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-16157

Asked by: Mike MacKenzie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 June 2013
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Fergus Ewing on 28 June 2013

To ask the Scottish Government when it will respond to the consultation on the draft electricity generating policy statement.

The Scottish Government published an initial draft Electricity Generation Policy Statement (EGPS) in November 2010, to support our Climate Change Report on Proposals and Policies (RPP). The RPP is required under the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 to set out proposals and policies for meeting annual emissions reductions targets from 2010 to 2022.

A further revision of the EGPS was published in draft in March 2012 for consultation. The 2012 draft set out the pathway to meeting the Scottish Government target of delivering the equivalent of at least 100% of gross electricity consumption from renewables by 2020. It set out how Scotland generates electricity, and gave an overview of the changes needed to meet Scottish Government targets and deliver a low carbon generating mix.

We have now updated the 2012 EGPS. This has been published on the Scottish Government webpages and copies have been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

The document:

reflects views, suggestions and comments submitted to the consultation;

updates on electricity sector developments and changes;

follows extensive engagement, consultation and discussion with generators, transmission system owners, engineering, academic and market experts in Scotland and the UK;

reflects policy developments at UK and EU level, and on-going discussions with UK and EU policy makers;

finalises the requirements for strategic environmental assessment (SEA) of the EGPS and the 2020 Routemap for Renewable Energy in Scotland, as required by the Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005.

A more detailed overview of the responses to the 2012 consultation is also published on the Scottish Government webpages. This document will now form a basis for further and on-going modelling of the future electricity generating mix in Scotland, beyond 2020.

Question reference: S4O-02302

Asked by: Mike MacKenzie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 June 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 June 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the number of probationary teachers finding employment.

Question reference: S4O-02252

Asked by: Mike MacKenzie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 June 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 13 June 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the final report of the Scottish Islands Renewable Project.

Question reference: S4O-02207

Asked by: Mike MacKenzie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 May 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 June 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how many of the country's protected sites are in favourable condition.

Question reference: S4O-02185

Asked by: Mike MacKenzie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 May 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to minimise the negative economic impact on farmers and crofters of the presence of large numbers of geese in the Outer and Inner Hebrides and the Northern Isles.

Question reference: S4O-02156

Asked by: Mike MacKenzie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 May 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the UK Fuel Poverty Monitor 2013.

Question reference: S4W-14781

Asked by: Mike MacKenzie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 May 2013
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by John Swinney on 10 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to publish the Scottish banking strategy.

Sustainable, Responsible Banking: A Strategy for Scotland has been published today on the Scottish Government website at:

(http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2013/05/3325), a copy has been placed in the Scottish Parliament’s Information Centre (bib 54940). Scottish ministers recognise the vital contribution that the banking sector makes to Scotland’s economy and to its society. The strategy sets out the principles that the Scottish Government believes should apply to banks and banking practice in Scotland. It also contains a number of areas in which the Scottish Government, working with the banks and others will take action to implement these principles and to restore the fundamental principles of probity, prudence and trust to banking in Scotland.

It therefore explores the following key areas:

The economic and social importance of banks

Cultural change

Professionalism and standards

Competition and diversity and

Access to finance.

Question reference: S4O-02015

Asked by: Mike MacKenzie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 April 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 April 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what the impact will be of Daktari Diagnostics locating its manufacturing site in Inverness.

Question reference: S4O-01940

Asked by: Mike MacKenzie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 March 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 March 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made since 2007 on delivering healthcare to rural and remote areas.

Question reference: S4O-01751

Asked by: Mike MacKenzie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 January 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 January 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration has been given to the impact that potential court closures may have on island communities in relation to travel.