- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 04 September 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 18 September 2009
To ask the Scottish Executivewhen the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment last met EU member state representatives to discuss electronic identification for sheep and what action was taken as a result of that meeting.
Answer
I met with Irish and Hungarian Ministers in the margins of the EU Agriculture Council in March 2009 to discuss electronic identification (EID) of sheep. I urged them to support the Scottish position on sheep EID.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 04 September 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 18 September 2009
To ask the Scottish Executivehow many meetings have taken place in the last two months between the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment and European Union officials regarding electronic identification for sheep.
Answer
My officials are in regular contact with European Union officials regarding sheep EID and keep me fully informed of these discussions. I requested a meeting in July with Commissioner Vassiliou prior to the Standing Committee on Food Chain and Animal Health (SCoFCAH) but she was unavailable.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 04 September 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 18 September 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the EU officials with whom the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment has discussed electronic identification for sheep in the last two months and detail any action taken as a result of each discussion.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-26954 on 18 September 2009 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: Monday, 07 September 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 18 September 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what definition it uses of a carbon capture-ready power station.
Answer
The Scottish Government considers that a carbon capture ready power station will demonstrate consideration of the following criteria:
demonstrate that there is sufficient space on or near the site to accommodate carbon capture equipment in the future;
undertake an assessment into the technical and economic feasibility of retrofitting carbon capture technology;
propose a suitable area of deep geological storage offshore for the storage of captured CO2;
undertake an assessment into the technical and economic feasibility of transporting the captured CO2 to their proposed storage area, and
if necessary, apply for and obtain Hazardous Substance Consent (HSC).
This position applies to all new gas, oil, biomass, waste-to-energy and also coal power station applications on or above 300MW. This approach is in line with that taken by the UK Government and reflects the wish for a broadly similar regulatory framework across the UK.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 07 September 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 18 September 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers it acceptable for new coal-fired power stations to have a defined carbon capture and storage capacity of no more than 400 megawatt (gross).
Answer
The Scottish Government will issue its final thermal guidance later this year following the completion of the UK consultation process. This thermal guidance will set out policy on the introduction of CCS levels to new and existing power plant, in terms of timing and capacity.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 04 September 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 18 September 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it supports an increase in EU funding to support low-carbon, low-energy and locally marketed food production.
Answer
EU funding for the Scotland Rural Development Programme (SRDP) is fixed at ‚¬679 million for the programme period 2007-13. The Scottish Government has flexibility to deploy that funding across the SRDP, subject to EU rules on minimum spending levels on the various axes of the Programme. These are: 10% for Axis 1 improving the competitiveness of the agricultural and forestry sectors; 25% for Axis 2 improving the environment and the countryside; 10% for Axis 3 quality of life in rural areas and diversification of the rural economy, and, 5% for Axis 4 LEADER. Funding for the low-carbon, low-energy, locally marketed food production is delivered through the SRDP.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 07 September 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 18 September 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what minimum percentage of a new coal-fired power plant’s gross output of emissions it considers should be able to be covered initially by carbon capture and storage.
Answer
The Scottish Government will issue its final thermal guidance later this year following the completion of the UK consultation process. This thermal guidance will set out policy on the introduction of CCS levels to new and existing power plant, in terms of timing and capacity.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 07 September 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 18 September 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers it good practice to consider a planning application for a coal-fired power station before it has produced its thermal generation guidance.
Answer
Under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989, Scottish ministers are obliged to accept and consider all thermal power station applications in excess of 50 megawatts of generating capacity. Each application is subject to statutory consultation with the determination taking into account all material issues, including the thermal guidance applicable at the time the decision is made.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 07 September 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 18 September 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, given that it has yet to produce its thermal generation guidance, on what basis it will consider the planning application for the Hunterston power plant.
Answer
All thermal power station applications over 50 megawatts in generating capacity will be considered by Scottish ministers under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989. Following a request from Ayrshire Power Limited, Scottish Ministers provided a scoping opinion on 20 March 2009 on the Hunterston project, which included a wide range of consultee advice on the outline design. The developer is currently working in partnership with stakeholders to develop an application which addresses the relevant planning, community and legislative issues, and we have recommended to the developer that they take into account in any application our draft guidance and the answer to question S3W-
24912 on 17 June 2009.
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: Monday, 07 September 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 18 September 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers it premature to consider a planning application for a development, for the basis of which it has not formulated policy.
Answer
Under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989, the building of any new thermal power station in excess of 50 megawatts in generating capacity would require consent from Scottish ministers. The Scottish Government published draft thermal guidance in late 2008 for consultation. We await the completion of the UK Government consultation, before publishing our final thermal guidance in Scotland.
