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-18867

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 21 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any interaction between section 67 of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 and the provisions of its proposed Deposit Return Scheme, and of any impact that this may have on the scheme.

Question reference: S6W-19069

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 21 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many producers have registered for the Deposit Return Scheme as at 7 June 2023.

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: 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-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-19086

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 whether it has estimated the average annual greenhouse gas emissions that may have been avoided by generation at Torness Nuclear Power Station.

Analysis undertaken as part of the analysis underpinning the draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan does not show any significant negative impacts from the closure of Hunterston B and Torness nuclear power stations on Scotland’s CO2 emissions.

Under this modelling, the reduction in electricity generation from nuclear power plants in Scotland will be compensated for by the vast expansion of low-cost renewables and flexible technologies such as storage, not by fossil fuel plants which would increase greenhouse gas emissions.

Question reference: S6W-19090

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 whether it has incorporated the findings of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) 2022 study, Carbon Neutrality in the UNECE Region: Integrated Life-cycle Assessment of Electricity Sources, in its modelling of Scotland’s future electricity system.

Question reference: S6W-19081

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 whether Contracts for Difference for wind farms in Scotland include the cost of decommissioning wind farms at the end of life.

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-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.