- Asked by: Margo MacDonald, MSP for Lothians, Independent
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 January 2007
-
Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 31 January 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive when guidance will be issued by the Scottish Building Standards Agency on how Articles 7, 8 and 9 of the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (2002/91/EC) will be implemented in Scotland.
Answer
I have asked Dr. Paul Stollard,Chief Executive of the Scottish Building Standards Agency (SBSA), to answer.His response is as follows:
For Article 7 (Energy performancecertificates) and Article 9 (Inspection of air-conditioning), guidance on compliancehas already been produced for new buildings. This can be found in the latest editionof the Technical Handbooks which come into effect on 1 May 2007. The guidance has beenavailable online from the end of December 2006 at:
http://www.sbsa.gov.uk/tech_handbooks/tbooks2007.htm#1.Compliance advice for existingbuildings will be drafted after meetings with stakeholders are held. Advice willbe issued at least three months before the requirements of the Directive are broughtinto effect.
For Article 8 (Boilers) of theDirective, guidance on compliance will not be necessary as the provision of adviceoption within the Directive has been taken. An energy efficiency advice leaflethas been produced in partnership with the Energy Saving Trust for domestic boilersand for non-domestic, the Carbon Trust leaflet is to be used. Leaflets are currentlybeing sent out when the Energy Saving Trust is approached for advice.
- Asked by: Margo MacDonald, MSP for Lothians, Independent
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 January 2007
-
Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 29 January 2007
To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, whether it has any indication of what the energy efficiency rating of the Parliament might be under the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (2002/91/EC) now that the Scottish Executive has adopted the use of the asset-based energy rating methodology, Simplified Building Energy Model (SBEM), as the principle non-domestic method for assessment of energy rating for non-domestic buildings.
Answer
The Scottish BuildingStandards Agency has issued the 2007 Technical Handbook, which will come intoforce on 1 May 2007. The handbook specifies that the Simplified BuildingEnergy Model (SBEM) is the methodology which is to be used to assess the energyrating of non-domestic buildings. Once the agency finalises the model for usein Scotland by 1 May 2007, we will commence work to calculate the ratingfor the Parliament building.
- Asked by: Margo MacDonald, MSP for Lothians, Independent
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 January 2007
-
Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 29 January 2007
To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what preparations have been made regarding compliance with Articles 7, 8 and 9 of the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (92002/91/EC) in respect of the Parliament building.
Answer
I refer to my answer toquestion S2W-31152 for information on how compliance to article 7, regarding the calculation of the building's energyrating, will be achieved at the Parliament. As to Articles 8 and 9, oninspection of boilers and air conditioning plant respectively, the ScottishBuildings Standards Agency has not confirmed the implementation requirementsfor organisations. When it does so, we shall integrate these requirements intoour environmental management system, which is the mechanism used to ensure on-goingcompliance with any new environmental requirements.
- Asked by: Margo MacDonald, MSP for Lothians, Independent
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 January 2007
-
Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 11 January 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how it calculates the environmental impact of energy use in Scotland.
Answer
Estimates of emissionsassociated with energy production and use are produced, including those publishedannually in Greenhouse Gas Inventories for Scotland,England, Wales and Northern Ireland and in the Scottish Energy Study publishedby the Executive last year.
Proposals for newindividual energy plants are subject to Environmental Impact Assessments. The ScottishEnvironment Protection Agency also licenses and monitors the emissions of certainpollutants from individual facilities.
- Asked by: Margo MacDonald, MSP for Lothians, Independent
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 December 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 14 December 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied that Long Term Conditions Alliance Scotland fulfils its remit to represent individuals with the full range of long-term conditions and the small voluntary groups that support them.
Answer
The alliance was launched inMay 2006 and already has links to around 150 organisations. These cover a wide rangeof interests including voluntary bodies of various sizes and I would always be happyto hear if other organisations might become involved.
- Asked by: Margo MacDonald, MSP for Lothians, Independent
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 November 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 11 December 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what the effect will be on resources for the development of community and elite sport participation in Scotland of the higher than predicted cost of the London Olympics.
Answer
The UK Government made it clearin 2003 that it would plan to be the ultimate guarantor of Olympic funding needsshould the shortfall between Olympic costs and revenues exceed £2.075 billion. TheGovernment stated that it expected to discharge that responsibility in a sharingarrangement to be agreed as appropriate with the Mayor of London and through seekingadditional National Lottery funding in amounts to be agreed at the time. The UKGovernment is now in discussion with the mayor about how the additional costs willbe met.
Scottish ministers will continueto engage constructively with Departmentfor Culture Media and Sport Ministers onthe impact any reduction on lottery funding to sport – and the other good causes - mighthave in Scotland
- Asked by: Margo MacDonald, MSP for Lothians, Independent
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 October 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 15 November 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what its total costs have been of employing consultants as advisors to the public sector in PFI/PPP completed projects in each year from 1999 to 2005.
Answer
The total costs to the ScottishExecutive of employing consultants as advisers to the public sector in PFI/PPP completedprojects in each year from 1999 to 2005 is estimated in the following table. Theincreasing values over these years reflects the increased investment value of PFI/PPPprocurements, especially in the schools sector. The figure for 2004 includes consultantscosts associated with the buy-out of Skye Bridge.
| Year | Amount (£) |
| 1999 | Nil |
| 2000 | Nil |
| 2001 | 315,000 |
| 2002 | 230,094 |
| 2003 | 276,396 |
| 2004 | 751,765 |
| 2005 | 339,371 |
The figures in the table comprisecosts incurred by the Scottish Executive in employing consultants as advisers forits own PFI/PPP projects, and for those health and local authority projects wherethe Scottish Executive has incurred direct costs. These costs include the carryingout of Key Stage Reviews by Partnerships UK, contract work by legal firms, and developmentand support costs for specific completed projects such as the non-profit distributingorganisation model in Argyll and Bute Council’s schools project.
- Asked by: Margo MacDonald, MSP for Lothians, Independent
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 October 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 15 November 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria it employs when assessing (a) value for money and (b) allocation of risk between the public and private partners in PFI/PPP projects and whether there has been any change in the assessment criteria since the inception of the policy on PFI/PPP projects.
Answer
Value for Money (VfM) AssessmentGuidance is available on the Scottish Executive Financial Partnership Unit’s websiteat:
www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/Finance/18232/vfm.This is revised guidance sincethe inception of the policy on PFI/PPP projects and applies from September 2005. The treatment of risk is an integral part of assessingVfM in all assessments of private finance schemes.
- Asked by: Margo MacDonald, MSP for Lothians, Independent
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 October 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 15 November 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the PFI/PPP projects currently under negotiation or contract bidding, showing for each the (a) potential public funding costs and (b) consultants being employed as advisors to the public sector
Answer
With reference to (a), the potentialpublic funding costs for those PFI/PPP projects currently under negotiation or contractbidding are commercially confidential whilst the projects are in the procurementstage.
For (b) I refer the member tothe Scottish Executive Financial Partnerships Unit’s website where the informationcan be found at www.scotland.gov.uk/ppp.
- Asked by: Margo MacDonald, MSP for Lothians, Independent
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 October 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 15 November 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it can reveal within the constraints of commercial confidentiality regarding the financial arrangements between it and PFI/PPP contractors and consultants which it employs to advise it on PFI/PPP projects.
Answer
The financial arrangements betweenthe Scottish Executive and PFI/PPP contractors and consultants employed to adviseon PFI/PPP projects are set out in contracts between the relevant parties.For the four Scottish ExecutivePFI/PPP projects, the body of the project agreement for the M6 DBFO is to be madeavailable on the Scottish Executive’s Publication Scheme at
www.scotland.gov.uk within a month; the tender documents for the M77/GSO are included in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 36425); the contract for KilmarnockPrison is available from Scottish Prison Service’s website at www.sps.gov.uk/Default.asp?menuid=231,and the contract for Addiewell Prison is not yet publicly available.Individual contracts betweenthe Scottish Executive and consultants which it employs to advise it on PFI/PPPprojects are not readily available. The Scottish Executive negotiates call-off contracts,framework contracts, framework agreements/arrangements for certain services, andfinancial advisory services for PFI/PPP projects is included in this. Further informationis available from the Scottish Executive’s website at:
www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/Procurement/Selling/CollaborativeContracts.Contracts, whether for contractorsor consultants, over a certain financial threshold are subject to EU procurementrules.
