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-37377

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 20 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact of zonal electricity pricing on electricity generation projects that were awarded under the Contracts for Difference (CfD) Allocation Round, AR6, and what the findings were.

Question reference: S6W-37373

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 20 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what evidence it has supplied to the UK Government to inform the Review of Electricity Market Arrangements on the specific circumstances of Scotland’s electricity network and generation profile.

Question reference: S6W-37363

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 20 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has carried out of any distributional impacts of zonal electricity pricing in Scotland across (a) geographic regions, (b) income deciles and (c) protected characteristic groups, and what the findings were of any such work.

Question reference: S6W-37361

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 20 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what representations it has made to the UK Government regarding (a) zonal electricity pricing and (b) the proposed reformed national market under the Review of Electricity Market Arrangements, broken down by (i) date, (ii) minister or official leading the representation and (iii) format of the engagement.

Question reference: S6W-37374

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 20 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what potential zonal boundaries for electricity pricing have been considered by its officials, and what criteria were used to define each such boundary.

Question reference: S6W-37367

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 20 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government which stakeholder organisations its ministers and officials have met to discuss zonal electricity pricing since 1 January 2024, broken down by (a) organisation, (b) date of meeting, (c) attendees and (d) purpose of discussion.

Question reference: S6W-37379

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 20 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of any additional capital cost of transmission network reinforcements required under each zonal electricity pricing scenario modelled by its officials.

Question reference: S6W-37364

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 20 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what its position is on any proposal to introduce zonal electricity pricing, and what evidence underpins that position.

Question reference: S6W-37369

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 20 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the compatibility of potentially introducing zonal electricity pricing with the objectives of its forthcoming Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan.

Question reference: S6W-36156

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Dorothy Bain on 2 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what authority Police Scotland has to publicly announce the conclusion of investigations without further proceedings being initiated by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS); what its position is on whether it is appropriate for Police Scotland to state publicly that an individual is no longer under investigation, and what measures are in place to ensure that any such announcements do not influence or restrict any future action by the COPFS.

As head of the system of prosecutions in Scotland, I have primary responsibility for the investigation and prosecution of criminal offences in Scotland.

I have, along with Procurators Fiscal, who hold commissions on my behalf, legal authority to instruct the police in their investigation and reporting of crime and all suspicious, sudden and unexplained deaths, both under the common law and on a statutory basis.

Instruction and direction may be issued in relation to specific matters in the context of ongoing liaison between the police and Procurators Fiscal who can instruct the police during the course of investigations and when further investigation is required in a case. Instruction of the police is a continuous process in the discharge of the Lord Advocate’s duties as regards the investigation and prosecution of criminal offences in Scotland.

In general, if the police consider that there is insufficient evidence of a crime being committed, they will not make a report to the Procurator Fiscal. In some instances, particularly in more serious cases, where police are not sure there is sufficient evidence that a crime had been committed, they may report the matter to the Procurator Fiscal for advice and direction. This structure recognises the expertise of the police in investigating crime, the responsibility of prosecutors in respect of the investigation of crime, and the independence of prosecutorial decision-making.

Communication by the Police as regards conclusion of their investigations is a matter for them: an announcement by the Police confirming conclusion of their investigation does not preclude the Crown from raising proceedings in the future should subsequent investigation uncover evidence providing potential sufficiency in terms of criminality which is then reported to prosecutors for consideration. Neither do any such announcements have any bearing on future prosecutorial decision making– every case reported to prosecutors is carefully considered in terms of its own facts and circumstances and in line with the Prosecution Code and is made entirely independently of any other person.