- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 September 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 29 September 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, during its recent negotiations with the European Union it has, either directly or through Her Majesty’s Government, secured any new measures that will enhance the influence of sub-state governments with primary legislative powers that do not apply to regions or local authorities that do not have such powers.
Answer
The EU Constitutional Treaty Protocol on the Application of the Principles of Subsidiarity and Proportionality specifically provides for the involvement of regional parliaments with legislative powers in the operation of the subsidiarity mechanism. This involvement does not extend to non-legislative regions or local authorities.
In co-operation with the UK Government and through the First Minister’s presidency of the group of EU regions with legislative powers, the Scottish Executive has successfully argued for the retention in the Treaty of important references that enhance the role of the regions with legislative powers and reinforce the principle of subsidiarity in European decision-making.
In particular, the Treaty provides in the Protocol on subsidiarity, in the case of framework laws, for any legislative proposal from the European Commission to contain a statement of its implications for the rules to be put in place by member states, including, where necessary, the regional legislation.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 September 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 29 September 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive how many times the Minister for Environment and Rural Development has met his counterpart from Her Majesty’s Government, detailing the date and subject matter of each meeting.
Answer
Since I was appointed a minister in 1999 I have frequently met opposite numbers from the UK Government at both Cabinet and junior ministerial level to discuss issues of common interest. For example there have been regular meetings with UK Ministerial colleagues at the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) in advance of meetings of EU Council of Ministers to agree UK negotiating lines. It would be impractical to list the dates and subjects of all such meetings I have attended as a minister.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 02 September 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 29 September 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average cost has been of homes built by Communities Scotland, and its predecessor organisation, in each of the last 10 years.
Answer
I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:
The following table gives details of the average total build cost of homes approved for construction through registered social landlords and other bodies by Communities Scotland, and its predecessor organisation, in each of the last 10 years.
| Average Total Build Cost Of Houses Approved For Funding 1994-95 to 2003/04 (£ million) |
| 1994-95 | 0.051 |
| 1995-96 | 0.054 |
| 1996-97 | 0.056 |
| 1997-98 | 0.056 |
| 1998-99 | 0.059 |
| 1999-2000 | 0.061 |
| 2000-01 | 0.066 |
| 2001-02 | 0.071 |
| 2002-03 | 0.074 |
| 2003-04 | 0.079 |
Note: these figures relate to the average total build cost and not the average grant provided.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 September 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 29 September 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of (a) household, (b) commercial and (c) total waste was recycled by each local authority in each of the last three years.
Answer
Figures available from the Accounts Commission are:
| Authority | Household Waste Recycled (%) | Commercial and Industrial Waste Recycled (%) | Total Waste Recycled (%) |
| 2000-01 | 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2000-01 | 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2000-01 | 2001-02 | 2002-03 |
| Aberdeen City | 3.6 | 5.8 | 8.2 | 9.5 | 5.0 | 4.8 | 4.6 | 5.7 | 7.5 |
| Aberdeenshire | 16.4 | 21.0 | 13.8 | 1.2 | 1.5 | 8.1 | 13.3 | 17.0 | 13.0 |
| Angus | 14.7 | 18.5 | 23.1 | 14.8 | 27.2 | 29.4 | 14.8 | 20.2 | 24.3 |
| Argyll and Bute | 11.5 | 8.9 | 8.9 | 4.7 | 5.0 | 10.5 | 8.9 | 7.7 | 9.1 |
| Clackmannanshire | 4.4 | 4.6 | 6.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 6.0 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 6.6 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 4.0 | | 4.1 | 0.0 | | 0.0 | 3.5 | | 3.6 |
| Dundee City | 7.4 | 24.4 | 24.1 | 4.2 | 14.8 | 17.3 | 6.3 | 21.1 | 21.9 |
| East Ayrshire | 2.3 | 2.5 | 3.8 | 14.8 | 15.5 | 14.8 | 3.7 | 4.0 | 5.0 |
| East Dunbartonshire | 6.0 | 7.8 | 10.5 | 0.0 | 6.4 | 9.7 | 5.3 | 7.6 | 10.4 |
| East Lothian | 6.2 | 6.5 | 12.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 5.3 | 5.6 | 11.6 |
| East Renfrewshire | 8.2 | 13.1 | 15.3 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.9 | 7.8 | 12.2 | 14.5 |
| Edinburgh, City of | 5.5 | 5.2 | 8.4 | 0.0 | 3.8 | 5.0 | 4.3 | 4.9 | 7.7 |
| Eilean Siar | 0.0 | 1.0 | 7.1 | 0.7 | 2.6 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 1.9 | 5.0 |
| Falkirk | 7.6 | 7.3 | 10.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 6.0 | 5.6 | 6.8 |
| Fife | 2.2 | 2.0 | 5.0 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 6.0 | 2.4 | 2.2 | 5.2 |
| Glasgow City | 3.3 | 4.7 | 6.2 | | 5.1 | 6.4 | | 4.8 | 6.2 |
| Highland | 2.0 | 2.0 | 4.4 | 2.3 | 1.9 | 1.5 | 2.1 | 1.9 | 3.5 |
| Inverclyde | 3.8 | 4.8 | 5.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 6.4 | 3.1 | 4.0 | 5.8 |
| Midlothian | 3.3 | 4.0 | 4.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.1 | 3.8 | 4.1 |
| Moray | 3.5 | 5.2 | 9.6 | 6.2 | 8.6 | 15.7 | 4.6 | 6.6 | 12.2 |
| North Ayrshire | 8.0 | 6.6 | 13.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 6.9 | 5.8 | 12.3 |
| North Lanarkshire | 1.3 | 5.7 | 13.5 | 0.0 | 14.4 | 15.7 | 1.1 | 7.3 | 13.8 |
| Orkney Islands | 16.0 | 20.6 | 16.0 | 0.1 | 6.1 | 6.6 | 13.4 | 16.0 | 13.3 |
| Perth and Kinross | 17.9 | 18.6 | 18.6 | 9.6 | 2.6 | 13.5 | 16.4 | 15.8 | 17.7 |
| Renfrewshire | 4.7 | 5.6 | 9.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.9 | 5.0 | 8.4 |
| Scottish Borders | 15.2 | 18.7 | 13.8 | 2.1 | 2.5 | 1.0 | 11.4 | 13.6 | 9.7 |
| Shetland Islands | 11.0 | 10.3 | 5.6 | 17.5 | 10.3 | 5.5 | 12.0 | 10.3 | 5.6 |
| South Ayrshire | 6.4 | 5.9 | 6.9 | 5.2 | 2.8 | 17.4 | 6.0 | 5.1 | 10.7 |
| South Lanarkshire | 6.6 | 12.1 | 12.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 5.5 | 11.1 | 12.4 |
| Stirling | 8.0 | 10.1 | 11.6 | 7.3 | 5.1 | 7.2 | 7.8 | 8.4 | 10.2 |
| West Dunbartonshire | 9.0 | 9.8 | 10.2 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 1.9 | 5.3 | 6.1 | 6.6 |
| West Lothian | 3.4 | 6.1 | 10.1 | 5.8 | 4.5 | 7.3 | 3.9 | 5.7 | 9.8 |
The percentages are based on the tonnages of waste that are recycled or composted. Ash used for daily top cover at landfill sites is excluded. All figures for 2001-02 for Dumfries and Galloway and the commercial and industrial and total waste figures for Glasgow for 2000-01 have been excluded as the figures supplied to the Accounts Commission are considered unreliable.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 September 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 29 September 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what the level of expenditure by research institutions was on the development of clean technologies in each of the last five years.
Answer
The information requested is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 August 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 29 September 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures have been taken to promote marine sources of energy production and what future plans there are for such measures.
Answer
The world’s first commercial wave energy project - in Islay - received support under the Scottish Renewables Obligation. More recently, the Executive has contributed over £2 million towards the establishment of the wave test facility at the European Marine Energy Centre in Orkney. Discussions with our funding partners to extend the Centre to accommodate tidal projects are at an advanced stage.
The Forum for Renewable Energy Development in Scotland (FREDS), which I chair, recently published a report identifying the way ahead for marine energy in Scotland. Three members of the sub-group which produced this report have since been among the partners which have formed the consortium based UK Centre for Marine Renewable Energy, which will drive forward some of the key tasks identifiedby the report.
Following the FREDS marine energy report, the DTI announced a £50 million UK fund for marine renewables. We will work closely with DTI colleagues on the details of this scheme. We will also consider how best the Executive can support marine developments from within our own renewables programme budget.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 September 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by George Reid on 28 September 2004
To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether there are any plans to acquire the Mercy and Justice statues that were situated in the pre-1707 Parliament for Holyrood.
Answer
There are no plans to acquire these statues. Phase 1 of the Parliament’s Art Strategy is now complete and decisions on the nature of phase 2 will be considered by the SPCB next year.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 September 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 28 September 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in securing additional monkfish quotas.
Answer
New scientific information generated by the Fisheries Research Service in partnership with the Scottish fishing industry has been made available to the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES). The ICES Advisory Committee on Fishery Management is scheduled to publish advice on monkfish for fisheries managers on 22 October. By way of immediate action, we have secured around 705 tonnes of monkfish quota in international swaps with other member states during the course of this year and we will continue to pursue this avenue in the coming weeks.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 August 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 28 September 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive how many complaints were made against each housing association in each of the last five years and how many such complaints were subsequently investigated.
Answer
I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive, Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:
The information requested is not held centrally.
The information requested may be available from the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 August 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 28 September 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to introduce individual transferable quotas to the fishing industry and whether it considers that the impact of such a policy would be damaging to the industry.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is currently considering its response to the No 10 Strategy Unit report Net Benefits: A sustainable and profitable future for UK fishing. The introduction of individual transferable quota (ITQ) is one of the recommendations within the report. No decision on the implementation of ITQ has been made. The Scottish Executive working closely with a range of key stakeholders, will carefully consider a range of economic and other data before reaching a view.
