Chamber and committees

The UK benefits from a diverse supply of gas where the market is able to deliver gas in excess of the maximum demand. Gas storage provides around 10% of this demand over the winter period, October to March. The responsibility for ensuring there is enough gas lies with the gas supply market to meet its customer needs.

The Scottish Government will endeavour to lay the Annual Reports and Accounts of both Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise before the end of September each year.

The responsibility for gas balancing activities lies with National Grid where it provides relevant parties with information about potential or actual risks to the end-of-day National Transmission System physical system balance. There are a range of tools that National Grid use to ensure system balancing of supply and demand is met.

The Scottish Government is not aware of any industry shutdowns that have occurred recently to ensure that residential homes continue to receive gas supplies, where National Grid has instigated this action.

The Scottish Government works closely with National Grid – as well as with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Ofgem and Scotland’s gas distribution network operator – to ensure that the supplies of gas to Scottish consumers remain resilient, and that Scottish circumstances and priorities are taken fully into account.

The storage of gas in the UK is facilitated through commercially operated storage sites and is monitored by National Grid as part of its responsibility to ensure system balancing of supply and demand.

The following link to National Grid's, Gas Ten Year Statement for 2017 provides information on the availability of gas storage within the UK in Appendix 4.

https://www.nationalgrid.com/sites/default/files/documents/GTYS%202017_3.pdf

The Scottish Government works closely with National Grid – as well as with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Ofgem and Scotland’s gas distribution network operator – to ensure that the supplies of gas to Scottish consumers remain resilient, and that Scottish circumstances and priorities are taken fully into account.

Security of gas supply is a reserved matter and one in which the Scottish Government has no formal functions. The UK gas system is subject to regular assessments of security of supply through National Grid’s twice-yearly ‘Outlook’ publications, the biennial European gas risk assessment and other ad-hoc assessments.

The following link to a report published in October 2017 by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy provides a strategic assessment of Great Britain’s gas security of supply.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/651297/gas-security-supply-assessment.pdf

The Scottish Government works closely with National Grid – as well as with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Ofgem and Scotland’s gas distribution network operator – to ensure that the supplies of gas to Scottish consumers remain resilient, and that Scottish circumstances and priorities are taken fully into account.

The volume of gas required to meet consumers demands is a reserved matter and one which the Scottish Government has no formal functions. The responsibility for ensuring consumers demands are met is carried out by National Grid and the gas distribution network operator in Scotland under their Transportation Licence obligations.

The following link to SGN’s Long Term Development Statement provides information on the forecast annual and peak day demand for Scotland over the next 10 years from 2016-17.

https://sgn.co.uk/uploadedFiles/Marketing/Pages/Publications/Docs-Long-Term-Development-Statements/SGN-LTDS-2017.pdf

The Scottish Government works closely with National Grid – as well as with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Ofgem and Scotland’s gas distribution network operator – to ensure that the supplies of gas to Scottish consumers remain resilient, and that Scottish circumstances and priorities are taken fully into account.

The volume of gas required to meet consumers demands is a reserved matter and one which the Scottish Government has no formal functions. The responsibility for ensuring consumers demands are met is carried out by National Grid and the gas distribution network operator in Scotland under their Transportation Licence obligations.

The following link to SGN’s Long Term Development Statement provides information on the forecast annual and peak day demand for Scotland over the next 10 years from 2016-17.

https://sgn.co.uk/uploadedFiles/Marketing/Pages/Publications/Docs-Long-Term-Development-Statements/SGN-LTDS-2017.pdf

The Scottish Government works closely with National Grid – as well as with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Ofgem and Scotland’s gas distribution network operator – to ensure that the supplies of gas to Scottish consumers remain resilient, and that Scottish circumstances and priorities are taken fully into account.

With regard to retentions and the answer to S5W-14750, we expect to be provided with the outcome of the UK Government review of retention payments in the construction industry shortly. We will draw our own conclusions from the UK Government analysis and implement any measures we deem necessary.

The Scottish Government believes that employers should take a progressive approach to relations with trade unions. It is for each council to decide how to deal with such matters in respect of their staff. Councils are autonomous bodies, responsible for managing their own day to day business and answerable to their electorates and not to the Scottish Government.

The First Minister was not aware of West Dunbartonshire Council’s decision before her meeting with the STUC on 5 March as the decision was only made at the council’s budget setting meeting on that day.

When purchasing Glasgow Prestwick Airport, the Scottish Government sought external legal advice to ensure compliance with European Union State Aid rules.

The Scottish Government has not approached the European Commission for advice on this matter.