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: S5W-26921

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 10 January 2020
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 24 January 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5O-03945 by Humza Yousaf on 19 December 2019 (Official Report, c. 6), what the staff (a) recruitment, (b) retention and (c) absence rates have been at each prison and YOI in the last 12 months.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

The following table provides the information requested for financial year 2018-19.

Establishment	Prison Officers Recruited	Prison Officer Retention rate (leavers as a percentage of workforce)	Average Working Days Sick Absence per Prison Officer
Barlinnie	26	10%	22.8
Cornton Vale	4	7%	18.2
Dumfries	6	2%	10.7
Edinburgh	19	9%	18.9
Glenochil	25	6%	15.4
Grampian	19	12%	22.7
Greenock	11	5%	10.9
Inverness	3	6%	9.5
Low Moss	10	4%	16.9
Open Estate	0	4%	10.4
Perth	12	5%	18.4
Polmont	10	5%	23.1
Shotts	23	5%	17.1

Question reference: S5W-26922

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 10 January 2020
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 24 January 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5O-03945 by Humza Yousaf on 19 December 2019 (Official Report, c. 6), when online testing and application processes were introduced for Scottish Prison Service applicants, and how many people have been recruited as a result of the introduction of these processes at each prison and YOI.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

A revised application process and online testing were introduced in June 2019 for recruitment to HMP and YOI Grampian and 23 Prison Officers have been recruited to this establishment since then. In December 2019 this was extended to all SPS sites however no appointments have been made yet, as the campaign and process is ongoing.

Question reference: S5W-26920

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 10 January 2020
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 22 January 2020

To ask the Scottish Government when the phase 2 reports of the Third UK Review of Special Protection Areas for birds in Scotland will be published, and whether it will set out a timetable for implementation of the findings.

Publication of the Third UK Review of Special Protection Areas phase 2 report is a matter for agreement by the 4 Country Administrations across the UK under the auspices of the Review's Executive Steering Group. I am advised that a summary report is nearing completion.

Consideration of the recommendations of the review as regards Scotland is ongoing however an indicative timetable has yet to be drawn up.

Question reference: S5W-26746

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 December 2019
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 16 January 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it will take to ensure that Tier 1 contractors for the Neart na Gaoithe offshore wind farm carry out these contracts in a way that results in jobs in Scotland.

The Scottish Government is doing everything within our existing, limited devolved powers to retain and boost job numbers and increase Scottish content in offshore wind projects, including efforts to support the local supply chain to improve its competitiveness in winning work for the construction phase of projects and to maximise the economic impact of operations and maintenance activities over the lifetime of the project as well.

Renewable energy developments are a vital part of Scotland’s transition to a low carbon economy which is why earlier this year we convened an offshore wind summit with unions, companies and other interested parties who agreed to take urgent action to ensure more companies benefit from the awarding of contracts for offshore wind projects. We are reconvening that summit in January and have invited representatives from across the industry. On 18th December I published our draft plan for offshore wind which outlines how the Scottish Government proposes to maximise the opportunities that offshore wind presents. We have also formed the Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council, which I co-Chair, with work progressing well to engage both of Scotland’s offshore wind clusters to engage in the Sector Deal.

Ultimately, though, the all-important financial support mechanisms are controlled by UK Ministers and it is those mechanisms that are driving costs down and making it more difficult for domestic fabricators. I have continued to call on the UK Government to amend the Contract for Difference auction process, currently solely awarded on price, to better reflect value added to the economy when determining the developers that are awarded contracts, and to ensure there is improved use of the UK supply chain.

Question reference: S5W-26747

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 December 2019
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 16 January 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, what discussions it has had with (a) EDF Renewables and (b) ESB regarding the number of jobs that will be (i) directly and (ii) indirectly created in Scotland during the construction, installation and operational life of the Neart na Gaoithe offshore wind farm.

The Scottish Government continues to engage extensively, at both official and Ministerial level, with EDF, the operator of Neart na Gaoithe offshore wind farm, regarding the benefit to Scottish economy arising from their project and they have an announcement of the award of contracts to Scottish businesses for aspects of the construction phase and their preferred location for an operations and maintenance facility.

While there have been Ministerial discussions with ESB, in their capacity as an inward investor, and I have visited their office in Glasgow, we have not, as yet, had the opportunity to discuss their new role in the Neart na Gaoithe project.

Question reference: S5O-03994

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 January 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 January 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made in resolving the outstanding issues in relation to the AWPR.

Question reference: S5O-03974

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 December 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 January 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to protect open ground habitats, such as peatlands and grasslands, which are critical to the conservation of curlew.

Question reference: S5W-26459

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2019
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 6 December 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Red Rock Power regarding the number of (a) manufacturing and (b) maritime supply chain jobs that will be created in Scotland by the Inch Cape Offshore wind farm project.

Scottish Ministers and officials engage regularly with all energy developers to stress the importance of utilising the Scottish supply chain wherever possible. Guy Madgwick, Chief Executive Officer of Red Rock Power is a member of the Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council (SOWEC), which I co-chair with industry representatives, and leads the Developer Group and associated workstream within SOWEC. Mr Madgwick also participated in a Supply Chain Summit which took place earlier this year, and which we intend to follow-up with a second Summit in the New Year.

I last formally met formally with Mr Madgwick, to discuss Red Rock Power’s activities in Scotland, on 9 May 2019, where I encouraged Red Rock Power to engage with the Scottish Government and our enterprise agencies to ensure that we are kept well-informed of developments in the sector and opportunities for the supply chain to compete for contracts associated with Red Rock’s welcome investment in Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-25829

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 14 October 2019
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 8 November 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-21068 by Paul Wheelhouse on 31 January 2019, how many of the 1,204 respondents were (a) in full-time employment, (b) in temporary employment, (c) contract staff and (d) self-employed in (i) the oil and gas, (ii) the renewables, low-carbon or engineering and (iii) other sectors.

SDS have advised that of the 1,204 respondents, 817 (68%) were in employment. Of those in employment, 440 (37%) were in full-time employment (30+ hours), 33 (3%) were in part-time employment (less than 30 hours), 156 (13%) were agency/temp workers and 188 (16%) were self-employed. By sector, 410 (34%) were working in oil and gas, 50 (4%) were working in the renewables, low carbon or engineering sector and 357 (30%) were working in other sectors. The break-down of employment type by sector is given at the following table.

Sector	Full-time employment (30+ hours)	Part-time employment (less than 30 hours)	Agency/temp workers	Self-employed	Total
Oil and gas	222	9	104	75	410
Renewables, low carbon, engineering	29	1	5	15	50
Other	189	23	47	98	357
Total	440	33	156	188	817

Question reference: S5W-25831

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 14 October 2019
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 8 November 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-21068 by Paul Wheelhouse on 31 January 2019, how many of the (a) respondents and (b) recipients of training had previously worked offshore.