Seòmar agus comataidhean

Local authorities have access to information produced either by organisations commissioned by the Scottish Government or by organisations who have worked closely with local authorities and COSLA to help them formulate their strategies.

Following changes made by the Planning etc. (Scotland) Act 2006, section 16 of Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 requires planning authorities to take account of the National Planning Framework in preparing their local development plans.

Section 25 of the Act requires planning applications to be determined in accordance with the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise. If the planning application is for a national development, Section 25 also requires the determination to be made in accordance with any statement in the National Planning Framework expressed as applying for the purposes of development management to the effect that the development could or should occur, unless material considerations indicate otherwise. Statements in the National Planning Framework which do not fall into that category are to be treated as material considerations.

In the event of any incompatibility between the National Planning Framework and the development plan, whichever of them is the later in date is to prevail.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-01022 on 11 July 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/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-01095 on 11 July 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/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-01095 on 11 July 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/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

The Scottish Government last nominated or recommended a Scottish representative for the Board of Forestry Commissioners to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in 2009.

The Scottish Government is currently looking into a range of ways of addressing this manifesto commitment.

There are 2,125 hectares of non native woodland approved for new planting in the next planting season through the Scotland Rural Development Programme.

There are 4,943 hectares of native woodland approved for new planting in the next planting season through the Scotland Rural Development Programme.

NHS Lothian previously sought Scottish Government approval for a new Royal Hospital for Sick Children using predominantly public funding. The project now being supported by the Scottish Government also incorporates the reprovision of the Department of Clinical Neurosciences.

The timescales for the delivery of the combined Royal Hospital for Sick Children and Department for Clinical Neurosciences project need to take into account the development of an integrated design, planning approval for a revised project scope and completion of a competitive dialogue procurement with bidders in 2012 to support a non-profit distribution funding model. NHS Lothian will confirm the project’s key milestone dates within an outline business case due for submission to the Scottish Government in November 2011. All parties, NHS Lothian, Scottish Government and Scottish Futures Trust are working together to ensure that any delay is minimised.