- Asked by: Margo MacDonald, MSP for Lothian, Independent
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 September 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 22 September 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive how many cold weather-related deaths there were during the winter of 2010-11, broken down by NHS board area.
Answer
There is no recognised standard definition of cold weather-related deaths. Many illnesses may be exacerbated by cold conditions, but it is impossible to quantify the role of such an effect in any resultant deaths.
Information on Increased Winter Mortality in Scotland is published by National Records of Scotland (formerly the General Register Office for Scotland). Figures for the winters of 2009-10 and earlier years are available on the following website. The corresponding information for winter 2010-11 will be published there on 27 October.
http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/statistics/theme/vital-events/deaths/increased-winter-mortality/index.html.
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Current Status:
Withdrawn
- Asked by: Margo MacDonald, MSP for Lothian, Independent
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 June 2011
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 30 June 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to legislate for the election rather than appointment of judges.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 30 June 2011
- Asked by: Margo MacDonald, MSP for Lothian, Independent
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 May 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Tricia Marwick on 7 June 2011
To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body for what reason it spent £500,000 on a scoping exercise on additional security measures for the Parliament which, it has been reported, it has acknowledged might not be introduced.
Answer
Last month, the SPCB awarded a contract to secure an architect-led team to produce a design for an external screening facility for visitors. No money has yet been spent on the contract.
The contract incorporates four stages at key points within the overall project duration when the specific approval of the SPCB must be obtained. Stage 1 will provide a scheme design and initial cost plan for our consideration. If the Corporate Body makes the decision that the project should proceed to the next stage, the design drawings will then be submitted to the City of Edinburgh Council as a detailed planning application. We are taking a staged approach as we are committed to having accurate costings before we decide ultimately whether or not to build the facility.
The Scottish Parliament’s perimeter security measures take account of recommendations from the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure. All the steps we have taken are for the greater protection of building users and the 300,000 plus members of the public who come to Holyrood each year.
- Asked by: Margo MacDonald, MSP for Lothians, Independent
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 March 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 11 March 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the view expressed by the Chairman of the EU Energy Performance Buildings Directive Implementation Advisory Group that the method of displaying energy certificate ratings in Scotland is “quite meaningless”.
Answer
Scotland complies with the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) through the Building (Scotland) Regulations 2004 and the Energy Performance of Buildings (Scotland) Regulations 2008 in terms of displaying Energy Performance Certificates.
- Asked by: Margo MacDonald, MSP for Lothians, Independent
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 March 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 11 March 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to introduce a scheme equivalent to the English system that takes account of the actual energy usage of a building as occupied rather than its theoretical usage as provided at the planning and building stage.
Answer
There are currently no plans to amend the Energy Performance of Buildings (Scotland) Regulations 2008. The Regulations will be reviewed in light of any changes to EPBD. Work is in progress to investigate the benefits that operational ratings could play in future regulations for existing non-domestic buildings under section 63 of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009.
- Asked by: Margo MacDonald, MSP for Lothians, Independent
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 March 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 11 March 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive, given that building energy certificates can significantly underreport the actual energy consumption of a building, whether it considers that commercial organisations might come under financial pressure as a result of relying on the information in such certificates.
Answer
The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) does not require the actual energy consumption of a building to be reported. Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) are calculated using an asset rating and as a consequence it is considered that commercial organisations are less likely to come under financial pressure.
- Asked by: Margo MacDonald, MSP for Lothians, Independent
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 March 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 11 March 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to commitments set out in its published environmental policy, what its position is on the need for a reassessment of the method of reporting of building energy usage as described in the Energy Performance of Buildings (Scotland) Regulations 2008 and for the actual rather than theoretical energy usage of buildings to be recorded and made public.
Answer
There are currently no plans to amend the Energy Performance of Buildings (Scotland) Regulations 2008. The Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) used in Scotland complies with the terms of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). The Regulations will be reviewed in light of any changes to EPBD. Work is in progress to investigate the benefits that operational ratings could play in future regulations for existing non-domestic buildings under section 63 of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009.
- Asked by: Margo MacDonald, MSP for Lothians, Independent
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Date lodged: Thursday, 25 February 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 11 March 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive, given the potential additional energy costs associated with wrongly rated energy performance certificates, what its position is on the ability of commercial organisations to rely on the accuracy of information in building energy performance certificates when making decisions regarding locating or relocating their businesses.
Answer
All Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) are produced using an asset based rating that follows the methodology framework set out in the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). The rating shown on the EPC states the energy efficiency of a building based on the standardised way that the building is used. EPCs for existing buildings are produced by organisation approved by Scottish ministers, who ensure that the preparation and issuing of certificates is carried out in a consistent, accurate and independent manner. Concerns relating to the accuracy of an EPC for an existing should be referred to the approved organisation through their complaints procedure.
The European Union have revisited the EPBD and are currently considering the robustness of EPC production set out in the original Directive.
- Asked by: Margo MacDonald, MSP for Lothians, Independent
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 March 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 11 March 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive, given its commitments evidenced in both primary and secondary legislation to set future energy usage targets, whether it uses information contained in building energy performance certificates as one of its base measurements of energy use.
Answer
The methodology used in the production of EPCs is used to assess and report on the Scottish Government''s policy objective to reduce carbon dioxide emissions arising from new buildings.
