Liam Kerr

23 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) since December 2022 to understand what more can be done to (a) avoid further use of the claim that Scotland has 25% of Europe's offshore wind potential and (b) obtain a more accurate and up-to-date figure for Scot…

Answer · Neil Gray: The Office of the Chief Statistician and Data Officer engaged directly with the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) in December 2022, setting out the steps that have been taken to ensure the statistic is not used further, and provided an update on the anal…

23 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-17500 by Angus Robertson on 12 May 2023, when it plans to update the gov.scot website with "the full costs of my visit, and those of all Ministerial travel costs", in order for MSPs to be able to see the information, in light of its answer encouragi…

Answer · Angus Robertson: Ministerial Engagements, travel and gifts are published within 3 months in line with the Scottish Ministerial Code. The Freedom of Information request referred to, detailing meetings and summaries of each, was published on 19 May 2023 on the Scottish Gover…

22 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to a recent report by Changeworks, which reportedly found that homes in the Highlands and Islands have lower Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) ratings than the rest of Scotland.

Answer · Patrick Harvie: I refer the member to the answer to the similar question, S6O-02277, on 25 May 2023. The answer to the oral parliamentary question is available on the Parliaments website, the Official Report can be viewed at Meeting of the Parliament: 25/05/2023 | Scottish …

22 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that NatureScot spent approximately £650,000 of its Farming with Nature budget on pay rises for its staff.

Answer · Lorna Slater: In the 2022-23 financial year, it was highlighted that the Farming with Nature programme expected an underspend. Separately, given the significant levels of inflation we saw throughout the financial year, it was evident that public sector pay budgets were in…

21 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government by what year it plans to have electrified the full extent of the East Coast Main Line between Aberdeen and Edinburgh, and whether Network Rail has confirmed that it plans to deliver electrification by that year.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: No date has been set for the electrification of the full extent of the East Coast Main Line between Aberdeen and Edinburgh. However, in line with the Rail Services Decarbonisation Action Plan, this route is under consideration for future electrification by Tr…

19 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of the support that applicants receive when applying to the Hydrogen Innovation Scheme, including any targeted support offered to small and medium-sized enterprises.

Answer · Gillian Martin: Application guidance was made available to all applicants to the Hydrogen Innovation Scheme via the Scottish Government’s Website. In partnership with Energy Technology Partnership and the Enterprise Agencies, the Scottish Government hosted a webinar on 5 Jul…

19 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when each of the 32 winning projects of the Hydrogen Innovation Scheme, announced on 18 May 2023, received their funding.

Answer · Gillian Martin: The successful Hydrogen Innovation Scheme applicants were informed throughout April and May 2023. All grants are paid in arrears, and will be awarded on successful completion of key project milestones.  

19 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the 32 winning projects of the Hydrogen Innovation Scheme, announced on 18 May 2023, received their funding via the Scottish National Investment Bank, and, if not, whether it will provide the rationale for this decision.

Answer · Gillian Martin: The Hydrogen Innovation Scheme is part of the Scottish Government’s £180m Emerging Energy Technologies Fund (EETF), which was announced by Scottish Ministers in the Climate Change Plan Update (December 2020). The EETF will support the development of the hydro…

19 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many applications to the Hydrogen Innovation Scheme were (a) received and (b) successful, and what continued engagement and support has been offered to unsuccessful applications in relation to future or alternative funding streams.

Answer · Gillian Martin: The Hydrogen Innovation Scheme received a total of 74 applications with 32 successful projects offered grant funding. Unsuccessful applicants to the scheme were directed to potential alternative sources of assistance, including available business grants and …

19 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what data it has on the number of sewage discharges, broken down by (a) incidence and (b) hours of discharge, into the North Sea from any point within 5 km north or south of Peterhead, in each year since 2017 up to the latest available data; what the approximate volumes were of any such …

Answer · Mairi McAllan: As indicated in Scottish Water’s first annual update to its Improving Urban Waters Routemap, spill data has been published at https://www.scottishwater.co.uk/help-and-resources/document-hub/key-publications/urban-waters-improvements . I refer the member to…

19 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when Trucheck cancer-detecting blood tests, which reportedly have 92% to 93.1% accuracy, will be made available on the NHS.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Any healthcare products being used by NHS Scotland require the undertaking of due diligence to ensure the safety of everyone concerned. This involves seeking clinical advice and undertaking a full health technology assessment (HTA). In the first instance, al…

18 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what research has been conducted into any barriers for young people accessing the Young Persons' (Under 22s) Free Bus Travel scheme, and what measures have been introduced to reduce any such barriers.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Scottish Government has listened to young people and their families about the application process and worked closely with delivery partners and local authorities to make improvements. In light of feedback received, the Improvement Service, which runs the…

18 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has provided to local authorities to support the roll-out of the Young Persons' (Under 22s) Free Bus Travel scheme, since it was launched, broken down by local authority.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: A total of £52,000 of financial support was awarded to seven local authorities through a grant funding agreement with the Improvement Service. This was one-off support to assist with the operational implementation of the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme.…

18 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding has been provided to date to support the application process for the Young Persons' (Under 22s) Free Bus Travel scheme, including (a) customer service, (b) technical support, (c) logistics and distribution of the cards and (d) marketing and promotion costs.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Scottish Government provided funding to a number of delivery partners to support the delivery and operation of the application process for the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme which includes costs associated with customer service, technical support, …

18 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the Young Persons' (Under 22s) Free Bus Travel scheme, what research has been conducted into uptake levels and applications for the scheme from young people in various data zones, according to the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD).

Answer · Kevin Stewart: Data on the possession of a National Entitlement Card by Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation quintiles comes from the Scottish Household Survey, which asks questions regarding concessionary bus travel on alternate years. The Scottish Household Survey 202…

17 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-13830 by Michael Matheson on 18 January 2023, whether it will provide an update on when it expects to publish updated guidance on Good Practice Principles for community benefits from offshore renewable energy developments, and whether it will provid…

Answer · Neil Gray: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-17984 on 31 May 2023. 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/…

17 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to publish the report on electricity system stability and security of supply in Scotland.

Answer · Gillian Martin: Research was commissioned through ClimateXChange on the subject of “Electricity system stability & security of supply in Scotland”, with a contract awarded on 13 October 2022. Analysis and drafting of the report are in progress, with completion expected in th…

11 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when each of the 32 projects awarded funding from the Hydrogen Innovation Scheme, announced on 10 May 2023, were notified that they had received a funding award, and when they each received the funding.

Answer · Gillian Martin: The successful Hydrogen Innovation Scheme applicants were informed throughout April and May 2023. All grants are paid in arrears, and will be awarded on successful completion of key project milestones.

10 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee's meeting on 9 May 2023 and the response of the Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Fair Work and Energy to whether the Scottish Government will countenance new nuclear energy generation in Scotland, that "we believe that …

Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government does not support the building of new nuclear fission power stations in Scotland under current technologies. Under the current Contract for Difference (CfD) awarded by the UK Government to Hinkley Point C, the electricity that will be …

10 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that the Minister for Transport has confirmed that Amey has carried out repairs to potholes on the A90 between Fraserburgh and Peterhead and that the operating company is currently programming permanent repairs, when it expects (a) Amey to have concluded the programm…

Answer · Kevin Stewart: As part of the ongoing management and maintenance of the A90 trunk road, Amey Ltd (Transport Scotland’s operating company for the North East area of Scotland) prepares and delivers a 1-year programme of works, based upon the findings from their continual insp…

10 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an exhaustive list of which (a) companies and (b) industry bodies from the energy sector the new Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Fair Work and Energy has met with since taking on this ministerial role.

Answer · Neil Gray: I have met with a range of stakeholders in the energy industry since taking on this ministerial role. A comprehensive list of all Ministerial engagements is routinely published online three months in arrears and in line with the Scottish Ministerial Code . …

10 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-13830 by Michael Matheson on 18 January 2023, when it expects to (a) conclude and (b) publish the results of its review of Good Practice Principles for Community Benefits from Offshore Renewable Energy Developments; whether it will provide a list of…

Answer · Neil Gray: The review of our Good Practice Principles for Community Benefits from Offshore Renewable Energy Developments is ongoing. We are using insights gathered from recent stakeholder engagement, alongside input from our steering group and wider research, to develop…

10 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-15987 by Patrick Harvie on 23 March 2023, whether it will provide an update on when it will publish the data, in light of reports that it is already being used for policy formulation and implementation.

Answer · Patrick Harvie: We published the data on 23 March 2023 here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/low-carbon-heating-in-domestic-buildings-technical-feasibility-archetype-appendix/

5 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-17502 by Kevin Stewart on 4 May 2023, regarding the commitment on page 22 of the publication, Equality, opportunity, community: New leadership – A fresh start, to have "doubled the electric charge point network to at least 6,000" by 2026, what the p…

Answer · Kevin Stewart: I refer to my previous answer to S6W-17502. The Scottish Government has made £30 million of public funding available to meet the target of achieving 6,000 public charge points by 2026. Electric vehicle strategy and infrastructure expansion plans covering all…

5 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how much money is allocated to its Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund; who may bid for this funding, and what the criteria are for successfully applying.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: A total of £30m of Scottish Government funding is being made available through the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund; with the expectation of leveraging an additional £30m from private sources. The Fund is directed at local authorities and assessment of bi…

5 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it commenced work to discover an accurate statistic for Scotland's offshore wind potential as a percentage of Europe's generation, following its previously stated erroneous figure of 25%; when it expects to publish this figure, and, if it is the case that it has established a prelim…

Answer · Neil Gray: Work commenced in December 2022 to develop alternative metrics for Scotland’s offshore wind potential and the outcome of this work will be published in due course.

5 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it assesses "offshore wind farm economic activity", as referenced in the publication, Scotland's Marine Economic Statistics 2020, and whether Marine Scotland has concluded its investigations into how to more accurately measure such economic activity, and, if it has not yet concluded …

Answer · Gillian Martin: The publication, Scotland's Marine Economic Statistics provides details on the sources and calculations used to produce the offshore wind turnover and employment information. It also provides some summary information on the uncertainty present within this dat…

5 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many green jobs currently exist in Scotland, broken down by the region in which they are located, and what the definition is that it uses for such jobs.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: Approaches to measuring green jobs are still under development and as a result estimates on how many green jobs exist differ. A definition of green jobs was published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in March in 2023 “Green jobs” update, current…

5 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many jobs, which it defines as "offshore wind jobs", currently exist in Scotland, broken down by the region in which they are located, and from where it has sourced its definition of such jobs.

Answer · Gillian Martin: The Office of National Statistics (ONS) Low Carbon and Renewable Energy Economy (LCREE) Survey provides estimates of employment in offshore wind across the countries of the UK. The 2021 LCREE estimates show that 3,100 Full Time Equivalent Staff (FTE) were di…

2 May 2023 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it tracks how many GP practices are currently being run directly by NHS boards.