- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 28 January 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 25 February 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Environment Protection Agency is intended to operate independently of ministers in its day-to-day operational role and in relation to individuals and casework, albeit within a framework of policies and priorities agreed by ministers.
Answer
All non-departmental public bodies are required to work to, and be aware of, the Scottish Government''s strategic priorities and objectives. They operate with a degree of independence and flexibility in areas of work where direct hands on control would be inappropriate.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 28 January 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 25 February 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what protects the Scottish Environment Protection Agency’s operational independence in the conduct of its statutory duties.
Answer
The Environment Act 1995 and the Management Statement for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) set out the relationship under which SEPA operates.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 28 January 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 25 February 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Chief Executive of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) is accountable on a day-to-day basis to the board of SEPA for the operational decisions taken by staff of SEPA, or to ministers.
Answer
The Chief Executive of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) is accountable to SEPA''s board. SEPA''s board, like other non-departmental public bodies'' boards, is appointed by ministers and accountable to Scottish ministers. The precise nature of the relationship is set out in the Environment Act 1995 and SEPA''s management statement.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 28 January 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 25 February 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Chief Planner or any other Scottish Government official had any contact with Mr Donald Macdonald or his representatives during which discussion took place on the planning application in Aviemore in which Mr Macdonald had an interest; if so, on what dates and what issues were discussed.
Answer
Neither the Chief Planner nor any Scottish Government official has met Mr Donald Macdonald or his representatives to discuss the proposed development in Aviemore.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 28 January 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 25 February 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any minister raised issues with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency about the planning application in Aviemore in which Mr Donald Macdonald had an interest; if so, on what dates, whether any Scottish Government officials or special advisers were present at these discussions and what was said in the conversations.
Answer
I contacted the Chief Executive of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency on 7 December 2007 to ascertain if there were any misunderstandings or matters of process within SEPA that were unnecessarily holding up proper consideration of the planning applications. No officials or special advisers were present during these discussions or during SEPA''s Chief Executive''s return phone call to me on the same day during which he updated me in the light of his own inquiries into the matter.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 28 January 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 25 February 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Chief Planner had any contact with Cairngorm National Park Authority planning officials concerning the planning application in Aviemore in which Mr Donald Macdonald had an interest; if so, when such discussions took place and what issues were discussed.
Answer
The Chief Planner was copied into, and acknowledged, an e-mail from the Head of Planning at Cairngorms National Park Authority to the Head of the Landscapes and Habitats Division (in his role as sponsor for the national park authority) on 7 December 2007. This e-mail re-iterated the verbal information provided to me by the convenor of the park authority on 5 December regarding the process which the park authority was following in handling the planning applications for the proposed development.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 28 January 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 25 February 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any minister raised issues with any public agency which had a locus in the planning application in Aviemore in which Mr Donald Macdonald had an interest, following representations received from Mr Macdonald, his representatives or others to the First Minister and, if so, which agencies these were.
Answer
I met the Convenor and the Chief Executive of the Cairngorms National Park Authority on 5 December 2007 to discuss their plans for taking forward the business of the authority over the coming year. In the course of this meeting the convenor referred to the significant media and local interest, including local MSP interest, in the Aviemore planning applications and informed me how the matter was being handled by the authority.
On 7 December I discussed with the Chief Executive of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency the process and timescales for SEPA''s work assessment with the Aviemore planning applications.
The Minister for Community Safety, acting in his capacity as constituency MSP, has raised issues with different public agencies concerning the Aviemore planning applications on a number of occasions.
The Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment raised issues with his officials in the light of correspondence from the constituency MSP on 29 November 2007. Officials were subsequently in touch with SEPA.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 28 January 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 25 February 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the First Minister or any other minister raised issues with the Chief Planner or any other Scottish Government official in relation to the planning application in Aviemore in which Mr Donald Macdonald had an interest; if so, what issues were raised and when.
Answer
Between 29 November and 14 December 2007, the First Minister, the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and I raised various issues with officials including the Chief Planner in the Scottish Government about the facts surrounding letters received from parliamentarians from four different parties concerning the Aviemore planning applications and the need to check with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency whether there were any misunderstandings or matters of process that were unnecessarily delaying proper consideration of these applications>.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 28 January 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 25 February 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any ministers have met representatives of Mr Donald Macdonald where reference has been made to the planning application in Aviemore in which Mr Macdonald had an interest.
Answer
The Minister for Community Safety, acting in his capacity as constituency MSP, met with representatives of Mr Donald Macdonald on a number of occasions.
Th Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism met respresentatives of Mr Macdonald in Aviemore on 26 October 2007.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 28 January 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 25 February 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the First Minister has had any discussions with special advisers following and concerning any issues raised by Mr Donald Macdonald or his representatives or others on his behalf; with which special advisers such discussions took place, and on what dates.
Answer
The First Minister has had discussions on a number of occasions with special adviser Kevin Pringle on various dates since 25 January 2008 in relation to media enquiries concerning the Aviemore planning applications.
