- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 28 October 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 14 November 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive on how many occasions it has issued licences under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 for the control of species listed under Annex IV of the European Habitats Directive in the last 10 years.
Answer
Records of licences issued prior to 2000 are not available centrally.
From 2000 to date, the Scottish Executive has issued one licence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 for species listed under Annex IV of the European Habitats Directive. In 2004 a licence was issued to permit the trapping and relocation of an otter to prevent serious damage to livestock under section 16(3)(h) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, as well as regulation 44(2)(g) of The Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994.
Normally, licences relating to Annex IV species are issued under the provisions of The Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994 which transposes the Habitat Directive into UK legislation. 118 such licences have been issued for a number of specific purposes, and the protection of Annex IV species forms an important part of the conditions of these licences.
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 03 October 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 26 October 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-18697 by Cathy Jamieson on 26 September 2005, what the additional cost to it was, over and above the core cost, of the Airwave communications system being fully operational for the G8 summit at Gleneagles and what aspects of the network's use were not covered by the existing budget.
Answer
We have previously said that all reasonable additional costs incurred by Scottish police forces for policing G8 would be met. An announcement about these costs will be made later this year.
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 August 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Johann Lamont on 27 September 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what provisions exist for third-party interests to influence decisions on planning applications for agricultural buildings.
Answer
The provisions covering publicity(neighbour notification and advertising) and consultation apply to planning applicationsgenerally. The publicity and consultation required in a particular case will dependon the circumstances of the case, e.g. whether the proposal is a departure fromthe development plan.
It is open to anyone to commenton a planning application and it is for the planning authority, in the first instance,to weigh up any competing considerations and reach a decision on the application.
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 August 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Johann Lamont on 27 September 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any plans to reform the provisions that exist for third-party interests to influence decisions on planning applications for agricultural buildings.
Answer
There are no plans at presentto reform the publicity and consultation procedures specifically in relation toplanning applications for agricultural buildings.
However, our White Paper - Modernisingthe Planning System, published in June 2005, contains a package of reforms thatwill offer greater opportunity for local people to have stronger participation inthe planning process at earlier stages.
The white paper is availablein the Scottish Parliament’s Information Centre (Bib. number 36995) and on the internetat http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/06/27113519/35231.
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 26 August 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 26 September 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on the effects of releases of chloraminated water into the environment, in particular on wild fish, freshwater invertebrates and soil invertebrates.
Answer
This is a matter for Scottish Environment Protection Agency, in the first instance. It monitors developments in scientific understanding of the effects of chloramines and other substances on the water environment. It has carried out an assessment of the risks to the environment arising from the use of chloramination in the disinfection of public water supplies. Current practice in Scotland reflects the results of this assessment
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 26 August 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 26 September 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what budget was allocated to meet the requirement for the Airwave communications system to be fully operational for the G8 summit at Gleneagles.
Answer
No separate budget was allocated for Airwave at the G8 summit. The core cost of the service (which for Scottish forces is paid by the Scottish Executive) covered most of the use of the network during G8.
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 26 August 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 26 September 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on the scale and location of chloramine-treated water discharges into the environment, both accidental, such as leakage, and deliberate, such as irrigation and flushes from industrial cooling systems, and whether it will publish this information and, if so, when.
Answer
The Executive does not hold this information.
I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-18704 on 26 September 2005. 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/webapp/wa/search.
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 26 August 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 23 September 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures were taken to provide the extra resilience necessary for the Airwave communications system during the G8 summit at Gleneagles.
Answer
O2 plc provides the Airwave network for the police service in Great Britain and it is for them to ensure the resilience of the system. O2 worked closely with the Scottish police service both in the run up to and during the summit to ensure network monitoring and performance. The network met all the demands placed upon it.
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 26 August 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 20 September 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive which areas in Scotland (a) have undergone and (b) will undergo a change in the treatment of drinking water from hypochlorination to chloramination and when each change is scheduled to take place.
Answer
Scottish Water has changed the way it disinfects drinking water supplies in the following areas:
Edinburgh and Midlothian, Aberdeen, Inverness, Borders, Perthshire, Highlands, Western Isles, Grampian and Fife.
The change has seen a switch from chlorination to chloramination as the principal method of disinfecting the public drinking water supply in those areas. Scottish Water does not currently intend to utilise chloramination at all of its treatment works and it does not have a programme for switching to chloramination across Scotland. Chloramination is just one of several disinfection methods approved for use on public water supplies. The final choice on the disinfection method to be used at a particular site is dependent on a number of factors, the principal one being the protection of public health.
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 26 August 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 20 September 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what formal environmental impact assessments were carried out by Scottish Water prior to changing drinking water treatment from hypochlorination to chloramination and whether it or Scottish Water intends to publish the results of such assessments.
Answer
Scottish Water has not carried out any formal Environmental Impact Assessments prior to changing some disinfection processes from chlorination to chloramination. Chloramination is an industry approved disinfection process that has been utilised in the UK for nearly a century.
Scottish Water has procedures in place to ensure that any large volume discharges of treated drinking water into the environment (chlorinated or chloraminated) are dealt with appropriately to minimise any environmental effects. Such discharges are made in accordance with Section 33 of the Water (Scotland) Act 1980.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency’s assessment of the environmental risk from the use of chloramination showed that the risk was comparable to that from chlorine so its consenting and monitoring procedures for discharges have not changed for chloraminated waters.
