- Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 05 June 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 19 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is developing policies that explicitly link traffic reduction targets with the realisation of commitments to reduce carbon dioxide emissions or whether it has any evidence indicating that carbon dioxide targets can be met without taking this action.
Answer
Consultation on a Scottish Climate Change Programme closed earlier this month. Responses will assist the development of a final programme, due for publication in the autumn. The final programme will contain measures in a number of sectors, including transport, which will help to deliver the UK Kyoto commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to the UK domestic goal of reducing CO2 emissions by 20% by 2010.
- Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 05 June 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 19 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is now a standard or preferred methodology for transport assessments as specified in NPPG 17 that should be adopted by local authorities when determining planning applications.
Answer
Advice on the proposed scope and application of transport assessments was given in Planning Advice Note 57: Transport and Planning. This was published at the same time as NPPG 17. A number of research projects are underway and these will inform future guidance.
- Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 05 June 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 19 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to promote the use of taxi card schemes as means of addressing the mobility needs of disabled people.
Answer
Local authorities have the responsibility for determining and operating discretionary concessionary fares schemes. Taxi card schemes represent an important part of the concessionary travel schemes operated by many authorities. The Scottish Executive is committed to enhancing integrated concessionary travel for pensioners and disabled people across Scotland and has commissioned a study which is currently examining existing provision and assessing the costs of a range of options, including the use of taxicard schemes, which may be considered for introduction in the future.
- Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 June 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 15 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-4654 by Sarah Boyack on 30 May 2000, what the annual cost is of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency's comprehensive programme of monitoring environmental radioactivity.
Answer
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency's environmental radioactivity monitoring programme is carried out under contract by the National Radiological Protection Board. The current contract which commenced in April 2000 runs for three years, with a possible extension for a further two years.
The programme includes monitoring of environmental samples collected around nuclear licensed sites in Scotland, together with monitoring of environmental samples and foodstuffs collected from locations remote from nuclear licensed sites. The monitoring around nuclear licensed sites accounts for 80% of the programme and the costs associated with this are recovered from the nuclear site operators.
The value of the programme over the next three years is given in the table below.
Financial Year | Value (£) |
2000-01 | 330,300 |
2001-02 | 340,200 |
2002-03 | 350,400 |
- Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 14 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list all North of Scotland Water Authority waste water schemes which will discharge effluent into the sea and which are currently in the planning, design or construction stages, together with their estimated costs and completion dates.
Answer
I am placing a copy of the information requested in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 6647).
- Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 19 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 12 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what role the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) has in Scotland and on what matters it makes representations to the JNCC.
Answer
The Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) is the forum through which Scottish Natural Heritage and its sister agencies, English Nature and the Countryside Council for Wales, deliver their statutory nature conservation responsibilities for Great Britain as a whole and internationally. The Scottish Executive may from time to time consult the JNCC and make representations to it on the discharge of its responsibilities insofar as these affect Scotland.
- Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 19 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 12 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what role Scottish Natural Heritage and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee have in monitoring oil developments in Scottish coastal waters.
Answer
Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) do not have a remit to monitor oil developments in Scottish coastal waters. This is a matter for the UK Government. SNH and JNCC may however assist oil companies develop monitoring strategies by providing expert advice.
- Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 April 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 12 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive which of its agencies or departments and which public bodies currently operate systems of strategic environmental assessment in determining their policies and programmes.
Answer
Decision making across the Executive and its sponsored bodies takes account of the environmental implications of the various options under consideration. The Executive intends to implement its Programme for Government commitment to apply strategic environmental assessment in the light of the final terms of the EC Directive.
- Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 21 January 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 9 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress the new Scottish Law Commission has made in its review of the law of the foreshore and seabed and when it is expected to submit its report to the Scottish Executive.
Answer
The initial stage has been for the Scottish Law Commission and my officials to explore in detail the content and process of this review. This stage has now been completed. The commission will now begin reviewing the full range of relevant Scottish law and will also consider experience in other countries. On the basis of this, they will develop a Discussion Paper; and, in the light of responses received to that, they will then publish their final recommendations by the end of 2002.
- Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 25 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 8 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made in preparing legislation to transfer to Scottish local authorities full planning control over marine developments in Scottish coastal waters.
Answer
Primary legislation will be required to introduce planning controls over marine aquaculture developments. I intend to issue a consultation paper later this year.
