- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 March 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 15 March 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive what the role is of the (a) Marine Energy Group, (b) Marine Energy Spatial Planning Group and (c) Marine Strategic Studies Forum.
Answer
The role of the Marine Energy Group (MEG) was to accelerate delivery of the world''s leading marine energy industry in Scotland and deliver a road map for the sector. The group has completed the road map and (as is common with other Forum for Renewable Energy Development in Scotland groups) has now been stood down. Should a need across industry emerge at a later date that calls for MEG to be reconvened again, the group will be reinstated.
The Marine Energy Spatial Planning Group (MESPG) was set up to address the main issues identified in the Marine Renewable Strategic Environmental Assessment, with the post adoption statement published by the Scottish Government in July 2008. The MESPG is responsible for the development of marine planning and simplified consenting processes to facilitate deployments and the commercial breakthrough of the marine renewables and offshore wind energy sectors in Scottish waters.
The Marine Strategic Studies Forum (MSSF) was established by MESPG to allow wider stakeholders to review MESPG project specifications and outputs and provide feedback to consultants and/or contractors undertaking commissions.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 March 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 15 March 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the habitats regulations apply to its plan to develop offshore wind in Scottish territorial waters and, if so, what consideration will be given to the implications for Natura 2000 sites.
Answer
The Conservation (Natural Habitats, etc.) Regulations 1994 do apply to the plan to develop offshore wind in Scottish territorial waters. Therefore, as part of the offshore wind SEA Environment Report commission, the Scottish Government has also undertaken a pre-screening report to consider appropriate assessment requirements for Natura 2000 sites. The government will make a decision on appropriate assessment work following review of this report.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 March 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 15 March 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to its news release of 29 October 2008, Potential of offshore wind energy, stating that it would prioritise completion of a strategic environmental assessment (SEA) on offshore wind energy within one year, what the reason is for the delay in the SEA’s completion.
Answer
The Scottish Government is required to ensure that the process of developing the SEA on offshore wind is fully compliant with the Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005, and furthermore than the SEA informs the future development plan. In order for this to be the case, the SEA has included an assessment of technical feasibility of future developments as well as an environmental assessment. This has necessarily taken longer than was initially planned, but will provide for a more comprehensive plan that will better serve the industry as well as government and regulators.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 March 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 15 March 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the strategic environmental assessment for offshore wind in Scottish territorial waters will spatially identify areas for development, including areas (a) requiring significant protection from development and (b) of search where development is likely to be acceptable, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.
Answer
The Strategic Environmental Assessment will assess the likely impact upon the environment of offshore wind developments (including cumulative effects from more than one development, and from other types of developments) and identify three types of spatial areas. These will be:
(a) Areas excluded from development.
(b) Areas which have considerable environmental constraints and/or conflicts of use with potential offshore wind energy development.
(c) Areas which have limited environmental constraints and/or conflicts of use with potential offshore wind development.
The Environment Report will categorise spatial areas into these three types.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 March 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 15 March 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive when it anticipates that the environmental report from the strategic environmental assessment for offshore wind in Scottish territorial waters will be published.
Answer
The Environment Report from the Strategic Environmental Assessment will be published in April 2010.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 March 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 15 March 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive when consultation will take place on the environmental report from the strategic environmental assessment for offshore wind in Scottish territorial waters.
Answer
A formal consultation on the Environment Report from the Strategic Environmental Assessment will start in April 2010.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 March 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 15 March 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive on what date consultants were commissioned to undertake the strategic environmental assessment for offshore wind in Scottish territorial waters.
Answer
The SEA was taken forward in two parts. The first part; a screening and scoping assessment, was taken forward within government in spring 2009 and consulted on with key stakeholders. This assessment has been publicly available since June 2009.
The second part of the process; the production of an Environment Report, could only be commissioned after completion of the screening and scoping and after following Official Journal of the European Union contract requirements. The consultants, Halcrow, were commissioned on 24 November 2009.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 29 January 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 11 February 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list those public authorities to which section 72 of the Marine (Scotland) Bill will apply.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-31225 on 10 February 2010. 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
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Date lodged: Friday, 29 January 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 10 February 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list those public authorities that will be subject to the duty in section 11(1) of the Marine (Scotland) Bill to take authorisation or enforcement decisions in accordance with the appropriate marine plans unless material considerations indicate otherwise.
Answer
The Scottish Government cannot say definitively which authorities will be covered but does not think that there will be many cases where there will be any real doubt as to whether an authority is covered or not.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 29 January 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 10 February 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-30269 by Richard Lochhead on 27 January 2010, whether it will give an example of an Act in which the term public authority is undefined that might serve as a precedent to determine the meaning of the expression in the Marine (Scotland) Bill.
Answer
Acts frequently refer to public authorities without listing which authorities are covered, or defining them in detail.
The Human Rights Act 1998 is a good example. It contains no list or basic definition of public authority, and there is case law relative to the meaning of public authority in that act.
