Parliamentary questions
Liam Kerr
2,171 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
17 Sep 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the comment in the Programme for Government that “Current plans are to fully dual the A96 from Inverness to Aberdeen; however, we will undertake a transparent, evidence-based review of that, to include a climate compatibility assessment to assess direct and indirect impacts …
Answer · Graeme Dey: Scottish Ministers set investment priorities for the Scottish Government. When making investment decisions, Ministers will consider multiple criteria and evidence informed by robust assessments which are in accordance with statutory procedures.
17 Sep 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the comment in the Programme for Government that “Current plans are to fully dual the A96 from Inverness to Aberdeen; however, we will undertake a transparent, evidence-based review of that, to include a climate compatibility assessment to assess direct and indirect impacts …
Answer · Graeme Dey: Delivery of any section of the programme can only commence if approved under the relevant statutory procedures and thereafter a timetable for progress can be set in line with available budgets.
17 Sep 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the comment in the Programme for Government that “Current plans are to fully dual the A96 from Inverness to Aberdeen; however, we will undertake a transparent, evidence-based review of that, to include a climate compatibility assessment to assess direct and indirect impacts …
Answer · Graeme Dey: All projects, including the A96 Programme, are subject to detailed review and assessment work to ensure we deliver the right schemes and keep impacts on the environment to the absolute minimum. The decision to commit to a review forms part of a wide range of …
13 Sep 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-02357 by Graeme Dey on 13 September 2021, whether it will provide the information requested regarding whether fully electrifying the East Coast Main Line between Edinburgh Haymarket and Aberdeen is required for it to achieve its ambition to decarbon…
Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish Government has maintained a rolling programme of rail electrification, unlike other parts of the UK. In line with our Rail Decarbonisation Action Plan it remains the expectation that the East Coast Main Line between Edinburgh Haymarket and Aberde…
10 Sep 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the comments by the Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Transport on 9 September 2021 that “I hope that all those members of the Scottish Parliament from the north-east will get behind the Acorn project”, whether all its ministers, including those in the Scottish Green…
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government supports the development of carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) as an industrial scale decarbonisation system which has the potential to make a big impact on achieving Scotland’s emissions targets. The advice from the Climat…
7 Sep 2021 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported decline in air passengers travelling through Scottish airports.
7 Sep 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which additional projects will be funded from the £254 million to support transport, housing and digital initiatives announced in 2016 as part of the Aberdeen City Region Deal.
Answer · Kate Forbes: In 2016 the Scottish Government committed to invest up to £125 million in the Aberdeen City Region Deal, matched by the UK Government. Alongside the Deal, the Scottish Government announced an additional £254 million of investment in the North East’s Infrastru…
7 Sep 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the £24.7 million funding to upgrade the Laurencekirk south junction will be delivered alongside and in addition to the £200 million investment in north east rail improvements between Aberdeen and Dundee.
Answer · Graeme Dey: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-02823 on 24 September 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-commi…
7 Sep 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the most recent timetable for the delivery of the Laurencekirk south junction upgrade.
Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish Government is committed to completing the A90/A937 Laurencekirk Junction Improvement as soon as possible. Transport Scotland continues to negotiate with objectors to resolve their concerns as soon as possible and also continues to work with Aber…
1 Sep 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what specific measures it has planned that will deliver a reduction of 20% car kilometres by 2030, and what evidence it has that shows that the target will be achieved.
Answer · Graeme Dey: In the December 2020 update to Climate Change Plan we committed to publishing a route map by the end of 2021 to outline how we will meet the 20% reduction by 2030, assuming the Covid-19 pandemic moves to a phase to allow this. The pandemic is still creating s…
1 Sep 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what obligations relating to the installation of replacement boiler systems will be placed on users of gas-fired boiler systems from 2025.
Answer · Patrick Harvie: The Scottish Government and Scottish Green Party: Shared Policy Programme sets out that we will phase out the need to install new or replacement fossil fuel boilers in off-gas grid homes from 2025 and in on-gas grid areas from 2030, subject to technological d…
1 Sep 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what it expects the cost to be of the transition to non-gas boiler systems per household; by what method this has been calculated; on whom will responsibility fall to meet these costs, and what financial support will be provided to households to help them meet any of the costs.
Answer · Patrick Harvie: As set out in our draft Heat in Buildings Strategy - partial Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment, the estimated average capital cost of converting a home from a fossil fuel boiler to an equivalent zero emission system such as an air source heat pump is …
1 Sep 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure engineers are trained in the repair and installation of non-gas-powered boilers.
Answer · Lorna Slater: Heating engineers are vital to the success of our Heat in Building Strategy which sets out how we will achieve our Net Zero Emissions in Scottish buildings by 2045. Ensuring heating engineers are sufficiently trained in the repair and installation of zero emi…
1 Sep 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the ten-year £500 million Just Transition Fund for the North East and Moray will include funding for current projects and workforce commitments; if so, which ones, and what funding will be available for new projects.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: We will work collaboratively with partners, communities and other stakeholders to take forward the ten-year £500m Just Transition Fund for the North East and Moray. The delivery of the Fund will exemplify our co-design and co-delivery approach that will be su…
1 Sep 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding will be allocated in each year of the ten-year £500 million Just Transition Fund for the North East and Moray, and what will happen to any funding that is left unspent at the end of each year.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: We will work collaboratively with partners, communities and other stakeholders to take forward the ten-year £500m Just Transition Fund for the North East and Moray. The delivery of the Fund will exemplify our co-design and co-delivery approach that will be su…
1 Sep 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will confirm the budget stream(s) from which the ten-year £500 million Just Transition Fund for the North East and Moray will be drawn.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: We will work collaboratively with partners, communities and other stakeholders to take forward the ten-year £500m Just Transition Fund for the North East and Moray. The delivery of the Fund will exemplify our co-design and co-delivery approach that will be su…
1 Sep 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a timetable for the establishment of the ten-year £500 million Just Transition Fund for the North East and Moray.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: We will work collaboratively with partners, communities and other stakeholders to take forward the ten-year £500m Just Transition Fund for the North East and Moray. The delivery of the Fund will exemplify our co-design and co-delivery approach that will be su…
1 Sep 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will distribute the first funds under the ten-year £500 million Just Transition Fund for the North East and Moray.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: We will work collaboratively with partners, communities and other stakeholders to take forward the ten-year £500m Just Transition Fund for the North East and Moray. The delivery of the Fund will exemplify our co-design and co-delivery approach that will be su…
1 Sep 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government (a) how and (b) to whom it will distribute the ten-year £500 million Just Transition Fund for the North East and Moray.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: We will work collaboratively with partners, communities and other stakeholders to take forward the ten-year £500m Just Transition Fund for the North East and Moray. The delivery of the Fund will exemplify our co-design and co-delivery approach that will be su…
1 Sep 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the projected outcomes and targets are for the ten-year £500 million Just Transition Fund for the North East and Moray.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: We will work collaboratively with partners, communities and other stakeholders to take forward the ten-year £500m Just Transition Fund for the North East and Moray. The delivery of the Fund will exemplify our co-design and co-delivery approach that will be su…
1 Sep 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the ten-year £500 million Just Transition Fund for the North East and Moray, whether there will be an application process to receive funding; if so, how the application process will work; how decisions to allocate funding will be taken, and by whom.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: We will work collaboratively with partners, communities and other stakeholders to take forward the ten-year £500m Just Transition Fund for the North East and Moray. The delivery of the Fund will exemplify our co-design and co-delivery approach that will be su…
1 Sep 2021 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to mitigate coastal erosion.
1 Sep 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its cooperation agreement with the Scottish Green Party, whether it will provide an update on the progress of the A90 Montrose link road and whether any changes will be made to the delivery of the project.
Answer · Graeme Dey: This is a matter for Angus Council as the A90 Montrose link road is a local road project being taken forward by the Council.
1 Sep 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reported delays associated with road surfacing and flooding of the gas network, whether it will provide an update on the delivery timescale for the completion of the A92/A96 Haudagain roundabout improvements.
Answer · Graeme Dey: The construction of the A92/A96 Haudagain Improvement project is continuing to progress well. It remains that completion is anticipated in winter 2021 as confirmed in the latest Infrastructure Investment Plan update published in June 2021. This date is subje…
25 Aug 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether National Planning Framework 4 should take account of (a) net zero targets and (b) the climate emergency, and what measures it is taking to ensure that the framework does take account of these.
Answer · Tom Arthur: Our Position Statement, published in November 2020, confirmed that we expect National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) to contribute to meeting our target of net-zero emissions within an overarching goal of addressing climate change. The draft NPF4, which will be …
25 Aug 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to establish a fund to support island and rural communities to end their reliance on fossil fuels, and, if so, (a) what the monetary value of the fund will be, (b) by what method the value of the fund was calculated and (c) by what date the fund will be introduced.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: A number of our existing commitments already contribute towards this goal and will ensure that we deliver a just transition, with economic and social opportunity shared across the country. For example, the recent Programme for Government outlined our commitm…
25 Aug 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-01498 by Graeme Dey on 6 August 2021, whether it will provide a detailed plan for how the £198.32 million, that remains from the £200 million, will be spent to reduce journey times between Aberdeen and the central belt, and in which financial year(s…
Answer · Graeme Dey: Network Rail is currently assessing the options identified for delivering the required capacity enhancements and journey time savings between Aberdeen and the central belt. When the most effective options have been selected in alignment with available funding…
25 Aug 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a detailed plan for how the funding for rail infrastructure under the Borderlands City Deal will be spent and in which financial year(s); whether any of the funding will be used for a feasibility study on the rail extension from Tweedbank to Carlisle via Hawick, a…
Answer · Graeme Dey: The Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal includes a commitment to progress work to assess the benefits and challenges of extending the Borders Railway. The Deal also states that the Scottish Government will progress the evidence base for extending the Borders Ra…
25 Aug 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the findings of the Ironside Farrar report, which was prepared on behalf of Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Crown Estate Scotland, Port Enhancements for Offshore Wind: Assessment of Current and Future Marshalling & Assembly Capacity in Sc…
Answer · Michael Matheson: The offshore wind sector has a vital role to play in decarbonising our energy system and ensuring we become a net-zero economy by 2045. With a pipeline of new projects set to be provided by the first cycle of ScotWind leasing, the Scottish Government committe…
23 Aug 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-01453 by Mairi McAllan on 23 August 2021, for what reason the response did not provide the information that was requested regarding what water conservation measures it has (a) introduced in the last five years or (b) plans to introduce, and whether …
Answer · Mairi McAllan: My response did seek to answer your question (S6W-01453) regarding the introduction of water conservation measures, however here is some further explanation. To date, water usage has been controlled through SEPA abstraction licences, by Scottish Water invest…