Questions and answers

Question reference: S5O-02425

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 September 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 October 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the teacher-pupil ratio or class sizes in primary schools has an impact on learning outcomes.

Question reference: S5O-02309

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 August 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how many contracts for the manufacture of renewable technologies have been awarded to Scottish-based companies in the last five years and what the total value is of these.

Question reference: S5W-17860

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 July 2018
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 27 August 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what procedure is followed in response to a request for extending the period at the expiry of which a deemed planning permission for an electricity generating station or overhead electricity line development would lapse, as initially directed by the Scottish Ministers under section 58 of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997, and what statutory provision allows for this procedure.

The provisions within the Electricity Act and the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act do not allow for the Ministers to extend the expiry of the deemed planning permission. When a request to extend the period at the expiry of which a deemed planning permission for an electricity generating station or overhead electricity line development would lapse is received, an application can be made to the Energy Consents Unit to vary the section 36 consent under section 36C. Ministers when varying a section 36 consent can also direct (anew) that planning permission is deemed to be granted and so re-start a new period before that new planning permission will lapse. The Electricity Generating Stations (Applications for Variation of Consent) (Scotland) Regulations govern the procedure for variation applications under section 36C.

Question reference: S5W-17859

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 July 2018
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 23 August 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will list the projects where an extension of the period within which an electricity generating station or overhead electricity line development must commence has been (a) requested and (b) granted when the development has previously been granted consent under section 36 or 37 of the Electricity Act 1989.

A list is provided below of the projects where an extension of the period within which an electricity generating station or overhead electricity line development must commence has been (a) requested and (b) granted when the development has previously been granted consent under section 36 or 37 of the Electricity Act 1989:

- Port of Rosyth Biomass Plant – requested and granted

- Port of Grangemouth Biomass Plant – requested and granted

- Viking Wind Farm – requested and granted

- Stornoway Wind Farm – requested and granted

- Muaitheabhal Wind Farm - requested and granted

- Coire Glas Pumped Storage Hydro – requested and granted

- Sloy Hydro-Electric station - requested and granted

Question reference: S5W-17897

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 27 July 2018
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 20 August 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that Lochgelly Medical Practice has been unsuccessful in filling vacant posts or recruiting enough locum GPs to ensure that all vacated sessions are provided for, what steps it is taking to ensure that the town has adequate health provision.

NHS Fife are aware of the current GP vacancies within the Lochgelly Medical Centre. Dr Cattanach, who owns the practice regularly attends a short life working group with the Health Board to alert them to any short term support required by the practice. There is currently locum cover in place till November 2018 to cover annual leave over the summer.

The practice will benefit from another Care Home and Advanced Nurse Practitioner (CHANP). This will allow the team of three to extend their support to the Care and Residential Homes with patients of the 3 Lochgelly Practices. Lochgelly pharmacy has agreed to be trained and provide a community pharmacy testing service. NHS Fife are also exploring employing a mental health worker working in a front facing role, triaging and managing patients with a range of milder mental health issues. Patients will also have access to an MSK physiotherapist without the need to see a GP when NHS Fife join the national MSK triage service, supported by NHS 24, early in the autumn.

The new GP contract, backed by investment of £110 million in 2018-19 and jointly developed with the BMA, will help to cut doctors’ workload and make general practice an even more attractive career. As part of the new contract arrangements, the Scottish Government will also invest £2 million in 2018/19 to support initiatives to attract and retain GPs in our rural and remote communities and ensure practices are sustainable.

Question reference: S5W-17856

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 July 2018
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 2 August 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how statutory requirements for environmental assessment are met for an application to extend the period within which an electricity generating station or overhead electricity line development must commence when it has previously been granted consent under section 36 or 37 of the Electricity Act 1989.

Question reference: S5W-17857

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 July 2018
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 2 August 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what procedure is followed in response to a request to extend the period within which an electricity generating station or overhead electricity line project must commence when it has previously been granted consent under section 36 or 37 of the Electricity Act 1989.

Question reference: S5W-17858

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 July 2018
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 2 August 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it undertakes to ensure that there is publicity and a public consultation is carried out as part of the consideration of a request to extend the period within which an electricity generating station or overhead electricity line project must commence when it has previously been granted consent under section 36 or 37 of the Electricity Act 1989.

There are no statutory requirements set out, in the Electricity Act 1989, to undertake public consultation as part of the consideration of a request to extend the period within which an electricity generating station or overhead electricity line project must commence, in circumstances when it has previously been granted consent under section 36 or 37 of the Electricity Act 1989. However, where a public representation is received in relation to the request to extend the period of time for a consent under section 36 and section 37, that representation is taken into account in the consideration by the Scottish Ministers.

Question reference: S5W-17533

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 29 June 2018
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 30 July 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how Crown Estate Scotland (CES) and Marine Scotland will ensure that developer applications for new offshore wind lease agreements do not pre-empt or compromise the robustness of the emerging Sectoral Marine Plan process, in light of CES encouraging submission of applications prior to the plans being finalised and adopted.

Marine Scotland, as Planning Authority for Scotland’s seas, is in the early stages of a new sectoral marine plan for offshore wind. A draft plan, and associated assessments, are expected to be published for statutory consultation in the first half of 2019. The Final Plan is intended to be produced in late 2019, although this timescale is subject to the responses received during the statutory consultation and any subsequent process for revising the draft plan.

Crown Estate Scotland (Interim Management), while proposing to accept applications for lease at the draft plan stage, will not take any final decisions for new offshore wind lease agreements until the final adopted Sectoral Marine Plan for offshore wind is completed and published.

Question reference: S5W-17532

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 July 2018
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 30 July 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that there is any potential conflict of interest relating to Ministers' involvement in decisions and other regulatory permissions relating to both the Crown Estate Scotland new offshore wind leasing process and Marine Scotland’s offshore wind consenting and, if it considers that there is a conflict, what action it proposes to take in this regard.

In relation to Offshore Wind, there is a clear separation of functions between Marine Scotland and Crown Estate Scotland. Marine Scotland as the planning authority and regulator advises Scottish Ministers on where projects can be developed and on the sustainability of proposed projects, and Crown Estate Scotland manages the leasing process.

Crown Estate Scotland is currently gathering views on a draft leasing process which includes the proposal that leasing takes place only within areas allocated in the Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind which Marine Scotland is currently developing.

The Sectoral Marine Plan will determine where new offshore wind can and cannot be considered; the Crown Estate Scotland leasing will invite applications for proposed projects which are compatible with the Sectoral Marine Plan and will take decisions about which leasing applications to accept, based on criteria which are relevant to Crown Estate Scotland’s duties as manager of leasing of the seabed.

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