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-37374

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 14 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-37351

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 14 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a complete list of its economic objectives.

The National Strategy for Economic Transformation (2022-2032) outlines the Scottish Government’s vision for fair green growth underpinned by six economic objectives.

The strategy is supported by a measurement framework. Reports on progress are available in the 2023 and 2024 National Strategy for Economic Transformation’s Annual Reports.

Further to this, the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government (2017-18) set a target to double Business Enterprise Research and Development (BERD) expenditure in Scotland. I refer the member to the answer to question S6W- 18678 on 6 June 2023. Following work between the Scottish Government and Office for National Statistics data quality concerns remain regarding BERD. 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.

The Disabled People’s Employment Plan (2018) set a target to at least halve the Disability Employment Gap in Scotland by 2038 based on 2016 baseline. Progress is reported via the Fair Work Action Plan Annual Report, as an annex within the National Strategy for Economic Transformation Annual Report.

A Trading Nation (2019) set out an ambitious target to increase international exports from 20 % to 25 % of GDP over the next 10 years. Progress is available within the Trading Nation Review (2022).

The Fair Work Action Plan (2022) set a target to reduce the gender pay gap in Scotland by the end of this parliamentary term (May 2026) and maintain or where possible improve our position relative to the UK as a whole and our international neighbours. Progress is reported via the Fair Work Action Plan Annual Report, as an annex within the National Strategy for Economic Transformation Annual Report.

However, is important to note that currently, the Scottish Government does not have full levers over employment, taxation, social security, or migration – all of which are vital to our economic prosperity. The Scottish Government believes that independence would deliver the best deal for Scotland – providing control over all public spending decisions, as well as the suite of fiscal powers necessary to unlock Scotland’s full economic potential.

Question reference: S6W-37366

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 14 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the total staff (a) time commitment, expressed in full-time equivalent days and (b) cost has been for work relating to zonal electricity pricing under the Review of Electricity Market Arrangements since 1 June 2021.

Question reference: S6W-37352

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 14 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what economic objectives and targets it has adopted or discarded since 2015.

Question reference: S6W-37368

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 14 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what modelling assumptions it has used when assessing the potential impact of zonal electricity pricing on (a) renewable generators, (b) network constraint costs and (c) consumer bills in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-37370

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 14 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its latest understanding is of the timetable for UK Government decisions on zonal electricity pricing, and what preparatory work it is undertaking in response to this.

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: Answered by Gillian Martin on 14 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-37377

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 14 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-37353

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 14 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what quantitative economic targets it has.

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: Answered by Gillian Martin on 14 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.

We meet regularly with the UK Government to discuss the Review of Electricity Market Arrangements (REMA) and welcome the constructive engagement we have had with them – I last met with Minister Michael Shanks MP on 23 April 2025. In addition, I have formally written to the UK Government to set out Scottish Government’s views on REMA and is planning to do so again shortly in advance of the final decision by UKG in the summer. We continue to engage with stakeholders – including consumer organisations such as Consumer Scotland – to ensure their views are represented in our discussions with the UK Government.