- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 March 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 11 April 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the advice of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) to the Cairngorms National Park Authority in the planning application for the Aviemore resort hotels master plan complied with Scottish Ministers’ strategic objective to provide clear and readily available advice and information on SEPA’s work and to involve the public in environmental protection and, if so, in what way.
Answer
I refer the Member to the answer to question S3W-10935 on 11 April 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 March 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 11 April 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the advice of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) to Aberdeen City Council’s public local inquiry in May 2006 and Moray Council’s public local inquiry in November 2007 complied with Scottish Ministers’ strategic objective to provide clear and readily available advice and information on SEPA’s work and to involve the public in environmental protection and, if so, in what way.
Answer
I refer the Member to the question S3W-10935 on 11 April 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 March 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 11 April 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether and how the advice of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) to Aberdeen City Council’s public local inquiry in May 2006 and Moray Council’s public local inquiry in November 2007 complied with SEPA’s general duty to ensure that its activities are compatible with the statutory guidance on sustainable development in respect of SEPA’s own contribution to sustainable development and environmental justice.
Answer
I refer the Member to the answer to question S3W-10935 on 11 April 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 March 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 11 April 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether a comprehensive drainage assessment was required to address groundwater issues and discharges to watercourses in the planning application for the Aviemore resort hotels master plan and, if not, what the reasons were for such an assessment not being required.
Answer
I refer the Member to the answer to question S3W-10935 on 11 April 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 March 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 11 April 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the evidence of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) to Aberdeen City Council’s public local inquiry in May 2006 and Moray Council’s public local inquiry in November 2007 properly exercised its statutory functions to inform policy and promote an understanding of SEPA’s activities; whether SEPA complied with its statutory duties, and how it exercised its statutory powers to make environmental information available to the public and to involve communities in decisions that affect their local environments.
Answer
As a statutory public body SEPA is responsible for ensuring that it carries out its functions in accordance with its statutory powers and duties, taking account of any other relevant guidance, policies or regulations. Scottish ministers are responsible for setting the policy framework within which SEPA carries out its functions, and strategic oversight of SEPA''s performance, through approval of SEPA''s Corporate Plan, scrutiny of SEPA''s performance indicators, and through regular liaison with the chair and board. Any question about how SEPA carried out its functions in relation to an individual case should be directed to its chief executive.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 March 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 11 April 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether Scottish Government officials have the power to instruct non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) to take particular actions without the consent of ministers and relating to individual cases with which an NDPB may be dealing, as distinct from matters in relation to the administration and financing of the organisation and where those powers are specified in statute.
Answer
The ability of ministers and officials to instruct or direct non-departmental public body (NDPB) delivery partners is part of the long established governance framework between government and the bodies they sponsor.
Within this delivery relationship, there is a wide range of terminology used to describe instructions that can be given to NDPBs and this is normally contained in enabling legislation or other relevant corporate documentation underpinning the governance framework. The scope of instruction and direction can also vary considerably, ranging from simple accounting matters to issues of substance and can cover procedures and timescales where ministers believe there is a public interest. Whether of a general or specific nature, powers of direction allow government to exercise the degree of control necessary to ensure parliamentary, ministerial and public accountability for bodies in receipt of government funds.
The way in which the Scottish Government discharges these core functions is not recorded separately or given prominence over other issues of sponsorship activity. In addition, the way in which directions can be invoked and communicated will vary depending on the individual circumstances or context.
The governance framework which confers NDPB status provides for a degree of ministerial judgement in deciding the most appropriate level of interaction between body and government.
NDPB sponsorship guidance is contained on the Scottish Government''s public bodies website at:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/public-bodies.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 March 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 11 April 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the advice of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency to the Cairngorms National Park Authority in the planning application for the Aviemore resort hotels master plan complied with Scottish Ministers’ strategic objective to develop a close and responsive relationship with the public, local authorities and regulated authorities and, if so, in what way.
Answer
I refer the Member to the answer to question S3W-10935 on 11 April 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 March 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 11 April 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what advice was given to the First Minister or his special advisers in relation to the receipt of the correspondence and enclosures sent by the First Minister’s constituency office manager to his private office, intimating Mr Donald Macdonald’s intention to show the First Minister the exhibition of the live planning application for the second phase of the resort’s development that Mr MacDonald had arranged to be viewed in his hotel complex.
Answer
No such advice was given.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 March 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 11 April 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the Scottish Environment Protection Agency was correct to withdraw its objection on 4 December 2007 to the planning application for the Aviemore resort hotels master plan under consideration by the Cairngorms National Park Authority in the absence of a flood risk assessment from the developer and to agree to the proposed allocations in the master plan on the basis that adequate flood risk assessment would be undertaken.
Answer
I refer the Member to the answer to question S3W-10935 on 11 April 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 March 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 11 April 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether correspondence from Mr Donald Macdonald’s company and enclosures of further correspondence between Mr Macdonald’s company and the planning authorities, the Cairngorms National Park Authority and Highland Council in relation to the Aviemore resort hotels planning application, which was received by email from the First Minister’s constituency office manager on 9 and 13 November 2007, were placed on the ministerial correspondence system.
Answer
They were not.
