Questions and answers

Question reference: S5W-20150

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 November 2018
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 7 December 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with (a) the Department of Energy and Climate Change, (b) EDF Energy and (c) the energy industry regarding the anticipated end of generation at Hunterston B in 2023.

Question reference: S5W-20147

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 November 2018
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 7 December 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what preparations it has made for the anticipated end of generation at Hunterston B in 2023.

Question reference: S5W-20145

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 November 2018
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 6 December 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with EDF Energy regarding generation at Hunterston B and the economic future of the site.

The Scottish Government is in regular contact with EDF regarding the future of Hunterston B. A delegation of Scottish officials visited the site on 6 November 2018 and met with the Station Director to discuss the current issues with the two reactors and when they may be brought back into service.

We support proposals to extend the operating life of Hunterston B, with the qualification that this is provided that strict environment and safety criteria continue to be met and that the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) is satisfied that this can be done safely.

Prolonging the life of this station will enable it to continue playing a part in meeting Scottish demand while we increase the proportion of electricity generated by renewables and cleaner thermal generation technologies.

Question reference: S5W-20148

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 November 2018
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 6 December 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has conducted an economic impact assessment of the effects of generation ending at Hunterston B and, if so, what its findings were.

We anticipate that Scotland’s abundant renewable resources, allied to investment in grid-scale storage and smart-grid technology, will play a greater role once Hunterston B ceases to generate, with subsequent benefits to local economies, potentially including the Scottish island groups.

The Scottish Government recognises that there are around 750 high skill and high wage jobs at Hunterston. A workplace plan is currently being developed by EDF for the period following the end of generation and commencement of the decommissioning process for Hunterston B. Once the workforce starts to reduce there may be opportunities for redeployment to decommissioning roles and to other sites should staff be interested.

It is difficult to anticipate at present the exact nature of the jobs that will be sustained in decommissioning Hunterston B, although experience with existing decommissioning sites in Scotland would suggest employment levels of several hundred people for about 20 to 25 years.

Question reference: S5W-20146

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 November 2018
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 6 December 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when Hunterston B will resume generation and start contributing to the National Grid again.

EDF has estimated that both Reactor 3 and Reactor 4 at Hunterston B will return to service in the New Year, on 21 February and 14 January respectively. These dates are subject to Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) agreeing the respective safety cases. The ONR is clear that the reactor cannot be restarted until it is satisfied it is safe to do so.

The Scottish Government holds regular discussions with National Grid on the continued security of Scotland’s energy networks. Despite continued outages at Hunterson B, National Grid remain confident that they have the measures in place to maintain supply throughout this Winter.

Question reference: S5W-20149

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 November 2018
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 6 December 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the extension of generation at Hunterston B beyond 2023.

Question reference: S5W-20144

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 November 2018
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 6 December 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what contingencies it has in place in the event that generation at Hunterston B ends prior to 2023.

The Scottish Government is aware of the contribution that Hunterston B currently makes to meeting Scottish electricity demand. We continue to work closely with a range of stakeholders, including the UK Government, National Grid, EDF Energy and the wider energy industry to ensure that Scotland’s energy needs will continue to be met when the station ceases to generate.

The Scottish Energy Strategy, published in December 2017, sets out our priorities for the future energy system in Scotland. This comprises a whole-system approach that promotes renewables and other low carbon alternatives as part of a diverse, well balanced energy supply. However, as set out in the Strategy, we do not support a new generation of nuclear stations under current technologies. The economics of these stations are prohibitive, especially given the falling costs of renewable and storage technologies.

Responsibility for maintaining a secure electricity supply is ultimately a matter for the UK Government and National Grid which, as system operator, is responsible for balancing supply and demand across the GB network. While continuing to monitor the impact of the outages of reactors at Hunterston, National Grid has not highlighted any significant concerns with meeting demand in Scotland or across GB in the foreseeable future.

Question reference: S5O-02673

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 December 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 December 2018

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, and what issues were discussed.

Question reference: S5O-02656

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 November 2018
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 5 December 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what funding it provides for educational initiatives for schoolchildren that are delivered in partnership with public libraries.

The Scottish Government is providing £450,000 this year for the Public Library Improvement Fund, enabling libraries across Scotland to undertake a range of pioneering projects for to benefit our communities.

We are investing £1 million over three years through the School Library Improvement Fund, recognising the significant contribution school libraries can make to educational attainment.

Public libraries can access both these funds to support educational initiatives aimed at schoolchildren and are receiving almost £80,000 for such projects this year. They also play an important part in a number of national initiatives, such as the First Minister’s Reading Challenge.

Question reference: S5W-20151

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 November 2018
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 4 December 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how its economic strategy and other economic development initiatives will support high-skill, high-wage employment at Hunterston in North Ayrshire.

Scotland's Economic Strategy sets out the framework for delivering inclusive growth via boosting competitiveness and tackling inequality. At a national level, the Economic Action Plan - published in October of this year - sets out the wide range of actions that we are taking to deliver on our ambitions, including measures focused on place as well as increasing job creation and promoting fair work.

At a local and regional level, the Scottish Government has been working with North Ayrshire Council to undertake an inclusive growth diagnostic exercise to understand the barriers and opportunities for unlocking inclusive economic growth in the area.

We have also been working closely with North Ayrshire Council, and their sister councils in East and South Ayrshire, to develop the Ayrshire Growth Deal. Officials have supported the development and refinement of proposals: with several in North Ayrshire. We hope that the deal will bring significant investment to the region and be key to driving inclusive economic growth over the coming years. Our ambition is to be able to agree that deal, in partnership with the local authorities and the UK Government, in early 2019.

The collaborative working behind the growth deal extends to the Regional Economic Partnership which the Local Authorities have agreed to create: working with our enterprise and skills agencies, academia, the third sector and the private sector in order to ensure that resources and priorities are aligned in order to generate the best possible outcomes for the region. The authorities agreed an outline structure for this in October and November this year, and will be drafting a regional economic plan in consultation with the partners. I look forward to seeing the impact that this partnership can have on driving inclusive growth in Ayrshire.

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