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: S7W-00791

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Gethins on 12 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to encourage private investment in geothermal energy infrastructure.

The Scottish Government works closely with its partners to promote awareness of the tools, sub-surface data and funding available to stakeholders to support exploration of Scotland’s geothermal energy potential. Examples of this work are set out in the answer to S6W-44106 on 17 March 2026

Heat networks will form an important part of Scotland's overall heat decarbonisation programme, supplying clean heat (such as geothermal) to homes and other buildings. Scotland’s Heat Network Fund (SHNF) offers capital grants to businesses and organisations in the public, private and third sectors to develop heat network projects in Scotland. The SHNF requires a minimum 50% contribution from the Grantee which helps to leverage private investment in the heat network sector and generate additional economic benefits. An expression of interest for funding can be submitted at any time.

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.

Question reference: S7W-00862

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 05 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Gethins on 11 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S7W-00615 by Stephen Gethins on 11 June 2026, which did not address the question posed, whether it will confirm that it has not made an assessment of the impact of the anticipated closure of Torness nuclear power station on energy affordability for consumers in Scotland.

Question reference: S7W-00793

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Gethins on 11 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S7W-00644 by Stephen Gethins on 3 June 2026, which did not address the question posed, and in light of remarks by Alan Brown MSP in the debate, It’s Scotland’s energy, on 28 May 2026, in which he said, "Zonal pricing was an option that could bring down bills, but that was immediately ruled out by Westminster", whether it supports the introduction of zonal pricing in the electricity market, and what specific evidence it has relied upon in forming its position.

Question reference: S7W-00617

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Gethins on 11 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding the price per MWh of electricity generated (a) for Hunterston B prior to its closure and (b) is for Torness nuclear power station.

Question reference: S7O-00064

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 June 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will honour, in full, commitments made by previous Ministers for Transport to upgrade road infrastructure in the North East of Scotland.

Question reference: S7W-00323

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 8 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government when it will begin allocating the £40 million that was committed in the Scottish National Party manifesto to “match funding from the Wood Foundation to support opportunities and the transition [to a low-carbon economy] in the North East”; how organisations can apply for the funding, including who will be eligible, and what outcomes it hopes to achieve with this.

Question reference: S7W-00352

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 8 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken since January 2025 to make Stracathro Hospital near Brechin and the Queen Margaret Hospital in Dunfermline into “centres of excellence” in certain procedures, such as cataracts or orthopaedics, including by providing transport support to patients.

The Scottish Government wants all patients, regardless of location to receive the right care, at the right time, in the right place. The Centre for Sustainable Delivery supports clinical improvements across Scotland, including for cataracts and orthopaedics through Specialty Delivery Groups.

The NTCs are currently delivering one cataract every 30 minutes as endorsed by the Royal College of Ophthalmologists. This is patient centred, particularly where patients are travelling longer distances for treatment.

Out of area transport is covered by Health Boards’ own standard travel policies.

NHS Grampian & NHS Tayside have a joint intention to develop high volume, single procedure lists at Stracathro, however these are not in place currently.

Queen Margaret Hospital has a strong, well-established reputation, both nationally & internationally, for their Ophthalmology & Urology services. The responsibility for the Queen Margaret Hospital is with NHS Fife, who continue to look at opportunities to further enhance their current services.

The Stracathro Regional Treatment Centre & the Queen Margaret Hospital provide crucial cold site (ie protected) elective capacity, and we are committed to working with Boards to continue to maximise the efficiency and use of the sites.

Question reference: S7W-00324

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 5 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the £9 million it has allocated to the Mossmorran industrial site over the next three years, when will all payments be made, what outcomes are expected from the payments, what undertakings have been given by the recipients in order to receive the payments and how it has determined that the amount allocated for each is sufficient to deliver the results intended.

The Scottish Government has allocated £9 million over three years to the Mossmorran industrial site, with £3 million planned for each of 2026–27, 2027–28 and 2028–29. Funding in later years remains subject to the outcomes of the Scottish Spending Review and annual budget processes.

In 2026–27, up to £1.3 million has been allocated for a Mossmorran Skills Intervention, delivered by Fife College. This funding will support the workforce in gaining critical training support to transition to other labour market opportunities including training needs assessments, targeted reskilling aligned with labour market demand, progression into employment, and measurable uptake, completion and employment outcomes. It is disappointing that, to date, the UK Government has chosen not to join us in providing this critical support to the workforce.

Funding for 2026–27 will also support activity to identify and develop future opportunities for the site. ExxonMobil has committed to working collaboratively with the Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise to explore viable future options for the site. Scottish Enterprise are also utilising the breadth of their experience to attract new investment and secure sustainable alternative uses for the site.

Question reference: S7W-00615

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Gethins on 5 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact on energy affordability for consumers in Scotland of the anticipated closure of Torness nuclear power station, in light of its policy position on new nuclear generation.

Question reference: S7W-00616

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Gethins on 4 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding the current Contracts for Difference strike price per MWh for (a) onshore, (b) fixed-bottom offshore and (c) floating offshore wind.

The Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme is an important mechanism to support new low-carbon electricity generation. Administrative strike prices are determined by the UK Government through the competitive CfD auction round process. Information regarding the most recent CfD Allocation Round 7 including strike prices can be found here: Contracts for Difference (CfD) Allocation Round 7: results - GOV.UK.