Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-29755

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 19 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that, following a review of existing facilities at St Brendan’s Hospital in Castlebay by NHS Assure, "heating systems, electrical wiring, and water systems have been identified as requiring upgrade in the very near future".

As a result of significant increases in construction costs due to inflation, and a lower than expected capital grant from the UK Government, a capital review is currently underway.

Alongside this, we are working with all health boards to develop a whole-system infrastructure plan which reflects on the needs for the whole of Scotland and will support continued safe operation of existing facilities and well as determination of longer-term investment priorities.

Question reference: S6W-29757

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 19 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that the air flow cleansing canopy in an NHS Western Isles operating theatre is showing signs of failure, but that this work is reportedly unaffordable in the current financial year.

As a result of significant increases in construction costs due to inflation, and a lower than expected capital grant from the UK Government, a capital review is currently underway.

Alongside this, we are working with all health boards to develop a whole-system infrastructure plan which reflects on the needs for the whole of Scotland and will support continued safe operation of existing facilities and well as determination of longer-term investment priorities.

Question reference: S6W-29756

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 19 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to its decision to pause the replacement of St Brendan’s hospital in Castlebay; whether it has held any recent meetings with NHS Western Isles, and, if so, whether it can provide details of what was discussed.

In December 2023, given the extremely challenging capital funding position, NHS Boards were instructed to stop any project development spend and instead direct capital budgets towards maintenance of the existing estate and essential equipment and digital replacement. Boards were notified that the Scottish Government does not anticipate starting construction of any new project over the next two years at least.

We are working with all health boards to develop a whole-system infrastructure plan which reflects on the needs for the whole of Scotland and will support continued safe operation of existing facilities and well as determination of longer-term investment priorities.

Question reference: S6W-29760

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 19 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will utilise the powers under the Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations 2012 to direct SEPA to temporarily or permanently refuse incineration permits.

As Scotland moves towards a circular economy, we must treat residual waste responsibly. This is why the Scottish Government commissioned the independent review of the role of incineration in the waste hierarchy (the Review), published in 2022.

The Review underlined that that the best form of residual waste treatment is preventing waste from occurring in the first place, but in the short-term incineration has a role to play as we make the transition to a circular economy and end the practice of sending biodegradable municipal waste to landfill by 2025.

The Pollution Prevention and Control (Scotland) regulations 2012 (“the PPC regulations”) require that SEPA make impartial assessments of all PPC Permit applications and make decisions relating to environmental permits in accordance with these regulations. Whilst Scottish Ministers do have the ability to intervene in the PPC process by way of a direction, they would not normally do so in the absence of exceptional circumstances.

The Review recommended that no further planning permission for incineration facilities, beyond what was already in place, should be granted. This was reflected in National Planning Framework 4, which came into force on 13 February 2023 and is clear that development proposals for energy from waste facilities will not be supported except under very limited circumstances.

An updated incineration capacity analysis by Zero Waste Scotland (which is being finalised for publication later this year) indicates that facilities currently in development are required to help meet Scotland’s impending waste management needs, including for when the ban on landfilling biodegradable municipal waste comes into force on 31 December 2025.

The key policy levers on this matter exist within the planning system. We will continue to work with SEPA, planners and the wider sector to ensure appropriate management of incineration capacity issues.

Question reference: S6W-29827

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 19 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the number of properties still to be connected under the R100 Central contract.

Question reference: S6W-29740

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 19 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what area, in hectares, is currently covered by a year-round prohibition on the use of creels for fishing under schedule 2 of the Inshore Fishing (Prohibition of Fishing and Fishing Methods) (Scotland) Order 2004.

Question reference: S6W-29758

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 19 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that NHS Western Isles has designated the refurbishment of Medical Ward 2 at the Western Isles Hospital in Stornoway as high priority, but that this work is reportedly unaffordable in the current financial year.

As a result of significant increases in construction costs due to inflation, and a lower than expected capital grant from the UK Government, a capital review is currently underway.

Alongside this, we are working with all health boards to develop a whole-system infrastructure plan which reflects on the needs for the whole of Scotland and will support continued safe operation of existing facilities and well as determination of longer-term investment priorities.

Question reference: S6W-29744

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 19 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether its Pre-Budget Fiscal Update proposal to reprofile the timing of project spend on the Hydrogen Emerging Energies Technology Fund will impact on the ability of the selected projects to develop and demonstrate renewable hydrogen technologies by the end of the funding period in 2026.

The Hydrogen Action Plan, published in December 2022, set out a clear commitment to support renewable hydrogen production.

The UK Government’s 10% cut on the Scottish Government capital budget has impacted Scottish government funding ability. However, on 16 September we launched a £7m funding call to enable companies to develop renewable green hydrogen production projects and support the development of the hydrogen supply chain in Scotland.

More details on the call can be found on the website of our delivery partner, Scottish Enterprise; Funding for development of hydrogen projects | Scottish Enterprise (scottish-enterprise.com)

Earlier this summer, on 14 August, I announced the £3.1m match-funding grant award to the Storegga Speyside Hydrogen Project in Moray. This will help to support the development stage of the construction of a new regional hydrogen production hub which will produce green hydrogen for operations across distilleries and other businesses in Moray.

Allocations from the first tranche of the Emerging Energy Technology Fund hydrogen investment programme, the Hydrogen Innovation Scheme, totalled nearly £7m to 31 projects, and were announced in May 2023. These projects will all conclude by 2025.

Question reference: S6W-29741

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 19 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what area, in hectares, is currently covered by a year-round prohibition on the use of creels for fishing under any measure other than the Inshore Fishing (Prohibition of Fishing and Fishing Methods) (Scotland) Order 2004.

Question reference: S6W-29792

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 19 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many fire incidents in listed buildings the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has attended in each of the last 10 years.

Chamber and committees