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: S5W-30510

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 06 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 10 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-30017 by Roseanna Cunningham on 2 July 2020, how much of the £730 million was to be financed by government borrowing.

Question reference: S5W-30034

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 June 2020
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 10 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the publication of the 2019 decision paper, Asset Replacement, and the 2020 decision paper, Prospects for Prices, by the Water Industry Commission for Scotland, by how much expenditure investment and asset maintenance will have grown between the 2015-21 price control period and that envisaged at the higher level for (a) 2021-27 period and (b) 2021-40.

The investment expectations are set out in the Decision Papers “Asset Replacement” and “Prospects for Prices”, available on the Water Industry Commission for Scotland’s website. As noted in the answer to S5W-30017 on 2 July 2020, Scottish Water had estimated investment of £730 million in 2020-21.

The Commission estimates that £1 billion - £1.1 billion annual investment will be required by 2040. The actual investment level at 2027 will depend on price profile, growth assumption, growth starting point, borrowing available and Scottish Water’s cash balance at the start of the 2021-2022 financial year. It is expected that further clarity on the investment profile will be provided when the Commission publishes its draft determination.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

Question reference: S5W-29771

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 June 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 10 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will introduce local COVID-19 lockdowns in areas where it believes that the R rate might go above 1.

The R number is calculated for Scotland and we publish it on a weekly basis. The R number is not calculated for smaller areas such as Scottish local authorities as the ranges around the estimates would be very large and it would not allow us to understand the differences between different areas of Scotland. We are looking at other means of monitoring and forecasting the levels of COVID-19 infection in local authority areas.

We are building surveillance systems to ensure that, not only at a national level but at a local level, we can monitor and, where possible, predict what happens with the virus in the weeks and months to come.

We have a range of powers under the Coronavirus Act 2020 that would allow us to take appropriate and proportionate actions as might be necessary.

Question reference: S5W-30025

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 June 2020
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 2 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the publication of the 2020 decision paper, Prospects for Prices, by the Water Industry Commission for Scotland, whether it will publish the analysis that underlies the international cost comparisons that are made.

Question reference: S5W-30018

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 June 2020
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 2 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it was formally or informally consulted by the Water Industry Commission for Scotland prior to the publication of the 2020 decision paper, Prospects for Prices, and whether it formally or informally indicated that it was content with the decision paper to be published.

Question reference: S5W-30033

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 June 2020
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 2 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the publication of the 2019 decision paper, Asset Replacement, by the Water Industry Commission for Scotland, what cost allowance the Commission has used for additional cost pressures arising from (a) replacing assets while not interrupting service, (b) replacing assets in more developed areas and (c) new regulations, and whether it will publish details of the calculations and analysis the Commission used to form its view.

Question reference: S5W-30039

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 June 2020
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 2 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the publication of the 2020 decision paper, Prospects for Prices, by the Water Industry Commission for Scotland, what the assumptions are for government borrowing in the statistical modelling to 2040-41.

Question reference: S5W-30021

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 June 2020
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 2 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the publication of the 2019 decision paper, Asset Replacement, by the Water Industry Commission for Scotland, how the figure of an additional £50 million per annum for service improvements and growth was calculated and whether it will publish the methodology used.

Question reference: S5W-30023

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 June 2020
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 2 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the publication of the 2020 decision paper, Prospects for Prices, by the Water Industry Commission for Scotland, what analysis the Commission undertook to arrive at the figure of up to £150 million that could result from including emissions in appraisals, and whether it will publish any such analysis.

Question reference: S5W-30026

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 June 2020
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 2 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the publication of the 2020 decision paper, Prospects for Prices, by the Water Industry Commission for Scotland, whether current water charges are lower than they should be to meet the economic costs of providing the service and, if so, (a) whether ministerial objectives were expressed in such a way as to require that outcome and (b) for what reason the Commission has set charges at this level.