- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Allan on 15 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any potential economic impacts on farming businesses from safety restrictions required due to the construction of overhead power lines along prime agricultural land.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-36103 on 15 April 2025. 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
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Allan on 15 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that any public concerns raised during consultations on electricity infrastructure projects are transparently addressed, and how it will monitor this in relation to the Tealing to Kintore upgrade project.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-36103 on 15 April 2025. 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
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Allan on 15 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will seek assurances that any safety risks identified by agricultural stakeholders are fully addressed in the final planning application for the Tealing to Kintore upgrade project.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-36103 on 15 April 2025. 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
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Allan on 15 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many incidents have occurred in each of the last three years involving agricultural machinery making contact with overhead power lines, and what assessment it has made of how the Tealing to Kintore upgrade project could impact these figures.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-36103 on 15 April 2025. 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
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Allan on 15 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether proposed minimum safety clearance heights for overhead power lines should be adjusted in response to the increasing size of modern agricultural machinery used across Angus and Aberdeenshire.
Answer
Responsibility for the delivery of the transmission network infrastructure including compliance with safety standards, sits with the transmission owner working within a regulatory framework overseen by Ofgem and other relevant regulators such as the Health and Safety Executive.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Dorothy Bain on 15 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of fatal accident inquiries have resulted in criminal proceedings or disciplinary action in each of the last five years.
Answer
COPFS does not hold this information. However, any decision to hold a Fatal Accident Inquiry is ordinarily not taken until other proceedings, including criminal proceedings, have been completed or ruled out.
COPFS would not expect to be made aware of any disciplinary action which results from a Fatal Accident Inquiry.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Dorothy Bain on 15 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many fatal accident inquiries have been delayed as a result of outstanding investigations or reports from external agencies in each of the last five years, broken down by agency.
Answer
COPFS does not hold this information.
There are a number of agencies who may be involved in carrying out inquiries into the circumstances surrounding a death. It is important that the results of those inquiries – which may be specifically instructed by COPFS or part of a separate investigation process - are carefully considered by COPFS before any decisions can be taken on the holding of an FAI.
COPFS has limited influence over the timescales for the completion and provision of reports by other organisations. However, we are currently constructively engaging with many of the public bodies responsible for the completion of internal investigations to ensure that they are completed to an acceptable standard, with outcomes provided to COPFS at the earliest possible stage.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Allan on 15 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that the Tealing to Kintore upgrade project fully complies with the Construction (Design Management) Regulations 2015, specifically with regard to assessing and mitigating any safety risks to farmers and agricultural workers arising from overhead power lines.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-36103 on 15 April 2025. 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
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Allan on 15 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it is aware of any requests from landowners or farming stakeholders for design changes to the Tealing to Kintore upgrade project on safety grounds, and how any such requests have been addressed.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-36103 on 15 April 2025. 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
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Dorothy Bain on 15 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what measures it has introduced to reduce any delays to the commencement of fatal accident inquiries following the conclusion of investigations.
Answer
COPFS regularly liaises with the Scottish Courts & Tribunals Service (SCTS) in relation to upcoming Fatal Accident Inquiries. In particular, the Head of the Scottish Fatalities Investigation Unit (SFIU) of COPFS writes to all Sheriffs Principal on a quarterly basis to ensure future Fatal Accident Inquiry business is factored into the court programme as efficiently as possible.