Questions and answers

Question reference: S4W-20504

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 April 2014
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 24 April 2014

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-20327 by John Swinney on 1 April 2014, on how many previous occasions since 2011 it has referred members to their original question when it has been asked for further details.

Question reference: S4W-20577

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 April 2014
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 23 April 2014

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-20237 by John Swinney on 27 March 2014, for what reason the extract from the document cited does not provide advice on the duration of a currency union.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-20237 on 27 March 2014, which detailed that paragraph 2.7, page 19, of the first report of the Fiscal Commission Working Group included the following recommendation:

“Recommendation: the Scottish Government should refine the detail of the proposition set out for a macroeconomic framework which can operate from day one of independence and through any period of transition and indefinitely if required. The framework should ensure monetary and price stability, financial stability and fiscal sustainability.”

The full published report and technical annex can be found via:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2013/02/3017.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

Question reference: S4W-20578

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 April 2014
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 23 April 2014

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S4W-20326 and S4W-19732 by John Swinney on 28 March 2014 and 28 February 2014 respectively, for what reason the document referred to does not identify five alternative currency options, and whether a document setting out these options exists.

I refer the member to the answers to questions S4W-20326 on 28 March 2014 and S4W-19732 on 28 February 2014, which detailed the Fiscal Commission Working Groups assessment of the key currency options for an independent Scotland.

The full published report and technical annex can be found via:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2013/02/3017.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

Question reference: S4W-20414

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 March 2014
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 7 April 2014

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-20229 by Michael Russell on 25 March 2014, for what reason the updated project pipeline was not published alongside the updated programme pipeline and progress report documents.

The Infrastructure Investment Plan 2011: Progress Report for 2013, updated Programme Pipeline and updated Project Pipeline, were published simultaneously on the Scottish Government website on 17 March 2014, the first two via the publication page, and the third on the infrastructure investment page. All three publications can be found by way of the following link:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/Finance/18232/IIP

Question reference: S4W-20361

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 March 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 3 April 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) statutory guidance, (b) regulations or (c) memoranda of understanding determine what (i) representative organisations and (ii) regulatory bodies of the medical and healthcare professions it must negotiate with over fees and regulations.

The regulation of healthcare professionals is carried out by UK wide regulatory bodies which are independent of government. These bodies include the General Medical Council, the General Dental Council and the Nursing and Midwifery Council. Each regulator’s governing body determines the level of annual fees they charge for registration, but any proposed change in fees will be subject to public consultation.

Ministers in all four countries have committed to working together to ensure a consistent approach to professional healthcare regulation across national boundaries. The legislation governing the majority of healthcare professional groups is reserved to the UK Parliament; however, responsibility for all new groups and new professional regulatory bodies regulated since the Scotland Act 1998 is devolved and also subject to the scrutiny of the Scottish Parliament.

Therefore any change to healthcare regulation is subject to public consultation and scrutiny prior to consideration by the UK Parliament and also in the case of devolved legislation, the Scottish Parliament.

Question reference: S4W-20327

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 24 March 2014
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 1 April 2014

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-20084 by John Swinney on 20 March 2014, whether it will provide a breakdown by type of tax of the amounts adding up to the £700 million.

Question reference: S4F-02009

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 31 March 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 April 2014

To ask the First Minister what issues will be discussed at the next meeting of the Cabinet.

Question reference: S4W-20326

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 March 2014
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 28 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the First Minister’s comment on The Andrew Marr Show on 16 March 2014 that “the Fiscal Commission Working Group set out not just a plan B as you put it, but B, C, D, E and F”, whether it will identify each of the five alternative currency options.

Question reference: S4W-20237

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 March 2014
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 27 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government, further to its news release of 13 February 2014, Pound is best option for independent Scotland and rest of UK, what advice it received from the Fiscal Commission Working Group on the duration of a currency union.

The first report of the Fiscal Commission Working Group and technical annex provided a detailed assessment of the currency options of an independent Scotland, and concluded that retaining sterling was in the economic interests of both Scotland and the rest of the UK.

Paragraph 2.7, page 19, included the following recommendation:

“Recommendation: the Scottish Government should refine the detail of the proposition set out for a macroeconomic framework which can operate from day one of independence and through any period of transition and indefinitely if required. The framework should ensure monetary and price stability, financial stability and fiscal sustainability.”

The full published report can be found via:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2013/02/3017.

Question reference: S4W-20188

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 14 March 2014
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 27 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what the projected demand for coal is from Scotland’s power stations for each of the next 10 years, and what percentage of this will be sourced indigenously.

Longannet is Scotland’s only coal power station and consumed 4.1 million tonnes of coal in 2012 and 4.3million tonnes in 2013.

Longannet obtained 47% of its coal from Scottish suppliers in 2012. Due to the disruption in supply caused by the liquidation of Scottish Coal and ATH, the percentage of coal from Scottish suppliers dropped to around 15% in 2013.

Scottish Power has a number of long-standing coal-supply agreements in place with suppliers who operate opencast mines in Fife, Lothian’s, Lanarkshire and Ayrshire.

The exact details of those agreements and quantum of coal supplies are commercial matters between Scottish Power and its suppliers.

Chamber and committees