Seòmar agus comataidhean

The Scottish Government will continue to lead work to support the delivery of Low Carbon Scotland - Meeting the Emissions Reduction Targets 2013-2027. It is our intention that RPP2 (the second report on proposals and policies) will be delivered in full, and where policies and proposals are not being delivered, we will look to bring forward new policies with the same, if not greater, level of emissions abatement.

The Cabinet Sub-Committee on Climate Change has been established to ensure climate change policy is given the highest priority across all Government objectives. The Cabinet Sub Committee met for the second time on 8 January 2015 and discussed both the good progress made to date and the policy options available across the members’ portfolios to help ensure Scotland stays on track to meet its world-leading climate change targets. These included options in energy, housing, transport, local government and communities, land use, agriculture and forestry.

On 8 January 2015 we published a good practice guide, written in conjunction with the Society of Chief Officers of Transportation in Scotland, to provide clarity on the options available to local authorities with regard to setting 20 mph speed restrictions throughout Scotland.

Transport Scotland assisted the City of Edinburgh Council with the evaluation of their 20 mph speed limit pilot scheme in South Central Edinburgh which demonstrated that traffic speeds can be reduced without the need for additional traffic calming measures. There is overwhelming evidence that the frequency and severity of accidents rises disproportionately with speed, which is why the Scottish Government supports the use of 20 mph speed limits and zones, where appropriate.

The Scottish Government assisted with an evaluation of the City of Edinburgh’s 20 mph speed limit pilot scheme in South Central Edinburgh in August 2013. This demonstrated its success in reducing vehicle speeds and promoting positive attitudes to 20 mph limits. In particular, residents viewed the pilot benefited the safety for children walking about the area, safety for children to play in the street, better conditions for walking, less traffic incidents, and better cycling conditions, thus helping to promote active travel.

The Scottish Government recognises that poor air quality can impact on health, and those with existing heart or lung conditions are more susceptible to the increased health risk associated with air pollution. However, due to the wide range of factors that can impact on the health of patients with these types of conditions, it is not possible to accurately assess the financial cost directly attributable to poor air quality.

All capital funding provided to the National Performing Companies was for expenditure on assets which they owned, or were purchasing, or for which they were or would become responsible for under a lease.

From the figures set out in the answer to S4W-23976, Scottish Ballet’s expenditure was all on the Tramway building, Scottish Opera’s expenditure was all in relation to the Theatre Royal project and the Royal Scottish National Opera expenditure was all on the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.

The National Theatre’s expenditure up to 2011-12 was all on their existing building at Civic House. In 2012-13 and thereafter, capital funding was spent on the planned new headquarters at Speirs Lock.

On 28 January 2015, the Scottish Government announced plans to commission further research on unconventional oil and gas during the moratorium. Further details will be announced in due course.

The Scottish Government recognises that this is an ambitious target that will require efforts to address the barriers which are preventing new planting and to increase the demand for planting grants.

The Scottish Rural Development Plan 2015-2020 includes new forestry proposals, which should encourage more woodland creation applications. Programme approval from the European Commission is expected in 2015, however the new Forestry Grant Scheme will open for applications from mid-March 2015.

The following table shows the amount of new planting since 2012:

When the new scheme opens in March 2015, Forestry Commission Scotland expect to approve an additional 1,500 hectares of planting for 2015-2016 planting season giving a forecast figure of new planting in 2015-2016 of 7,000 hectares.

The Crofting (Amendment) (Scotland) Act 2013 simply made it possible for owner-occupier crofters to apply to the Crofting Commission to decroft the whole or part of their crofts, and for the Crofting Commission to give directions on such applications.

The Crofting Commission will consider such applications on the merits of individual cases and decide whether the land in question should remain subject to crofting tenure or not.