Stewart's oral questions to ministers

About Stewart Stevenson

Born in 1946 and brought up in Cupar, Fife, I was educated at the local school - Bell Baxter - and studied Mathematics at the University of Aberdeen, graduating with a modest degree in 1969. That's also the year Sandra & I married. Her family comes from the North East.

Thirty years later I retired from Bank of Scotland as Director of Technology Innovation and was elected to the Scottish Parliament in 2001 as member for Banff & Buchan having first joined the SNP in 1961.

I then represented the new constituency of Banffshire & Buchan Coast Constituency in our Parliament. I retired as an MSP on 5th May 2021

I was also previously (2007-2010), Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change and (2011-2012), Minister for Environment and Climate Change.

I hold the honorary posts of President of the Scottish Association for Public Transport

and Vice-President of Railfuture UK.

I am a Fellow of The Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, a Member at The Institution of Engineering and Technology, a Professional Member of the Association for Computing Machinery, a Member of the Institute of Advanced Motorists and an Associate Member of the Highland Reserve Forces' and Cadets' Association.

FAQ: Questions to Ministers

Generally there is one hour allocated each Parliamentary week for Cabinet Secretaries and Minister (ministers) to answer oral questions put by backbenchers. The First Minister also answers questions for 30 minutes.

Members put their name into a ballot a fortnight before Question Time for the up to thirty questions to be put to ministers. Members are randomly selected and have until one week before Question Time to table a question.

The question as published in the Business Bulletin will be put by the MSP and answered by a minister. The MSP will then be invited to ask a supplementary question of which the minister has not had prior notice. Other members may, at the discretion of the Presiding Officer, be called to ask further supplementary questions on the same subject.

Should time not permit a question to be asked, the MSP will receive instead a written answer to their question.

Questions will often relate to matters which MSP's constituents have requested be asked. All questions must be on matters for which a minister in the Scottish Government is responsible.

6 May 2015

(S4O-04275) Rail Journey Times (Highland Main Line)

Stewart Stevenson (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (SNP): I draw members’ attention to my entry in the register of members’ interests in relation to my role in Railfuture and my presidency of the Scottish Association for Public Transport. Will the minister confirm that, in Scotland, we are investing in our rail network more than double per capita what is being invested in England and Wales?

The Minister for Transport and Islands (Derek Mackay): Yes. The Scottish Government is committed to investing £5 billion in Scotland’s railways over the five years to 2019, including more than £3 billion of capital investment in Network Rail infrastructure. On a per capita basis, that is more than double the equivalent investment planned by United Kingdom ministers.

(S4O-04298) NorthConnect Power Scheme

5. Stewart Stevenson (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Government what progress is being made with NorthConnect’s £2 billion power scheme between Aberdeenshire and Scandinavia. (S4O-04298)

The Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Constitution and Economy (John Swinney): NorthConnect KS has made an application to Aberdeenshire Council for planning permission relating to a converter station for the proposed link to Norway. The council received the application on 14 April and a public consultation will run until 21 May. It would not be appropriate to comment on a live planning application.

Stewart Stevenson: Does the cabinet secretary welcome—within the limits of there being a live planning application—the fact that the scheme will draw significantly on green energy developments in both Scotland and Norway? Does he agree that we will need to see similar cross-country initiatives if we are to meet electricity demand in Scotland? We should be encouraging more investment in renewable energy projects.

John Swinney: On the policy questions that Mr Stevenson raises, I agree whole-heartedly. Increasing interconnection and transmission upgrade activity is a necessity for us. It is a generic process that is inherent in changing the sources of power generation on which we rely. The Government has taken forward a number of sustained investments in the renewable energy sector, and it has taken the policy initiatives to enable the renewable energy sector to thrive in Scotland. We look forward to taking policy decisions that enable us to continue that activity in the years to come.

5 May 2015

(S4T-01005) Colonsay, Coll and Tiree (Lifeline Flights)

Stewart Stevenson (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (SNP): Is the minister aware that Hebridean Air Services uses a different kind of fuel for its aircraft from that which is used for almost all other air services in Scotland? Only the Orkney and Shetland services use similar fuel, and only they pay duty on that fuel—no other air service does. That is probably a five-figure sum per year for Hebridean Air Services. Will the minister raise that anomaly with United Kingdom ministers the next time he has the opportunity to talk to them, so that the playing field will be levelled a bit for Hebridean Air Services—and, indeed, for the Orkney and Shetland services?

The Minister for Transport and Islands (Derek Mackay): I can confirm to the chamber that I was not aware of the fuel specification of the aircraft in question. I do not have the information that the member requires to hand, but I am happy to take his question away and supply him with further information.

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