Portfolio Question Time – in the Scottish Parliament at on 22 May 2024.
Elena Whitham
Scottish National Party
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the net zero secretary has had with ministerial colleagues regarding any plans to review any unintended impacts of the fourth national planning framework on energy policy. (S6O-03457)
Màiri McAllan
Scottish National Party
Planning and consenting are key to realising the enormous social and economic benefits of our energy transition and net zero journey. Therefore, I regularly discuss those issues with my ministerial colleagues, including, most recently, this morning, when I, together with the Minister for Climate Action and the Minister for Public Finance—who are with me in the chamber—met senior officials to discuss a range of related matters, including how we ensure that our planning system can protect our natural environment on the one hand and be a key enabler of decarbonisation and green economic growth on the other, and, crucially, how our communities can be supported and empowered in that respect.
Following the adoption of NPF4 in 2023, we are monitoring its implementation and taking action to support the application of its policies in practice.
Elena Whitham
Scottish National Party
Although I fully appreciate the broader intention behind NPF4’s energy policy principles and our move towards a just transition, many of my constituents have brought to my attention the cumulative effect of a high volume of wind farms, such as the five that are proposed in the north Carrick area alone, with turbine heights in excess of 200m. Can the Cabinet secretary explain how NPF4 allows my constituents to raise the impact that that might have on their communities, their amenities, private water supplies and, indeed, local biodiversity? How can we ensure that local voices are heard?
Màiri McAllan
Scottish National Party
NPF4, which is more the domain of the Minister for Public Finance than it is mine, makes it clear that the impacts on communities, nature and other things, including the cumulative impact, which Ms Whitham is absolutely right to mention, are important considerations in the decision-making process. All applications for site-specific developments will be considered and assessed, and I reiterate that local communities must always have their say.
We are aware that some communities are experiencing an intensification of renewable energy development proposals. Our planning officials have been engaging with communities across Scotland to support better collaborative working. We are also calling on the United Kingdom Government to make changes to modernise Scotland’s consenting regime under the UK Electricity Act 1989. That would, among other things, require pre-application community engagement to become mandatory, which I think Ms Whitham’s constituents would welcome. We have written to all parties offering the opportunity to work with the Scottish Government in pursuit of that aim.
Liam McArthur
Liberal Democrat
Question 7 was not lodged.
Question Time is an opportunity for MPs and Members of the House of Lords to ask Government Ministers questions. These questions are asked in the Chamber itself and are known as Oral Questions. Members may also put down Written Questions. In the House of Commons, Question Time takes place for an hour on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays after Prayers. The different Government Departments answer questions according to a rota and the questions asked must relate to the responsibilities of the Government Department concerned. In the House of Lords up to four questions may be asked of the Government at the beginning of each day's business. They are known as 'starred questions' because they are marked with a star on the Order Paper. Questions may also be asked at the end of each day's business and these may include a short debate. They are known as 'unstarred questions' and are less frequent. Questions in both Houses must be written down in advance and put on the agenda and both Houses have methods for selecting the questions that will be asked. Further information can be obtained from factsheet P1 at the UK Parliament site.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
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It is chaired by the prime minister.
The cabinet is bound by collective responsibility, which means that all its members must abide by and defend the decisions it takes, despite any private doubts that they might have.
Cabinet ministers are appointed by the prime minister and chosen from MPs or peers of the governing party.
However, during periods of national emergency, or when no single party gains a large enough majority to govern alone, coalition governments have been formed with cabinets containing members from more than one political party.
War cabinets have sometimes been formed with a much smaller membership than the full cabinet.
From time to time the prime minister will reorganise the cabinet in order to bring in new members, or to move existing members around. This reorganisation is known as a cabinet re-shuffle.
The cabinet normally meets once a week in the cabinet room at Downing Street.
