Seòmar agus comataidhean

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Criathragan Hide all filters

Displaying 2316 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S4W-04671

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 19 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 10 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are opportunities for renewables developments on parts of the Forestry Commission estate other than the five lots announced by the Forestry Commission Scotland.

The areas of the national forest estate on which communities can potentially take forward renewable developments are being identified on maps published on Forestry Commission Scotland’s website. The map for community-led hydro generation schemes is already available. A similar map for community wind developments will be added towards the end of January 2012, and will include land within the Scottish Borders and Scottish Lowlands Forest District as well as land within the areas covered by the five Wind Lots.

The maps and guidance for communities are available at:

www.forestry.gov.uk/website/forestry.nsf/byunique/infd-8f2ez7.

Question reference: S4W-04668

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 19 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 10 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what scope there is for communities to bid to establish renewables schemes on each of the five lots on Forestry Commission estate allocated for developments of (a) 5MW or less and (b) more than 5MW.

For both size categories, communities that wish to do so are being encouraged to investigate potential schemes. To assist them, Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS) has placed on the FCS website a map of areas which are available for community-led hydro projects, along with a guide on the options for community involvement in projects on the National Forest Estate and will do the same for wind towards the end of January 2012.

The maps and guidance for communities are available at: www.forestry.gov.uk/website/forestry.nsf/byunique/infd-8f2ez7.

Question reference: S4W-04672

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 19 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 10 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what support (a) it or (b) the Forestry Commission Scotland has offered community groups to become involved in bidding for the opportunity to develop renewables on the Forestry Commission estate.

Free support and guidance to communities interested in renewable energy is available from the Scottish Government's Communities and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES) managed by Community Energy Scotland (CES). CARES also provides loans to help communities and rural businesses with the high risk, pre-planning consent stages of renewable energy projects which have significant community engagement and benefit. The management contract for the scheme after 1 April 2012 is being tendered and an additional work stream, to provide specific advice and support to communities engaging in the renewable opportunities on the National Forest Estate, has been added.

In addition, Forestry Commission Scotland has been regularly meeting with CES and other national third-sector organisations (namely, the Community Woodland Association, Development Trust Association Scotland and Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations) to discuss and develop the opportunities for community involvement and to identify the type of support and advice these organisation can offer interested communities.

Question reference: S4W-04661

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 19 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 10 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what its estimate is of the renewables potential of the Forestry Commission estate.

Question reference: S4W-04662

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 19 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 10 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what benefits it expects that communities will receive from the Forestry Commission Scotland renewables contracts announced by the Minister for Environment and Climate Change on 22 February 2011.

Following Forestry Commission Scotland’s (FCS) competitive negotiation processes six development partners were identified for hydro and wind developments (four for wind and two for hydro). Through that process FCS negotiated market leading rates of community benefit of £5,000 per megawatt installed per year (index linked) to be shared by local communities. Communities also have an opportunity to invest in specific schemes, subject to the proviso that the combined Forestry Commission and community interest in the project does not exceed 49% (exact details vary between developers).

Question reference: S4W-04566

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 4 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what the penalty will be for local authorities that do not meet the 2012 target for eradicating homelessness.

The 2012 target is not about eradicating all homelessness but about ensuring that, by the end of December 2012, all unintentionally homeless households applying to their local authority for assistance will be entitled to settled accommodation.

The terms of the Homelessness etc (Scotland) Act 2003 do not provide for any specific penalty to be applied to a local authority that does not meet the 2012 target. Local authorities could face legal action through existing legislation which allows applicant households to utilise their rights to go to the Court of Session for Judicial Review. In addition, the Scottish Housing Regulator may take a view on performance if a local authority is not fulfilling its responsibilities under the homelessness legislation.

Question reference: S4W-04567

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 4 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what estimates it has asked local authorities to provide to indicate whether they expect to meet the 2012 target for eradicating homelessness.

Homelessness statistics are published every six months from quarterly returns provided by local authorities. These provide an indication of progress towards the target that by the end of December 2012 all unintentionally homeless households will be entitled to settled accommodation. The key statistic is the percentage of homelessness assessments that are in priority need; the closer a local authority is to 100%, then the closer it is to meeting the 2012 target. At present, local authorities are assessing 88% of homeless households as being in priority need.

Local authorities, working in partnership within five geographical “Hubs” are preventing homelessness through the introduction of an innovative housing options approach. This approach to homelessness prevention is making the 2012 target more achievable. Scottish Government officials work closely with the Hubs and understand the progress local authorities are making to meet the 2012 target.

Question reference: S4O-00561

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 December 2011
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish its response to the investigation by NHS Lothian of so-called hidden waiting lists.

Question reference: S4W-04474

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 14 December 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will start publicly reporting woodland loss and by what (a) method and (b) frequency.

Forestry Commission Scotland expects to publish further information about woodland loss in April 2012. The method for gathering this information includes an analysis of the Commission’s own records and an investigation of the extent of woodland loss resulting from development. The report is expected to give information by species type (e.g. “Sitka spruce”, “mixed conifer” and “mixed broadleaf”) and by cause (e.g. habitat restoration and windfarm development). As part of this exercise, the commission will consider how best to capture and when to publish similar information in the future.

Question reference: S4W-04476

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 14 December 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how many forests or woods have been successfully (a) conveyed and (b) leased to local community groups through the National Forest Land Scheme in each year since it was introduced.

Under the National Forest Land Scheme, communities or housing bodies can apply to buy or lease areas of land that are owned by Scottish Ministers and managed by Forestry Commission Scotland, even where such land has not been declared surplus or for sale. Since it was launched in 2005, 22 areas of land (totalling 2,809 hectares) have been sold under the scheme; 12 of these sales were to local community groups, nine were sales to housing bodies and one was a sale of surplus land to a non-governmental organisation.

The following table identifies the financial year in which the 12 sales to local community groups were completed:

Number of Sales to Communities

Year
2005-06	3
2007-08	1
2008-09	1
2009-10	3
2010-11	2
2011-12 (to October 2011)	2

Since the scheme was extended (in 2010) to allow communities to lease forest land for forest management purposes, three applications for community leases have been approved and details are currently being settled.