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: S4W-06463

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 26 March 2012
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 2 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what recent discussions it has had with (a) the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, (b) Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd, (c) the UK Atomic Energy Authority and (d) the UK Government regarding fulfilling contractual obligations to reprocess nuclear waste at Dounreay.

The Scottish Government has had no recent discussions with any external organisation regarding contractual obligations for overseas reprocessing contracts at Dounreay as these are matters for the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. However, the Scottish Government did consult a range of key stakeholders, including the Highland Council and SEPA, on proposals regarding Dounreay radioactive waste substitution and worked closely with the UK Government to develop the eventual joint policy statement on this issue.

Question reference: S4W-06664

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 April 2012
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 24 April 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive for (a) how many and (b) what percentage of sailings per month there has been a waiting list on the Tarbert - Uig route since January 2007.

Question reference: S4W-06666

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 April 2012
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 24 April 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive for (a) how many and (b) what percentage of sailings per month there has been a waiting list on the Stornoway - Ullapool route since January 2007.

Question reference: S4W-06659

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 April 2012
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 24 April 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive for (a) how many and (b) what percentage of sailings per month there has been a waiting list on the Castlebay - Oban route since January 2007.

Question reference: S4W-06658

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 April 2012
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 24 April 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive for (a) how many and (b) what percentage of sailings per month there has been a waiting list on the Islay - Kennacraig route since January 2007.

Question reference: S4W-06662

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 April 2012
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 24 April 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive for (a) how many and (b) what percentage of sailings per month there has been a waiting list on the Lochmaddy - Uig route since January 2007.

Question reference: S4W-06660

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 April 2012
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 24 April 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive for (a) how many and (b) what percentage of sailings per month there has been a waiting list on the Lochboisdale - Oban route since January 2007.

Question reference: S4W-06466

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 26 March 2012
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 23 April 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it took to ensure that there were no viable alternative options before agreeing to the Dounreay radioactive waste substitution policy.

Question reference: S4W-06465

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 26 March 2012
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 23 April 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what options were considered in relation to fulfilling contractual obligations regarding reprocessing nuclear waste at Dounreay.

As made plain in the consultation paper Dounreay Radioactive Waste Substitution, published by the Scottish and UK Governments on 3 December 2010, the following options were considered in addition to waste substitution:

leaving overseas radioactive waste in the UK until Dounreay could put it into a form that the relevant overseas facilities were ready to receive, and

designing, building, operating and eventually decommissioning a vitrification facility at Dounreay.

Question reference: S4W-06464

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 26 March 2012
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 23 April 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to contractual obligations that allow for waste to be returned in cement form, in light of responses to the Dounreay Radioactive Waste Substitution Consultation 2010.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that the overseas radioactive waste resulting from historical Dounreay contracts signed in the 1980s and 1990s is returned as soon as possible. This will assist with the decommissioning and clean up of the Dounreay site. The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) is in discussions with customers of the countries concerned regarding the form that the waste will be returned in, including cemented form.