- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 September 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Alex Neil on 21 September 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive how long the boiler scrappage scheme will be open for applications.
Answer
The boiler scrappage scheme will remain open for applications until the £2.5 million budget has been committed.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 15 September 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 21 September 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in relation to allocating contracts to community organisations under the Forestry Commission Scotland renewables scheme.
Answer
Forestry Commission Scotland is currently working with its development partners for the national forest estate to agree the location of wind and hydro schemes that should be investigated in more detail. As these potential sites are agreed, the commission will expect the development partners to engage with local communities in order to determine community preferences for receiving benefits. These leading edge community benefits will include an annual payment of £5,000 per megawatt installed, together with opportunities for communities to invest directly in the schemes.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 September 2011
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 29 September 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met NHS Lothian to discuss the new Royal Hospital for Sick Children incorporating the Department for Clinical Neurosciences in Edinburgh.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 29 September 2011
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 August 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 14 September 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive what lessons Marine Scotland has learned from the Deepwater Horizon oil spillage in relation to wildlife protection.
Answer
Detailed analysis of the environmental impacts arising from the Deepwater Horizon incident is still awaited. The Scottish regulatory community take very seriously the need to apply any lessons as they emerge, albeit that some of these will be relevant only to incidents of a similar nature in a similar environment. Scottish Government officials are participating in the Oil Spill Prevention and Response Advisory Group (OSPRAG), which provides a focal point for review of the industry’s practices in advance of the conclusion of investigations into the Deepwater Horizon incident.
Marine Scotland officials also participated in Exercise Sula, which was carried out in Aberdeen and Shetland in May, following the request of the First Minister. This covered scenarios around the immediate aftermath of a deep-water oil spill and oil potentially coming ashore one week later. This included a practical demonstration of response equipment and procedures. A report of the Exercise is being prepared by the Department for Energy and Climate Change and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and will be published shortly.
The National Contingency Plan is also currently being reviewed by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency in order to take account of lessons learned from Deepwater Horizon and Exercise Sula. Marine Scotland will participate in this review.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 August 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 14 September 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive what lessons Marine Scotland has learned from the Deepwater Horizon oil spillage in relation to public health.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-02236 on 14 September 2011. 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/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 19 August 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 13 September 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the (a) Treasury, (b) Crown Estate and (c) BIG fund regarding the coastal communities fund announced by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 22 July 2011 and whether it will have an input into setting the criteria for assessing bids from the fund.
Answer
On 22 June 2011, the Scottish Government published its case for full devolution of powers and responsibilities of the Crown Estate in Scotland. We propose an approach based on returning 100% of the revenues for the direct benefit of Scotland and its local communities, as opposed to 50% as planned by the less ambitious Coastal Communities Fund.
In response to the announcement of the Coastal Communities Fund, my colleague the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth wrote to the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 10 August seeking further discussions about delivery arrangements and powers. Mr Swinney also spoke to the Director of Big Lottery Fund Scotland about the UK Government’s proposals to distribute funds through the BIG Fund. There will be further discussions about funding criteria and bids once details of the fund are provided by UK Treasury. Scottish Government officials discussed the Coastal Communities Fund with Crown Estate Commissioners on 13 July at which time they advised although linked to Crown Estate revenues they have no involvement.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 August 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 13 September 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive what contingency plans Marine Scotland has in place to deal with major oil spillages.
Answer
The National Contingency Plan for Marine Pollution from Shipping and Offshore Installations sets out the roles and responsibilities of the wide range of agencies involved in responding to such an incident. Marine Scotland’s primary role in this context is to assess and advise on environmental impacts. This includes chairing the Environment Group if one is established. The National Contingency Plan is currently being reviewed by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, which has overall responsibility for its maintenance and implementation on a UK wide basis. Marine Scotland will be contributing to this review to ensure that Scottish interests are properly reflected.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 August 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 13 September 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with The Shell Group regarding the oil spillage from its Gannet Alpha platform.
Answer
The First Minister and myself spoke directly to Shell senior management regarding their response to the spill and to stress the importance of clear communication. Scottish Government officials have also contributed to the Operations Control Unit established by the Secretary of State’s Representative for Maritime Salvage and Intervention, alongside a range of bodies including Shell.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 12 August 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 12 September 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive what contingency planning is in place to address weather-related disruption to key rail routes.
Answer
Scottish ministers do not specify the level of contingency plans that the rail industry makes for any type of event. However, it is expected that the rail industry has sufficient and robust plans in place so that the effects of forseeable disruptive events are minimised. This has been the case since rail powers were devolved in 2005, and was also the case prior to 2005 under the management of the (GB) Strategic Rail Authority.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 August 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Fergus Ewing on 9 September 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will report on (a) emissions reductions achieved and the amount invested under the Energy Company Obligation, (b) the number of Green Deal assessments and packages agreed in Scotland and (c) emissions reductions achieved under the Green Deal.
Answer
The Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation are UK Government initiatives that will be made available in Scotland with the agreement of the Scottish Parliament and government.
The Scottish Government will hold a joint consultation with the UK Government in Autumn 2011 which will set out the policy and regulations for Green Deal and the Energy Company Obligation with a view to both policies becoming operational in autumn 2012. Information to support the reporting framework on the progress and effectiveness of the Green Deal and the Energy Company Obligation will be established at that time.
