Parliamentary questions

Liam McArthur

3,663 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

21 Nov 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what practical steps it will take to promote investment in, and the creation of, high-value and highly-skilled jobs in aquaculture.

Answer · Michael Russell: The Scottish Government is supporting the sustainable economic growth of the Scottish aquaculture industry through developing a renewed strategic framework for Scottish aquaculture. That framework has identified the issues to be tackled and proposes a flexibl…

21 Nov 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to increase and improve vocational training in the aquaculture industry.

Answer · Michael Russell: The Scottish Government''s consultation document A Fresh Start, a Renewed Strategic Framework for Scottish Aquaculture highlighted the importance to the aquaculture industry of attracting, retaining and developing people for a long term career in aqua…

21 Nov 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it is encouraging the uptake of SVQs in aquaculture.

Answer · Michael Russell: The Scottish Qualifications Authority Accreditation Unit is responsible for promoting SVQs generally to encourage their uptake. A number of colleges in Scotland offer SVQs in aquaculture, including by distance learning, thus increasing access to accredited vo…

13 Nov 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail the (a) number and (b) total value of grants made under the Crofting Counties Agricultural Grants Scheme to Orkney farmers, smallholders and crofters in each of the last five years for which information is available, broken down by grants made to (i) registered crof…

Answer · Michael Russell: The information requested is not held centrally. The Crofting Counties Agricultural Grants Scheme is administered on behalf of Scottish ministers by the Crofters Commission and I have asked the Chief Executive of the Crofters Commission to respond to you dire…

6 Nov 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of (a) energy and (b) electricity consumed in Scotland is from renewable sources, broken down by technology and compared with equivalent UK-wide figures.

Answer · Jim Mather: (a) An estimate of final energy consumption accounted for by renewable energy is given in the following table Energy Generated by Renewables as a Percentage of Final Energy Consumption, 2006 (Latest Available Figures) <ta…

4 Nov 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how regularly it expects future Saltire Prizes to be awarded and whether they will be awarded for innovation in renewable energy.

Answer · Jim Mather: No decisions have been taken on the award of future Saltire Prizes. The current Saltire Prize will be launched on 2 December 2008.

4 Nov 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects the first Saltire Prize to be awarded.

Answer · Jim Mather: The Saltire Prize Challenge will be announced by the First Minister on 2 December 2008. Full details of the prize, and timing of the award, will be released at this time.

4 Nov 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will provide ongoing support to the installation and commissioning or deployment of pre-commercial wave and tidal electricity generating devices when the Wave and Tidal Energy Support Scheme grants have been allocated.

Answer · Jim Mather: We are consulting at present on the maintenance of higher levels of support for wave and tidal power under our renewables obligation. This measure is already attracting development proposals in waters around Scotland. We are also supporting innovation and lev…

4 Nov 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to announce a final decision on future direct grant support for the wave and tidal power sector.

Answer · Jim Mather: It is our intention to continue to support wave and tidal projects. This needs to be based on a clear route map setting out the path and obstacles to 2020, and a robust assessment of need. We are working with the Forum for Renewable Energy Development in Scot…

4 Nov 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Forum for Renewable Energy Development in Scotland’s Marine Energy Group will be reconvened to assess the effects and outputs of the Wave and Tidal Energy Support Scheme and when it is anticipated that the group will report to ministers.

Answer · Jim Mather: The Marine Energy Group is being reconvened at the moment. We expect it to meet for the first time in January 2009, and report to ministers on an on-going basis.

4 Nov 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the final (a) capital and (b) revenue grant instalments were or will be issued to projects supported by the Wave and Tidal Energy Support Scheme.

Answer · Jim Mather: We expect to have issued the capital allocation under the scheme by March 2011. Projects can receive revenue payments for a maximum of five years after project commissioning.

27 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take to ensure that information that might be available to it through a strategic environmental assessment is taken into account when determining offshore wind farm applications in Scottish territorial waters.

Answer · Jim Mather: We expect that any application for an offshore wind farm will require an environmental impact assessment (EIA). The EIA should be informed by relevant plans, programmes and strategies for which a strategic environmental assessment (SEA) has been undertaken. I…

27 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will undertake to carry out a strategic environmental assessment (SEA) of planned offshore wind developments as a matter of priority, in light of the increasing demand for such developments and concern that the absence of strategic guidance, which an SEA would provide, could di…

Answer · Jim Mather: A strategic environmental assessment (SEA) of Scottish territorial waters is currently being commissioned, and the rest of the renewable energy zone is the subject of an SEA being carried out in cooperation with the UK Government''s Department of Energy and C…

27 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for a strategic environmental assessment (SEA) of offshore wind developments being planned for Scottish territorial waters and, if none, what the reasons are for its position on this matter, in light of the SEA being conducted for other UK territorial waters.

Answer · Jim Mather: The Scottish Government announced its plans for a strategic environmental assessment of Scottish territorial waters for offshore wind energy on 29 October 2008. This is currently being commissioned. Further details are included in a Scottish Governme…

9 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-15924 by Shona Robison on 5 September 2008, how many of the air ambulance flights from Orkney were code red call outs, broken down by those undertaken by the (a) Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) fixed-wing aircraft, (b) SAS helicopter, (c) coastguard…

Answer · Shona Robison: Since April 2008, an agreed system of call categorisation (red, amber, green) has been in operation between the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) and clinicians in Orkney. The purpose of this is to ensure that a consistent approach is taken by all clinicians i…

7 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what lessons it has learned from the 2007 Wave and Tidal Energy Support Scheme and how it will apply those to a new marine energy research and development funding scheme.

Answer · Jim Mather: The Scottish Government continues to support projects under the 2007 Wave and Tidal Energy Support Scheme. The Forum for Renewable Energy Development in Scotland (FREDS) has agreed recently that its Marine Energy Group should be reconvened. We will look to FR…

7 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has had from the marine energy companies or industry bodies about research and development funding and what conclusions have been drawn from these representations.

Answer · Jim Mather: We are in regular contact with a range of marine renewable stakeholders. The main conclusion to be drawn is that the sector welcomes the support that the Scottish Government continues to make available to develop the sector in Scotland. There is also clear de…

7 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made any analysis of the likely demand for a new Scottish marine energy research and development scheme and, if so, what the conclusions were.

Answer · Jim Mather: There is a clear desire within the wave and tidal sector for the very welcome support from the Scottish Government to be continued and extended. The Forum for Renewable Energy Development in Scotland (FREDS) has recently agreed to reconvene a group which will…

7 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether marine energy research and development funding has been discussed by the Cabinet since May 2007.

Answer · Jim Mather: By long-standing convention, and in accordance with long-established practice across UK governments, in order to protect the confidentiality of the proceedings of the Cabinet, information on Cabinet deliberations is not disclosed.

7 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of any research and development funding schemes established in other countries that are available to Scottish marine energy companies and, if so, what it considers the impact of such schemes will be on Scottish marine energy companies.

Answer · Jim Mather: The Scottish Government is aware that other countries have established support schemes for marine energy. This reflects the scale of the global opportunity, which is estimated to run into billions of pounds. Scottish marine energy companies can receive positi…

7 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what analysis it has made of the impact of the research and development funding schemes for marine energy recently established in Ireland and the United States of America on the likelihood of tidal and wave technology companies locating in Scotland

Answer · Jim Mather: We believe that the availability of support for marine energy in other countries, as well as in Scotland, is a positive development. Additional support for these technologies across the world will create tremendous opportunities for companies to export their …

7 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what analysis it has made of the research and development funding schemes for marine energy recently established in Ireland and the United States of America.

Answer · Jim Mather: We are aware of the marine energy support schemes being established in other parts of the world. The Forum for Renewable Energy Development in Scotland (FREDS) has agreed that its Marine Energy Group should be reconvened. This will happen shortly, and we expe…

7 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what lessons it believes should be drawn from the economic benefits that Denmark has gained from being the world-leading wind power technology location for over three decades and how these should be applied to the marine energy industry in Scotland.

Answer · Jim Mather: We believe that there are clear parallels to be drawn between the early support for research and development of wind power in Denmark, and the subsequent success of Danish companies within that sector, and the development of the marine energy industry in Scot…

7 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many jobs it considers could be created in Scotland by tidal and wave energy technology and manufacturing companies and whether those estimates have been revised since the Forum for Renewable Energy Development in Scotland’s Marine Energy Group Report of 2004.

Answer · Jim Mather: The Forum for Renewable Energy Development in Scotland (FREDS) Marine Energy Group forecast in 2004 that by 2020 the marine energy sector could create and sustain 7,000 direct jobs in Scotland. FREDS has agreed recently that its Marine Energy Group s…

7 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what analysis it has made of the potential benefits for Scotland’s economy of exporting tidal and wave technology.

Answer · Jim Mather: The Forum for Renewable Energy Development in Scotland (FREDS) has agreed recently that its Marine Energy Group should be reconvened for an updated examination of the sector''s progress and requirements. This will happen shortly, and we expect that the issue …

7 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what analysis it has made of the success of the Wave and Tidal Energy Support Scheme in encouraging marine energy technology companies to locate or remain in Scotland

Answer · Jim Mather: The Wave and Tidal Energy Support Scheme has clearly strengthened the position of marine energy companies based in and operating from Scotland, such as Wavegen and Aquamarine Power. Meanwhile, the support available under the scheme, and the wider sup…

1 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the budget is for the Scottish Community and Household Renewable Initiative in the current year; what the value is of the funding already allocated to applicants from this budget; what the value is of applications under consideration, and whether any applications have been rejected b…

Answer · Jim Mather: In the current financial year the Scottish Government has allocated £9.25 million for the Scottish Community and Household Renewable Initiative (SCHRI). This is split as follows: The household stream has been allocated £3.5 million this year. Of thi…

1 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-15974 by Jim Mather on 10 September 2008, when its exploration of the accreditation standards for installers working under the Scottish Community and Household Renewable Initiative is to be completed; when any changes in the accreditation standards w…

Answer · Jim Mather: The Scottish Government is awaiting a proposal from an industry-led working group over possible options for accreditation for microgeneration in Scotland. We expect to have these by the end of the year. Once we have had the chance to consider these proposals …

19 Sep 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what studies have been carried out into the agricultural subsidies appeals system operating in Ireland, given that statistics show that farmers are four times more likely to be successful in their appeal, a decision is reached twice as quickly and penalties, when they are imposed, are on …

Answer · Richard Lochhead: As part of its consultation, the agricultural subsidies appeals review panel met with Irish government officials and representatives of the Irish agricultural industry to discuss how the appeals procedure operated in Ireland. It will be up to the pan…

19 Sep 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-8538 by Richard Lochhead on 24 January 2008, whether the independent panel set up to review the EU agricultural subsidies appeals process has reported to ministers and, if so, what the report’s findings were and when the Scottish Government will take…

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The EU agricultural subsidies appeals review panel is due to report to me in the next two to three weeks. I will make a further statement once its findings have been fully considered.