2014, Education Scotland has supported delivery of mental health first aid training by offering a grant to local authorities to undertake the Scottish Mental Health First Aid Training programme. To date, 18 local authorities have been offered the training since 2014.

Education Scotland have completed a draft evaluation of the Mental Health First Aid Training year four programme. Which will include information on the take up of the training by teachers and other schools staff. This is currently being reviewed before being formally signed off.

All evaluation reports for year one to year four of the five year programme will be made available on the Scottish Government website shortly.

Question reference: S5W-24066

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 June 2019
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 11 July 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has met representatives of the US Department of Defense in the last year and, if so, (a) on what dates and (b) what was discussed.

The Scottish Affairs Office based in Washington DC co-hosted an event on the 4 th June 2019 with the Deputy Head of Mission for the British Embassy, to support wounded US Veterans who were due to visit Scotland as part of the Cateran Yomp. The Yomp takes US Veterans to Scotland for a 54 mile trek through the Highlands to raise money for Veterans’ causes. Members of the US Department of Defence were in attendance along with various Veterans Group representatives. Discussion was focussed on wishing participants well.

Question reference: S5W-23713

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 10 June 2019
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 5 July 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether expanding the proportion of energy generated in Scotland from liquefied natural gas is compatible with a climate emergency.

The production of natural gas from the North Sea is declining, but remains important for energy system security and flexibility. While Scotland is currently more than self-sufficient in natural gas production, by 2025, the UK is expected to be importing 67% of its gas from outside the UK.

In a hydrogen future scenario, as set out in a scenario in the Scottish Energy Strategy, increased gas demand would be met from a variety of sources by 2050, including a large share of imports of both natural gas from Europe and LNG from world-wide markets. While hydrogen can be generated from electrolysis of water, and there are obvious opportunities for Scotland to harness its very substantial renewable energy resources to this purpose, LNG can also be used to produce hydrogen via a process referred to as ‘steam methane reformation’; this process is thought to be cost-effective and can be rendered carbon neutral when combined with carbon capture technologies.

LNG and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) play a crucial role in supplying energy to the Scottish Independent Undertakings (SIU’s) located in Oban, Campbeltown, Wick, Thurso and Stornoway. These towns have separate networks which aren’t directly connected to the main distribution networks, but maintain the consumer benefits of utilising gas.

Heat accounts for 52% of the energy consumed by Scotland’s homes and businesses, with 79% of Scottish households using mains gas as their primary heating fuel. Both figures show the extent to which Scotland currently relies on natural gas.

Our commitment to energy efficiency, and the growth of more diverse heat networks, means that demand for natural gas is likely to reduce; however, natural gas will remain an important part of Scotland’s energy mix for the foreseeable future. Meeting this demand, and balancing the needs of consumers with a lower carbon secure energy system, will be a key challenge.

Alternative hydrocarbon sources

New and innovative ways of using hydrocarbons are already emerging, and will continue during the coming decades.

Rising demand for alternative hydrocarbon resources in the form of LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas), LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) and CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) could potentially reduce emissions – especially when derived from bio-sources. The marine, power generation, industrial, road transport and residential sectors could all play a part in pushing up demand for these alternatives.

We support the uptake of these energy streams, where the current infrastructure is able to meet the expected growth in demand. Investment could support economic development, safeguarding and creating jobs in the energy sector.

Our transition to net-zero will be just and fair to everyone so that no-one will be left behind. We are now looking across our whole range of responsibilities to make sure we continue with the policies that are working and identify areas where we can go further, faster. However we need the UK Government to act in ‘reserved’ policy areas, such as the regulation of the gas networks, that are not yet devolved to the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Ministers. The Committee on Climate Change has been explicit that “Scotland cannot deliver net-zero emissions by 2045 through devolved policy alone”.

Question reference: S5W-23812

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 17 June 2019
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 5 July 2019

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to hold the next meeting of the Scottish Nuclear Sites Group.

Question reference: S5W-23712

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 10 June 2019
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 25 June 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment Scottish Enterprise has made of the suitability of a liquefied natural gas facility at Hunterston Port and Resource Centre.

Question reference: S5W-23711

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 10 June 2019
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 21 June 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions Scottish Enterprise has had with train manufacturers regarding a potential development at Hunterston Port and Resource Centre.

Question reference: S5O-03457

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 June 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 June 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the comments in its China engagement strategy regarding respect for human rights and the rule of law, what discussions it has had with the Chinese consulate regarding the recent protests in Hong Kong.

Question reference: S5W-23614

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 June 2019
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 19 June 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what was discussed at the meeting between of the Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity and representatives of East Dunbartonshire Council on 29 May 2019.

The meeting was arranged to discuss East Dunbartonshire Council concerns regarding performance on the Milngavie line. The historic performance issues were acknowledged, however it was confirmed that the PPM for the day, 29 May was 92%, resulting from the changes made following the Donovan recommendations and recent timetable changes.

Further, since the introduction of the December 2018 timetable there has been a step-change improvement to PPM of around 15% in both arriving and departing services at Milngavie. The first week of the new May 2019 timetable saw on-time arrivals at Milngavie performing 20% better than at any other week in the past year.

The improvements were welcomed by the Council leaders with acknowledgement that further improvements were anticipated following the full implementation of the Donovan recommendations and the introduction of the new timetable developed by ScotRail for the North Electrics and Argyle line in 2020. Additionally Network Rail will be undertaking a review of the North Electrics & Argyle lines which will include considerations on forecast demand identified in the Scotland Route Study whilst taking cognisance of existing performance issues.