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: S3W-36524

Asked by: Ms Wendy Alexander, MSP for Paisley North, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 September 2010
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 6 October 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it was given advance notice by the UK Government of the delay of targets for a roll-out of a universal broadband speed across the United Kingdom.

Question reference: S3W-36523

Asked by: Ms Wendy Alexander, MSP for Paisley North, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 September 2010
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 6 October 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it made to UK Government (a) before and (b) following the announcement it made of a delay in the roll-out of universal service obligation (USO) broadband speeds.

Before the UK Government''s announcement on 15 July 2010 of the delay to its target for rollout of the universal service commitment for broadband, the Scottish Government has this year made the following representations to the UK Government on broadband:

1. 4 February 2010 “ Scottish Government response to the UK Government''s Consultation Implementing a Landline Duty: Consultation on Draft Legislation and Impacts.

2. 4 February 2010 “ Scottish Government response to the UK Government''s Consultation Consultation on a Direction to Ofcom to Implement the Wireless Radio Spectrum Modernisation Programme.

3. 26 February 2010 “ Letter from the Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism to Stephen Timms MP, then UK Minister for Digital Britain, following their meeting on 22 February 2010.

4. 24 June 2010 “ Scottish position statement to the UK Government on broadband policy, arising from a Scottish stakeholder group meeting (comprising the main Scottish business and consumer organisations and the Enterprise Agencies), held on 10 May 2010 and chaired by the Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism.

Following the UK Government''s announcement on 15 July 2010 of the delay to its target for roll-out of the universal service commitment for broadband, the Scottish Government has made the following representations to the UK Government on broadband:

5. 6 September 2010 “ Scottish Government submission to the UK Government presenting a robust case for one of the UK Government''s forthcoming superfast broadband pilots to be located in Scotland.

6. 15 September 2010 “ Scottish Government response to the UK Government''s discussion paper Broadband Deployment and Sharing Other Utilities'' Infrastructure.

Question reference: S3W-36522

Asked by: Ms Wendy Alexander, MSP for Paisley North, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 September 2010
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 6 October 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has met UK ministers since May 2010 on the subject of broadband services.

Question reference: S3W-36541

Asked by: Ms Wendy Alexander, MSP for Paisley North, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 September 2010
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 6 October 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive at what sites it is planning to run carbon capture and storage demonstration projects.

Four carbon capture and storage (CCS) demonstration projects will be supported by the CCS Levy under the Energy Act 2010, with potential co-financing from the European Union under the New Entrants Reserve competition.

One of these four demonstration projects will be the UK CCS competition winner. The two remaining bids for funding from this competition are Scottish Power at Longannet and E.ON at Kingsnorth in Kent. The competition winner will be selected next year.

Under the Energy Act 2010, the UK Government is required to consult Scottish ministers on wider programmes to support further CCS demonstration projects with the CCS Levy. The Scottish Government is working closely with the UK Government on this wider programme, including making representations that CCS should be demonstrated on a gas plant as well as on coal.

Sites chosen for demonstration of CCS will be dependent on the projects which are successful in both the UK and EU competitive processes, and on projects securing the necessary permits to safely capture, transport and store carbon dioxide.

Question reference: S3W-36520

Asked by: Ms Wendy Alexander, MSP for Paisley North, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 September 2010
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 6 October 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it has provided directly to support investment in (a) subsea cables, (b) grid capacity and (c) carbon capture and storage, in each year since 2005-06.

The Scottish Government does not provide funding to support investment in grid capacity. Investment in grid infrastructure is regulated by Ofgem, the UK energy regulator. Ofgem administer a price control regime to ensure electricity network operators can develop effective and efficient grid capacity, while protecting the interests of consumers.

Scottish Government Funding to Support Investment in Sub-Sea Cables and Carbon Capture and Storage

	2005-06	2006-07	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10
Sub-Sea Cable Development		£18,561¹	£14,215²		£163,674³
Carbon Capture and Storage				£75,0004	£75,0005

Notes

1. Pre-scoping study for the ISLES (Irish-Scottish Links on Energy Study) Project - feasibility study on development of an offshore interconnected electricity transmission network between Scotland, Ireland and Northern Ireland.

2. Pre-scoping study on grid requirements to connect renewable energy off the coasts of northern Europe.

3. ISLES study - Scottish Government is lead partner. 91% of expenditure to date will be recovered from EU INTERREG funding and project partner contributions (Govts of Ireland and Northern Ireland).

4. Contribution to Opportunities for CO₂ storage around Scotland report (total cost £345,000)

5. Contribution to Scottish Carbon Capture Transport and Storage Development Study in 2010 (total cost £290 000)

Question reference: S3W-36519

Asked by: Ms Wendy Alexander, MSP for Paisley North, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 September 2010
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 1 October 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has considered merging, or plans to merge Skills Development Scotland with the Scottish Funding Council.

Question reference: S3W-36058

Asked by: Ms Wendy Alexander, MSP for Paisley North, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 03 September 2010
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 27 September 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason the A9 Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route non-profit distributing model has no estimated financial close date on its website.

Question reference: S3W-36057

Asked by: Ms Wendy Alexander, MSP for Paisley North, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 03 September 2010
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 27 September 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason the (a) M74/A725 North Junction, (b) M8 associated network improvements and (c) M8 Baillieston to Newhouse non-profit distributing model did not meet the financial close date of February 2010 currently posted on its website.

Question reference: S3W-35975

Asked by: Ms Wendy Alexander, MSP for Paisley North, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 30 August 2010
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 23 September 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive how many NHS employees are paid (a) £100,000 to £150,000, (b) £150,001 to £200,000 and (c) more than £200,000.

Question reference: S3W-35828

Asked by: Ms Wendy Alexander, MSP for Paisley North, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 23 August 2010
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 22 September 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive what the total of non-consolidated bonus payments was for the public sector in 2009-10 and what the estimate is for 2010-11.

The total amount of non-consolidated performance related payments made in the public sector in Scotland in 2009-10 is currently unavailable. This is due to differences in the timing of organisational pay remits and because final financial returns have yet to be submitted.

No estimate is therefore available for 2010-11 but we are committed to significantly reducing non-consolidated performance payments in the public sector.