Chamber and committees

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: S6W-05317

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 27 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it necessitated that it take ownership of the Dalzell steelworks for a short period in 2016, and what prevented Tata Steel selling the asset directly to Liberty House.

Question reference: S6W-05313

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 27 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the information it holds on the total potential environmental remediation cost of the Dalzell steelworks.

A soil and groundwater contamination liability assessment covering the Lanarkshire steelworks was prepared for the Scottish Government in 2016.

A copy of the report with redactions in line with FOISA exemptions is available from the Scottish Government website here:

( https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/foi-eir-release/2021/07/foi-202100216003/documents/foi202100216003---information-released-2/foi202100216003---information-released-2/govscot%3Adocument/FOI202100216003%2B-%2BInformation%2Breleased%2B2.pdf ).

Question reference: S6W-05699

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 27 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what criteria and factors were taken into consideration during the recruitment process for the new Chief Operating Officer of ScotRail.

Question reference: S6W-05305

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 27 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government on what date (a) its officials first identified and (b) the Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise, or his predecessor, was first informed of (i) the existence of the liability in relation to the facilitation of the sale of the Dalzell steelworks and (ii) issues with this potentially breaking state aid rules.

There is no liability in relation to the facilitation of the sale of the Dalzell steelwork.

Initial advice was provided to Ministers of concern on the grounds of potentially non-compliant State aid on 17 August 2021 and Officials were asked to undertake further investigation including obtaining additional specialist advice.

I was provided with a further update on a potential issue concerning non-compliant State aid on 25 October 2021 following further investigation.

Final advice was provided to Ministers on 8 December 2021.

Question reference: S6W-05311

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 27 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has (a) conducted and (b) commissioned on the total potential environmental remediation cost of the Dalzell steelworks.

A soil and groundwater contamination liability assessment covering the Lanarkshire steelworks was prepared for the Scottish Government in 2016.

A copy of the report with redactions in line with FOISA exemptions is available from the Scottish Government website here

Question reference: S6W-05324

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 27 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the possible breach of state aid rules, in relation to the facilitation of the sale of the Dalzell steelworks, will damage or have any other implications for its (a) existing relationships with businesses and (b) reputation among businesses that it is considering entering into a relationship with.

Question reference: S6W-05698

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 27 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the annual salary is for the role of Managing Director of Scotland’s Railway.

The Managing Director of Scotland’s Railway is an employee of Network Rail, which is owned by the UK Government. His salary may be found in line 175 of the ‘Senior Officials high earners salaries as at 30 September 2020’ spreadsheet contained in the HM Government website and can be accessed via the following link:-

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/senior-officials-high-earners-salaries

Question reference: S6W-05327

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 27 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what risk assessment it has undertaken of whether Tata Steel will initiate legal proceedings against it in relation to the facilitation of the sale of the Dalzell steelworks.

Question reference: S6W-05225

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 27 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when Scottish Ministers were first made aware that there had been a potential breach of state aid rules in relation to its contract with Tata Steel UK Ltd.

Question reference: S6W-05329

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 27 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what evidence it has to support the view stated by the Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise, during his ministerial statement on 15 December 2021 on Dalzell Historical Industrial Transactions, that “the circumstances upon which it [the indemnity] would be called upon are unlikely to materialise”.