Lib Dems invite energy minister to committee to answer Beauly-Denny questions (Edinburgh East and Musselburgh Liberal Democrats)

Edinburgh East and Musselburgh Liberal Democrats <Charles.Cavaye@talktalk.net>

Lib Dems invite energy minister to committee to answer Beauly-Denny questions

January 11, 2010 10:52 AM
Originally published by Scottish Liberal Democrats

Liberal Democrat Energy spokesperson Liam McArthur MSP has written to the Convener of the Scottish Parliament's Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee urging him to invite the Energy Minister to face further questions from MSPs about the Beauly to Denny power line.

The Energy Minister's shambolic performance in the Scottish Parliament last week left many pressing questions about undergrounding of the line, subsequent planning permissions and further delays unanswered.

In his letter, Mr McArthur wrote:

"There was general consensus across all parties that the Minister's performance in the Chamber was deeply unsatisfactory and I believe raised more questions than it answered.

"At least six MSPs pressed the Minister for more details about which sections of the power line could be required to be undergrounded and whether changes to the approved route would require further legal consents to be sought by the developers. On each occasion, the questions prompted evasive or confusing responses from the Minister.

"Mr Mather's suggestion at one point that work would get under way in the next "four years" rightly caused astonishment across the Chamber.

"Given the strategic importance of this project to delivering the significant renewable energy resources in the Highlands of Scotland to the centres of population and demand further south, this continued uncertainty is more than unhelpful. It threatens to frustrate our ambition to create in Scotland a genuine renewables powerhouse. Moreover, the lack of clarity about Ministers' intentions and the implications of 'mitigation' measures has created further confusion in the communities likely to be most directly affected by delivery of this upgrade.

"It is not unreasonable for Parliament to have expected the Minister to have had at his fingertips the key facts with a bearing on this case, not least given the time that has elapsed since he received the Reporters' findings.

"In light of the entirely unsatisfactory nature of the exchanges in parliament, however, I write to ask you to consider inviting the Energy Minister to your committee to face more detailed scrutiny of the government's intentions in relation to delivery of the Beauly to Denny power line."