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-35703

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 March 2021
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 18 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-30619 by Paul Wheelhouse on 8 October 2020, when it expects the Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council to publish its independent review of the current status of the offshore wind supply chain.

Question reference: S5W-36180

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 March 2021
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 18 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to testing school pupils without COVID-19 symptoms, and what its reasons are for its position on this matter.

We introduced an enhanced asymptomatic testing programme for school and early learning and childcare staff and senior phase pupils in line with the first phase of a return to in-school learning on 22 February. Voluntary twice-weekly at-home testing, using Lateral Flow Devices, is being made available to all school staff in primary, secondary and special schools, and all senior phase pupils. We have also announced that we will extend the availability of testing to all S1-S3 secondary school pupil year groups following an expected fuller return after the Easter break, which will be subject to continued progress in suppressing the virus.

Regular staff and pupil asymptomatic testing is part of a robust package of COVID-19 mitigation measures already in place in schools, and must not be viewed in isolation from those measures. We view twice-weekly asymptomatic testing as an additional precaution which will help us to make a return to in-person learning as safe as possible for staff and pupils. The goal of this testing is to identify staff or young people who have the virus but do not have symptoms and require them to self-isolate, thus breaking potential chains of transmission early and minimising the risks of outbreaks in schools. Lateral flow tests provide quick results – usually within about half an hour. That makes them useful for regular testing programs of this kind. However, we are aware that lateral flow tests are less sensitive than laboratory PCR tests and for that reason we will continue to ask that everyone who tests positive using a Lateral Flow Device under the schools programme has a confirmatory PCR test.

We are working with key partners such as YoungScot to ensure we understand the views of young people and can take these into account to improve the testing offer over time.

Question reference: S5O-05155

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 March 2021
Current Status: Awaiting answer

To ask the Scottish Government what support it will provide for the regeneration of the city centre and beachfront in Aberdeen.

Question reference: S5W-35702

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 March 2021
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 17 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that the ScotWind Leasing process does not allow offshore wind farm developers to drive risk and cost reduction down the supply chain.

We are liaising closely with Crown Estate Scotland on the ScotWind review. Crown Estate Scotland are focused on supporting the development of a successful offshore wind sector, and the opportunities for the supply chain that this brings, while achieving a fair value for Scotland’s assets. The potential implications for the Scottish supply chain of any changes to the lease option structure are part of the review’s considerations, including elements such as the Supply Chain Development Statements required from those seeking a licence.

We continue to argue for reform of the all-important Contracts for Difference (CfD) mechanism that UK Ministers utilise to provide revenue support to projects that are successful in bidding in the next and subsequent auction rounds. The auction mechanism, while successful in driving down prices for consumers, has driven a rapid decrease in levelised cost of energy delivered by offshore wind. This has, however, led developers to try to recover their investment from lower revenue flows by lowering the up-front capital cost of the project which then squeezes capital goods prices that can be achieved by the supply chain. We are supportive of the direction of travel on CfD reforms indicated by UK Ministers, on lifting the arbitrary cap on capacity contracted in the third auction round, and UK Ministers proposals to give greater weight to developers’ Supply Chain Plan submissions to support supply chain development, and we have made a submission to that effect.

Question reference: S5W-35708

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 March 2021
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 17 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consult with communities over the use of funds that were paid to Crown Estate Scotland by developers of offshore wind farms through the ScotWind Leasing process.

Question reference: S5W-35705

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 March 2021
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 17 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with operators of oil and gas production facilities in the North Sea, ahead of potential applications through the ScotWind Leasing process.

Oil and gas operators have engaged with our offshore wind planning process and our offshore wind policy statement through their associated consultations. This has helped inform those reports. These engagements have been supplemented by regular discussions which are conducted with the Oil and Gas sector as a routine part of government business, primarily with through the Oil and Gas and Energy Transition Strategic Leadership Group (SLG) which I Chair; the SLG has discussed ScotWind in high level terms during a number of the meetings through the course of the pandemic as we seek to build engagement of the sector in the energy transition

Question reference: S5W-35700

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 March 2021
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 16 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its estimate is of the energy generating potential at each of the fifteen plan options that are outlined in the Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind.

The Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind Energy sets out the generating potential for each Plan Option. At a national level the plan has set a limit for development under this cycle of 10 GW. Table 1 in Section 3, and further detail considered in Section 4, are likely to provide the details sought.

The Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind Energy can be found at https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781800042421

Question reference: S5W-35430

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 22 February 2021
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 16 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government when it will provide a substantive answer to question (a) S5W-34138, (b) S5W-34139, (c) S5W-34140 and (d) S5W-34141, which received a holding response on 14 January 2021.

Question reference: S5W-35710

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 March 2021
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 12 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many jobs have been supported by the Ninian North decommissioning project, and whether it has discussed this site with Scottish Carbon Capture and Storage.

The number of jobs supported by the Ninian Northern decommissioning project would be a matter to address towards Highlands and Islands Enterprise, as the information requested is not held centrally.

Scottish Carbon Capture and Storage (SCCS) are non-statutory consultees on the decommissioning plans submitted by industry to the UK Government via the Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning (OPRED). SCCS have confirmed to the Scottish Government that this project did not have CCS reuse potential. The detail of responses to decommissioning plans is a matter for SCCS. The information requested is not held centrally. Information on SCCS can be found on their website at www.sccs.org.uk.

Question reference: S5W-35704

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 March 2021
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 12 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on an appropriate rate of return for shareholders in companies that are applying to lease offshore wind farm sites through the ScotWind process.