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: S4F-01925

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 03 March 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 March 2014

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

Question reference: S4F-01885

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 17 February 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 February 2014

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

Question reference: S4W-19278

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 January 2014
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 4 February 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with PNE Wind regarding the Cowal and Trossachs Forest District Wind Farm, Bachan Burn.

Energy Consents and Deployment Unit (ECDU) colleagues met with representatives from PNE Wind on 16 October 2013 to advise the developer on the procedures in place in order for them to take forward a scoping opinion from the ECDU. PNE Wind provided an overview of their early proposals for the site. A subsequent scoping report was provided by PNE Wind on 13 November 2013 and a consultation exercise on that report is on-going.

Question reference: S4W-19279

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 January 2014
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 4 February 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on notices received under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 where a similar but smaller planning application has been recently rejected by the local planning authority.

In Scotland, any application to construct or operate an onshore power generating station with a capacity of over 50 megawatts (MW) requires the consent of Scottish Ministers under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989.

Significant onshore renewable energy proposals will require an Environmental Impact Assessment. To comply with the Electricity works (Environmental Impact Assessment) (Scotland) Regulations 2000, Scottish Ministers have to consult the local planning authority, Scottish Environmental Protection Agency, Scottish Natural Heritage and internal government consultees, together with other parties who may have an interest in the development. Should the planning authority object to the application, or otherwise at the discretion of Ministers, a public inquiry is called to consider the proposal.

Question reference: S4F-01870

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 03 February 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 February 2014

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

Question reference: S4F-01831

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 20 January 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 January 2014

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

Question reference: S4W-19027

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 20 December 2013
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 17 January 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the financial security of companies involved in the opencast mining sector.

Under the existing legal framework the Scottish Government does not have any role or duty to make assessment of the financial security of companies involved in the open cast mining sector.

Financial clearance and financial appraisal is one of the aspects taken into account by the UK Coal Authority in the awarding of coaling leases and licences to coal operators. The issuing of coaling licences is a reserved matter.

Question reference: S4W-19029

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 20 December 2013
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 17 January 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it had with Scottish Coal in the year before it went into liquidation.

Scottish Coal (also known as Scottish Resources Group SRG) went into liquidation in April 2013. In the year prior to that Scottish Government officials met with SRG and other coal operators on a regular basis to discuss general issues relevant to the coal industry such as the carbon reduction commitment policy and the increases to rail freight charges proposed by the Office of Rail Regulation which were the most pressing issues of concern for the sector at that time.

The Scottish Government also held a coal summit in September 2012 which was chaired by myself and the Environment Minister Mr Wheelhouse. The summit was attended by SRG along with other coal operators, land owners, local authorities, Scottish Environmental Protection Agency and Scottish Government officials and discussions centred on the issues affecting the sector.

Question reference: S4W-19028

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 20 December 2013
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 17 January 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with companies involved in opencast mining about their financial status.

The Scottish Government does not, under the existing legal framework, applicable to open cast mining, have any legal duty to carry out any analysis of the financial status of companies.

Financial clearance and financial appraisal is, however, one of the aspects taken into account by the UK Coal Authority in the awarding of coaling leases and licences to coal operators. The issuing of coaling licences is a reserved matter.

Question reference: S4W-19057

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 10 January 2014
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 16 January 2014

To ask the Scottish Government when it will implement all of the recommendations in the report, Future arrangements to secure food standards and safety in Scotland.