- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 January 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Kate Forbes on 4 February 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how much of the health resource Barnett consequentials received for 2021-22 remain unallocated.
Answer
None of the health resource Barnett consequentials received for 2021-22 remain unallocated.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 January 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 4 February 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what impact it anticipates the closure of (a) Hunterston B and (b) Torness nuclear power station will have on consumer energy bills, and whether it will provide details of its projections.
Answer
We do not have modelling explicitly calculating the potential impact of the closures of Hunterston and Torness however we believe that nuclear power represents poor value for consumers. There remains considerable uncertainty around the economics of new nuclear generation, and the long-term storage of nuclear waste remains a difficult issue. The latest Contracts for Difference (CfD) auction delivered offshore wind at £39.65 per megawatt hour – substantially below the £92.50 awarded to Hinkley. Internal analysis tells us that in 2030 alone Hinkley could add almost £40/year to a consumer bill, whilst the equivalent offshore wind farm would reduce consumer bills by £8/year.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 03 February 2022
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Current Status:
Awaiting answer
To ask the Scottish Government how it is applying evidence-based psychological interventions to change lifestyle behaviours related to (a) obesity, (b) disability and (c) chronic disease.
Answer
Awaiting answer
- Asked by: Natalie Don-Innes, MSP for Renfrewshire North and West, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 February 2022
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Current Status:
Initiated by the Scottish Government.
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 3 February 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether the COVID-19 Support Grant, COVID-19 Support Grant - Restart, and Bus Service Operators' Grant will be continued in the 2022-23 financial year.
Answer
Today I am announcing a new Network Support Grant which will run from 1 April 2022 to help maintain bus services while passenger numbers recover from the effects of the pandemic.
The Network Support Grant will replace the COVID Support Grant, COVID Support Grant - Restart, and the Bus Service Operators Grant. The Network Support Grant will provide more flexibility than the emergency COVID funding schemes, allowing services to adapt to changed travel patterns and will be available on the same terms to new as well as established operators to help improve efficiencies and the offer to passengers. The level of support provided under the grant will reduce as passenger numbers recover and we will retain key controls and obligations on participating operators
The draft Scottish Budget for 2022-23 provides up to £93.5 million for this, including £40 million in additional funding. Full details of the Network Support Grant can be found on the Transport Scotland website.
- Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 27 January 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 3 February 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will confirm if a judicial office holder from outwith Scotland will preside over the public inquiry into the malicious prosecutions concerning Rangers FC.
Answer
The Scottish Government is committed to a process of a judge-led inquiry once all legal proceedings relating to the malicious prosecutions are at an end. The exact form of inquiry will be determined at the point once all legal proceedings are concluded.
- Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 27 January 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 3 February 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what public information campaigns it plans to introduce to encourage people to attend cultural events as COVID-19 restrictions are eased.
Answer
While the restrictions on the number of people who can attend live events have been relaxed from 24 January, I understand it will take time for audience confidence to be rebuilt.
The Scottish Government is keen to encourage audiences to return to cultural events. The First Minister held a media visit at the Scottish Opera on 2 February. The First Minister welcomed the return of live events and encouraged people to support theatres and other aspects of the arts.
The Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs & Culture is giving the opening address at the Association of British Orchestras conference on 9 February. Mr Robertson will highlight during this speech the need for audiences to feel confident in returning to cultural events.
The Scottish Government is keen to work with stakeholders, including the performing arts and live music sector, to seek opportunities to encourage audiences to return to cultural events, in line with current guidance for public places.
- Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 27 January 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan Mckee on 3 February 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-05645 by Ivan McKee on 19 January 2022, what epidemiological evidence it considered when classifying the bingo sector as a live event.
Answer
As I noted in my previous response to the member, the indoor events capacity limits were introduced in regulations from 26 December 2021 in order to mitigate the greatly increased transmission rates of the omicron COVID-19 variant, recognising that large capacity events indoors pose a high risk of transmission of the virus. The capacity limits were removed from 24 January. The Scottish Government does not assess risk on a sector by sector basis as the risks of a significant number of people gathering together indoors is the same regardless of the activity that brings them together. For the purposes of the capacity limits on indoor gatherings the Scottish Government considers a live event to be something that brings together a significant number of people for communal participation in a leisure or entertainment activity.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 28 January 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 3 February 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how many times it has met the Scotch Whisky Association since June 2021.
Answer
Scottish Ministers have met with the Scotch Whisky Association four times since June 2021. On occasion, Scotch Whisky Association staff also attend meetings such as the Scottish Government’s Ministerial Trade Board, where various industry stakeholders and the Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism & Enterprise is also in attendance. Discussions between Scottish Government officials and the Scotch Whisky Association take place regularly.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 January 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 3 February 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether its Just Transition (a) Fund and (b) plans will include and support contractor limited companies.
Answer
Our Just Transition plans (beginning with the draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan due to be published later this year) will set out how the economic and social impacts of our transition to Net Zero will be managed in a way that delivers on our national just transition outcomes.
From this programme of work, and the co-design activity that will be undertaken to support the Plans, we will be able to assess the nature and scale of impacts on workers across the sectors of our economy. This will enable us to assess how we support the full range of businesses and business models currently operating across sectors, including contractors contracting via a limited company.
Our Just Transition Fund is a new financial commitment and is currently being developed. It will be shaped in discussion with regional partners. Further updates will be shared as this engagement develops.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 January 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 3 February 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how many workers it anticipates its Just Transition (a) Fund and (b) plans will assist to "transition"; where specifically these workers will be required to (i) live and (ii) work, and whether these will include oil and gas workers who are based outside of the UK.
Answer
Our Just Transition plans (beginning with the draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan due to be published later this year) will set out how the economic and social impacts of our transition to Net Zero will be managed in a way that delivers on our national just transition outcomes.
From this programme of work, and the co-design activity that will be undertaken to support the Plans, we will develop a clearer evidence base regarding the nature and scale of impacts on workers across our economy, including the over 70,000 workers supported by oil and gas.
Our Just Transition Fund is a new financial commitment and so its design is being shaped by dialogue with regional partners to ensure that together we secure maximum impact. Given this is a regional Fund, the focus is to support opportunities and investments for the benefit of people who currently work and live in the region.
