- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Friday, 07 January 2011
-
Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 3 February 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive what the reasons are for its planned exclusion of business travel from the Air Discount Scheme given that business travellers have access to subsidised ferry fares and public service obligation-subsidised air fares.
Answer
The Air Discount Scheme (ADS) was introduced to facilitate an improved level of social inclusion for individuals resident in the scheme''s eligible areas. The mechanism “ Aid of a Social Character “ under which the scheme is notified to and approved by the European Commission is not designed to support economic activity. It is for the benefit of individuals and not organisations, whether in the public or private sector.
The Scottish Government''s support for air public service obligations (PSOs) is provided under separate EU legislation which recognises the importance of the relevant services for economic development and that, without assistance, it is unlikely that they would be commercially viable. Support through PSOs is applied to all passengers, regardless of reason for travel or place of residence. Our support for ferry services is applied through public service contracts and also applies irrespective of reason for travel and passenger residence.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Friday, 21 January 2011
-
Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 2 February 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make a formal representation to the House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee inquiry into the common agricultural policy.
Answer
Scottish Government officials received a communication from the House of Commons Select Committee on Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) on 7 December 2010 inviting us to submit written evidence to their Inquiry. Later that month we submitted The Road Ahead for Scotland a copy of the final report of the Inquiry into Future Support for Agriculture in Scotland which had been published the previous month. The Scottish Government has not taken a detailed formal position on the report''s recommendations at this stage pending further analysis and discussion with stakeholders. Government officials also arranged for Brian Pack the Inquiry chairman to give oral evidence to the EFRA Committee on behalf of the Inquiry.
The EFRA Committee informed Scottish Government on 17 January 2011 that under its rules the Pack report has to be treated as background information rather than evidence because it is previously published material, and invited us to submit a statement written specifically for the Committee. That afternoon we confirmed to the Committee we would submit a written statement, which we did on 25 January.
On 19 January, The Scotsman newspaper contacted the Scottish Government seeking clarification of the Scottish Government''s engagement with the EFRA Committee and received the information detailed above. Despite this information on 20 January, The Scotsman published an article claiming incorrectly that Scotland will not have any formal representation in the EFRA Committee''s inquiry.
We understand the committee will take our statement as formal written evidence in addition to the background information in the Pack Inquiry report and the oral evidence from Mr Pack.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Friday, 21 January 2011
-
Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 2 February 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has undertaken, or will undertake, a review of the proceedings that have reportedly resulted in a lack of formal representation by it to the House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee inquiry into the common agricultural policy.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-38929 on 2 February 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.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Friday, 21 January 2011
-
Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 2 February 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive what the reasons are for its failure, as reported in The Scotsman on 20 January 2011, to make a valid submission to the House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee inquiry into the common agricultural policy.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-38929 on 2 February 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.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Friday, 21 January 2011
-
Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 2 February 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions have taken place between its officials and representatives of the House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee regarding its inquiry into the common agricultural policy.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-38929 on 2 February 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.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Friday, 21 January 2011
-
Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 2 February 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive at what point it (a) became aware of the planned inquiry into the common agricultural policy by the House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, (b) sent its submission to the inquiry and (c) was told that the submission was invalid.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-38929 on 2 February 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.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 January 2011
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 26 January 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive what external technical advisors in energy and energy engineering it has used in the formulation of policy and what meetings it has had with them in the last 12 months.
Answer
The Scottish Government works in partnership with industry, academia and the public sector in the formulation of energy policy. This includes regular meetings of the Scottish Energy Advisory Board (SEAB) and a network of themed advisory groups, the membership of which includes significant technical and engineering expertise, and which takes expert advice on specific technical and engineering issues as required. The membership, dates and minutes of all meetings of the SEAB, and advisory groups including the Forum for Renewable Energy Development in Scotland are published on the Scottish Government''s at:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Business-Industry/Energy/resources/working-groups/energy-advisory-board/
The Scottish government also leads, or is a partner in a number of collaborative projects which provide access to the work of technical experts from academia and industry. These include an EU working group on North Sea grid connections; the Irish-Scottish links in energy study and the GP wind project, which aims to develop good practice with European partners in order to reconcile objectives on renewable energy with wider environmental objectives.
In addition, the Scottish Government commissions a range of technical and engineering consultants to carry out specific studies to help inform policy development. Recently, this has included an energy storage and management study, carried out by AEA Technology, which was published in November 2010.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Monday, 20 December 2010
-
Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 19 January 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has identified the species of the beaver populations found in Tayside.
Answer
Work is ongoing through the laboratories of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland to establish the species and form of the beaver which has been captured but the results of this work are not available yet.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Monday, 20 December 2010
-
Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 19 January 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the recent efforts by Scottish Natural Heritage and Tayside Police to capture and relocate beavers found in Tayside resulted from concerns regarding invasive non-native species and, if so, what assessment has been made of the animals’ potential impact and how the results of the assessment compare with those of any similar assessments in relation to the animals involved in the Scottish Beaver Trial.
Answer
Beavers are a former native species which is no longer ordinarily resident in Scotland. I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-38451 on 19 January 2011 for the justification of the recapture project. No assessment of the potential impact of these animals has been made. 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.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Monday, 20 December 2010
-
Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 19 January 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive how many beavers have been captured in Tayside as a result of efforts by Scottish Natural Heritage and Tayside Police and where they have been relocated to.
Answer
One beaver has been recaptured in Tayside by Scottish Natural Heritage in December 2010. This beaver has been relocated to the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland.
