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: S6W-19078

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 20 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding its policy on energy production in Scotland, whether it has assessed how many countries in the EU are (a) phasing out nuclear power and (b) planning to build new nuclear power stations.

The Scottish Government position on nuclear power is clear – we do not support the construction of new nuclear power stations in Scotland. As set out in our draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan, significant growth in renewables, storage, hydrogen and carbon capture provide the best pathway to net zero by 2045 and will deliver a climate friendly energy system that delivers affordable, resilient and clean energy supplies for Scotland's households, business and communities.

Member states of the EU have a wide range of views on the use of nuclear energy, and we are aware that policy is evolving across member states. In April, Germany shut down the last of its three nuclear power plants, joining other member states which have no nuclear power stations and remain opposed to nuclear power, including Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Italy, Estonia, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta and Portugal. Several other member states, including Spain, have plans to phase out nuclear power. In contrast, Finland has recently constructed the first new nuclear reactor in Europe in 16 years.

Question reference: S6W-19080

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 20 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the most expensive strike price is under the Contracts for Difference scheme for an operational wind farm in Scotland, given in (a) 2012 prices and (b) current prices, and when that contract was signed.

Question reference: S6W-19082

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 20 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the average capacity factor is of (a) onshore and (b) offshore wind in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-19083

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 20 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of what the estimated electricity (a) generation capacity and (b) demand in Scotland will be in 2030.

Modelling undertaken as part of the evidence base underpinning our draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan, estimated electricity generation capacity and demand in Scotland in 2030 according to a range of scenarios.

Across all three scenarios electricity generation capacity ranged between 20-41 GW (47-119 TWh) and electricity demand ranged from 48-55 TWh.

For refence, this analysis can be found at the following web address: https://www.climatexchange.org.uk/media/5419/cxc-scottish-whole-energy-system-scenarios-may-2022.pdf

Question reference: S6W-19084

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 20 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the average capacity factor is of Torness Nuclear Power Station.

Question reference: S6W-19088

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 20 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding its policy on energy production in Scotland, what assessment it has made of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) study, The Future of Nuclear Energy in a Carbon-Constrained World, which states that “the least-cost portfolios include an important share for nuclear".

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) study considers the potential contribution nuclear can make as a dispatchable low-carbon technology.

The report states: “The fundamental problem is cost. Other generation technologies have become cheaper in recent decades, while new nuclear plants have only become costlier.”

As set out in our draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan, rather than new nuclear, it is significant growth in renewables, such as wind power, as well as investment in storage, hydrogen and carbon capture which will provide the best pathway for Scotland to achieve net zero by 2045.

Question reference: S6W-19079

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 20 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the average strike price is under the Contracts for Difference scheme of the operational wind farms in Scotland, given in (a) 2012 prices and (b) current prices.

Question reference: S6T-01462

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 June 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what work is being done to support local communities that have recently been affected by water shortages.

Question reference: S6W-18435

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 14 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that it has spent nearly £220,000 setting up the Deposit Return Scheme to date, how much it budgeted for setting up the scheme.

The Scottish Government has spent £218,565.83 in setting up the Deposit Return Scheme since 2018. This includes the costs associated with consultation, publication of regulations and associated documents, evaluations, independent reviews and assurance.

The costs associated with the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) are met from the wider Zero Waste budget. For that whole Zero Waste budget the Scottish Government budgeted £40.2m in 2021-22, £42.9m in 2022-23 and £46.9m in 2023-24. DRS is a very small part of those budgets which, as a whole, support major circular economy delivery programmes including implementation of Circular Economy Bill and Waste Route Map, Extended Producer Responsibility, incineration research, landfill remediation, recycling, single-use plastics, litter and flytipping and funding for Zero Waste Scotland to support delivery of SG objectives.

Question reference: S6W-18397

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 12 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what practical steps it (a) is taking and (b) plans to take to deliver a 20% reduction in car kilometres by 2030.

The answer to question S6W-18396 on 12 June 2023 to the member outlines some of the practical measures being undertaken in order to achieve this commitment, and deliver a fairer, greener transport system for everyone in Scotland. However, given the Scottish Government recognises the need to go further in order to meet our statutory climate goals, and we are committed to finding ways to make alternative travel modes more attractive, and supporting people to take fewer journeys by car. The evidence is clear travel behaviours can only be changed on the required scale through a broad combination of interventions, including infrastructure, incentives and regulation.

As outlined in the draft 20% car KM reduction route map, we have commissioned research exploring equitable options for demand management to discourage car use. This will form the basis of a Demand Management Framework by 2025. The most direct levers on the cost of buying or running a petrol or diesel car – fuel duty and vehicle excise duty – are currently reserved, and the recent rises in the cost of motoring underline the unfairness of the current, regressive motoring tax regime. We will continue to press the UK Government for a fair and progressive future transport tax system that better incentivises the transition to zero-emission vehicles, reduces unnecessary journeys and raises revenues to fund policies to support a shift to more sustainable travel.

The Scottish Government plans to continue with the approach outlined, and the updated 20% route map which will be published in the coming months will provide further detail on how we will deliver this commitment.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers