Questions and answers

Question reference: S4W-15783

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 17 June 2013
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 17 July 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how many ferry terminals have charging outlets for electric vehicles.

The Scottish Government is working with Caledonian Maritime to install electric vehicle rapid charging infrastructure at five ferry terminals: Brodick; Islay (Port Ellen); Kennacraig; Oban; and Harris (Tarbert). We are also working with other ferry terminal operators to install rapid charging infrastructure at four other locations: Pentland Ferries-Gill’s Bay; Scrabster Harbour Trust; Ullapool Harbour Trust; and Stornoway. These outlets will become operational during summer 2013.

Question reference: S4W-15782

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 17 June 2013
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 17 July 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether any trunk roads have charging outlets for electric vehicles every 50 miles.

Transport Scotland’s programme to install charging facilities at least every 50 miles on the trunk road network has been widened to include some major local roads. Charge point locations are as close as practically possible to these roads, with selection based on factors such as safety, availability of power supply and amenities for the road user.

Of Scotland’s 41 trunk roads, charging facilities have been installed in or near 24 of these roads, at least every 50 miles. These facilities are currently being commissioned for operation during Summer 2013. As funding allows, Transport Scotland are continuing the phased rollout of the high powered interoperable network of charging facilities to ensure the whole of Scotland has sufficient charging outlet coverage.

Question reference: S4W-15781

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 17 June 2013
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 17 July 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how many public charging outlets for electric vehicles there are on trunk roads and how many there were in (a) 2012, (b) 2011 and (c) 2010, broken down by (i) rapid, (ii) fast and (iii) standard outlets.

Transport Scotland’s programme to install charging facilities at least every 50 miles on the trunk road network has been widened to include some major local roads. Charge point locations are as close as practically possible to these roads, with selection based on factors such as safety, availability of power supply and amenities for the charging facility user. Plans for the financial year 2013-14 will focus on the on-going rollout of the high powered interoperable network to ensure the whole of Scotland has a sufficiency of high powered charging facilities to allow a mixture of short and long journeys to be undertaken.

New installs each year are as follows:

(a) 2012-13, (i) 23 rapid (50kW), (ii) 18 quick (20kW), (iii) 80 fast (7kW), (iv) 0 standard (3kW) outlets

(b) 2011-12 (i) 2 rapid, (ii) 8 quick, (iii) 46 fast, (iv) 0 standard

Question reference: S4W-15794

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 17 June 2013
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 4 July 2013

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it has awarded the next phase of the Community and Renewable Energy Scheme to a consortium led by the UK Energy Saving Trust.

There was a fair and open procurement process undertaken for the next phase of the Community and Renewable Energy Scheme. The successful bid is a consortium led by the Energy Saving Trust. The consortium will ensure a high calibre approach, coupled with best value for money.

The consortium includes a number of social enterprises located in Scotland, all with experience in local communities. Staff will therefore be based in a variety of locations across the whole of Scotland.

Question reference: S4W-15793

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 17 June 2013
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 4 July 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how the Community and Renewable Energy Scheme would work in an independent Scotland given that the next phase of the scheme has been awarded to a consortium led by the UK Energy Saving Trust.

The Community and Renewable Energy Scheme will be delivered under a commercial contract. This arrangement will be in place for a period of up to 4 years from 1 August 2013.

The Energy Saving Trust is an independent charity and carries out its work in Scotland on a fully devolved basis. The Energy Saving Trust has over 50 staff based in Edinburgh who manage delivery of all Scottish work and will be responsible for the delivery of the Community and Renewable Energy Scheme.

Question reference: S4W-15784

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 17 June 2013
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 26 June 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how many and what percentage of its vehicle fleet are/is (a) electric or (b) hybrid vehicles.

Question reference: S4T-00407

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 24 June 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 June 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what its policy is on tenant farmers' right to buy in light of the comments by the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment at the Royal Highland Show on 20 June 2013.

Question reference: S4O-02293

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 June 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 June 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has considered issuing maximum travel times for journeys to school in rural and island areas.

Question reference: S4W-15533

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 June 2013
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 19 June 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S4W-14016 and S4W-15103 by Humza Yousaf on 25 April 2013 and 3 June 2013 respectively, for what reasons the relevant policy officials could not provide their records of engagement with officials and ministers from (a) the Government of Iraq, (b) Iraqi Kurdistan and (c) Turkey in order to answer question S4W-15103.

In respect of the Scottish Government’s engagement with the Kurdistan Regional Government, I refer the Member to my answers to questions S40-02112, S4W-15535 and S4W-15105. As engagement can be interpreted as either contact in writing or by telephone it can be prohibitively resource intensive to capture all contact across the Scottish Government.

In terms of face to face contact I can confirm that on 12 June I met with Ms Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman, UK High Representative of the Kurdistan Regional Government and Mr Zaid Izzadin Mohammed Noori, Iraq Consul General on 19 February 2013. Scottish Ministers have held no meetings with the Turkish Government in this period.

Question reference: S4W-15536

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 June 2013
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 17 June 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4O-02112 by Humza Yousaf on 15 May 2013 (Official Report, c. 19792), whether it will make a statement on the (a) nature and (b) extent of the development of business, cultural and educational links with Iraqi Kurdistan.

Chamber and committees