Parliamentary questions
Willie Rennie
1,353 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
17 Dec 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it necessitated that it take ownership of the Dalzell steelworks for a short period in 2016, and what prevented Tata Steel selling the asset directly to Liberty House.
Answer · Ivan McKee: Steel production in Scotland had effectively ceased at the time. Our intervention enabled production to recommence and to get skilled Steel workers back to work.
17 Dec 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the ministerial statement by the Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise on 15 December 2021 on Dalzell Historical Industrial Transactions, what parties comprise the "wider group" that he referred to.
Answer · Ivan McKee: The ‘’wider group’’ referred to by the Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise is Liberty Steel Dalzell Limited's parent company.
17 Dec 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of the total environmental remediation cost of the Dalzell steelworks it would be liable to pay under the agreement it facilitated in 2016 in the event that (a) the site is repurposed as a result of a decision by Liberty Steel and (b) the parent company ceases to exist, a…
Answer · Ivan McKee: The Scottish Government is not liable for environmental remediation costs.
17 Dec 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the typical environmental remediation costs for sites of former steelworks such as Ravenscraig; what sites it has considered in this regard, and whether it has calculated historic costs adjusted for inflation.
Answer · Ivan McKee: The Scottish Government has not carried out an overarching assessment of the typical environmental remediation costs for sites of former steelworks in Scotland. Due to Scotland’s long history of iron and steel making such activity has taken place in a range o…
17 Dec 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the information it holds on the total potential environmental remediation cost of the Dalzell steelworks.
Answer · Ivan McKee: A soil and groundwater contamination liability assessment covering the Lanarkshire steelworks was prepared for the Scottish Government in 2016. A copy of the report with redactions in line with FOISA exemptions is available from the Scottish Government websi…
17 Dec 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether Tata Steel provided it with an estimate of the cost of the total potential environmental remediation cost of the Dalzell steelworks upon purchasing the site in 2016.
Answer · Ivan McKee: The negotiation and agreements are commercially sensitive information.
17 Dec 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has (a) conducted and (b) commissioned on the total potential environmental remediation cost of the Dalzell steelworks.
Answer · Ivan McKee: A soil and groundwater contamination liability assessment covering the Lanarkshire steelworks was prepared for the Scottish Government in 2016. A copy of the report with redactions in line with FOISA exemptions is available from the Scottish Government websi…
17 Dec 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for how long precisely it owned the Dalzell steelworks in 2016.
Answer · Ivan McKee: The Scottish Government owned the Dalzell and Clydebridge steelworks momentarily in 2016 before the same were immediately sold to Liberty House.
17 Dec 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what due diligence it conducted prior to facilitating the purchase of the Dalzell steelworks by Liberty House from Tata Steel, and whether it (a) employed any consultants and (b) commissioned any external advice in relation to this matter.
Answer · Ivan McKee: In facilitating the sale and purchase of the plants, officials sought external advice as the guidance of the Scottish Public Finance Manual recommends. The decision to support the transfer of ownership between the businesses considered this external advice an…
17 Dec 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what (a) correspondence and (b) meetings it has had with (i) Tata Steel and (ii) Liberty House since identifying that it may have broken state aid rules while facilitating the sale of the Dalzell steelworks, and whether it will publish any (A) minutes and (B) documents regarding this sin…
Answer · Ivan McKee: Since Ministers were informed of the potential presence of State Aid with respect to its 2016 contract with Tata Steel UK Scottish Government officials have engaged with (a) Tata Steel UK on the following occasions, 9-12-21; 10-12-21; 13-12-21; 14-12-21; 15-1…
17 Dec 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to Tata Steel’s reported statement on 15 December 2021 that the contract it holds with the Scottish Government in relation to the Dalzell steelworks is “valid and binding in all aspects”.
Answer · Ivan McKee: Channels of communication between the Scottish Government and Tata Steel UK remain open so both parties are aware the other’s position on this commercially sensitive topic.
17 Dec 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government on what date and at what time it contacted Tata Steel after identifying that it may have broken state aid rules while facilitating the sale of the Dalzell steelworks, and whether it will publish any (a) notification and (b) response.
Answer · Ivan McKee: Scottish Government officials contacted TATA Steel UK on 9 December 2021 to inform the company of its findings concerning the potential presence of State Aid with respect to 2016 transaction. Channels of communication between the Scottish Government and Tata …
17 Dec 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government on what date (a) its officials first identified and (b) the Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise, or his predecessor, was first informed of (i) the existence of the liability in relation to the facilitation of the sale of the Dalzell steelworks and (ii) issues with this p…
Answer · Ivan McKee: There is no liability in relation to the facilitation of the sale of the Dalzell steelwork. Initial advice was provided to Ministers of concern on the grounds of potentially non-compliant State aid on 17 August 2021 and Officials were asked to undertake furt…
16 Dec 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of information published by Warmworks Scotland reporting that, over the past five years, it has helped 251 households in North East Fife with energy saving and efficiency improvements delivered through the national fuel poverty scheme, what the total number of homes in North Ea…
Answer · Patrick Harvie: The total number of households that have received energy saving and efficiency improvements delivered through the Scottish Government’s energy efficiency programmes between 2016-17 and 2020-21* in this region** are: Warmer Homes Scotland – 251 Area Based Sc…
16 Dec 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the climate emergency, and in regard to energy saving and efficiency improvements delivered through its national fuel poverty scheme and other related schemes, what action it has taken to ensure that improvements that are made to homes prioritise environmentally-friendly tec…
Answer · Patrick Harvie: The Heat in Buildings Strategy, published October 2021, outlined an ambitious policy package to significantly accelerate the decarbonisation of Scotland’s homes and buildings. It highlighted tried and tested technologies that can be deployed today, highlighti…
29 Nov 2021 · Topical Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported number of deaths of homeless people in 2020.
25 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that the UK Government will support the private member's bill, the Down Syndrome Bill, that has been introduced by Dr Liam Fox MP, whether it will bring forward a similar set of measures.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Scottish Government wants to improve opportunities, outcomes and support for people with learning disabilities including Down’s Syndrome. To this end, we have committed to introducing a Learning Disability, Autism and Neurodiversity Bill as part of the Pr…
25 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what care support (a) it provides and (b) local authorities are expected to provide, that is specifically aimed at helping people with Down syndrome, and what new measures it will introduce to enhance the support that is presently available.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: (a) In terms of Scottish Government support, we have set out our commitment to people with a learning disability, including those with Down’s Syndrome, and their families through the Keys to Life Learning Disability strategy and the Towards Transformation Lea…
16 Nov 2021 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will bring forward the date of 2024 for requiring zero direct emissions heating within new builds.
4 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any plans to extend the non-domestic rates exemption for renewables microgeneration in relation to renewable energy installations that have a capacity of up to 50kW, and, if so, within what timescale this will be implemented.
Answer · Tom Arthur: The Scottish Government provides the most generous and comprehensive non-domestic rates relief package for renewable energy producers in the UK, including a number of existing policies aimed at incentivising investment in low carbon technologies, such as heat…
2 Nov 2021 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to incorporate the recent HMICS findings in relation to Police Scotland into the ongoing response to the independent review into police complaints handling investigations and misconduct issues, conducted by Dame Elish Angiolini.
27 Oct 2021 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government which conflicts its new Institute for Peacekeeping will aim to resolve and by when.
25 Oct 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to any plans it has to support businesses to reduce their carbon footprint by installing solar panels, what the timetable is for these plans; whether support will be provided to incentivise such installation, and whether non-domestic rates relief will be provided to business…
Answer · Michael Matheson: Scottish businesses are currently able to access an interest free loan for solar PV through the SME Loan scheme, managed by the Energy Saving Trust. Eligible organisations are able to access free advice and an energy audit of their premises through the Energy…
25 Oct 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any plans to remove the megawatt limit for businesses that have installed renewable technologies where the energy generated is only for use onsite, and, if so, within what timescale this will be implemented.
25 Oct 2021 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s position is regarding the use of facial recognition technology in schools.
19 Oct 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-35805 by John Swinney on 15 March 2021, how many counsellors are currently in place to provide counselling services to schools.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The mental health and wellbeing of children and young people is an absolute priority for the Scottish Government. Access to counselling support services through secondary schools are in place across Scotland. As highlighted in the answer to S5W-35805, there …
30 Sep 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will provide a substantive answer to question S6W-02293, which received a holding response on 13 September 2021.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: A response to question S6W-02293 was issued on 4th October 2021. 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/writt…
28 Sep 2021 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how it plans to implement the recommendations made by the OECD on Scottish National Standardised Assessments in its report, Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence: Into the Future.
21 Sep 2021 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the scale of unemployment among qualified teachers.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The recruitment and retention of teachers is a matter for local authorities. However, I am determined that teachers have strong job opportunities. We have provided significant additional funds for the recruitment of additional teachers and I have committed t…
14 Sep 2021 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide additional financial support for the fruit and vegetable agricultural sector, in light of the losses incurred as a result of labour and logistics issues.