Parliamentary questions

Elaine Murray

2,411 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

18 Nov 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason the projected outturn efficiency reported in the Efficiency Outturn Report for 2009-10 for the Crofters Commission is £0.038 million as compared with the published planned efficiency of £0.225 million.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The planned efficiency was linked to the transfer of the Crofters Commission office to Great Glen House. Realisation of the planned efficiency is dependent on negotiations with the commission''s previous landlord. Savings are expected to begin in 2010-11.…

18 Nov 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what programmes are supported by the National Assets and Flooding category of the Environmental and Rural Services Level 2 budget and how it proposes to achieve the 17% reduction in funding between 2010-11 and 2011-12, as indicated in table 11.06 on page 178 of Scotland’s Spending Plans a…

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Natural Assets and Flood budget line support programmes aimed at promoting the air quality and the water environment, implementing the EU Noise Directive and the Government''s support to flood risk management. It is intended that savings will be made in t…

18 Nov 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will reduce the budget for the Forestry Commission from £55.1 million in 2010-11 to £47.7 million in 2011-12, as reported in table 11.06 on page 178 of Scotland’s Spending Plans and Draft Budget 2011-12, and what programmes will contribute to the reduction in programme costs.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Forestry Commission Scotland budget for 2011-12 will reduce by £7.4 million when compared to the 2010-11 Budget. This will be achieved by reducing £2 million from the Timber Transport Fund and £2.4 million from capital and the remaining £3 million is made…

18 Nov 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will reduce the budget for the Scottish Environment and Protection Agency from £44.3 million in 2010-11 to £39.4 million in 2011-12, as reported in table 11.06 on page 178 of Scotland’s Spending Plans and Draft Budget 2011-12.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Environment Protection Agency is preparing for a reduction in its grant-in-aid in 2011-12 by continuing to implement a programme of significant transformational change designed to deliver the Agency''s regulatory functions more effectively an…

18 Nov 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will reduce the budget for Scottish Natural Heritage from £67.9 million in 2010-11 to £60.7 million in 2011-12, as reported in table 11.06 on page 178 of Scotland’s Spending Plans and Draft Budget 2011-12.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Scottish Natural Heritage has been preparing for a reduction in its grant in aid in 2011-12 by undertaking a review of how it delivers smarter programmes by reshaping the organisation and reducing its senior management structure to become a smaller, more effe…

18 Nov 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will reduce the budget for Marine Scotland from £62.4 million in 2010-11 to £55.9 million in 2011-12, as reported in table 11.05 on page 177 of Scotland’s Spending Plans and Draft Budget 2011-12.

Answer · John Swinney: The reduction in Marine Scotland''s budget will be managed through a programme of initiatives which will both maximise efficiencies and deliver significant savings, these include: Realigning some activities which were previously provided without…

18 Nov 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what programmes were supported by the Rural Communities category of EU Support and Related Services in 2010-11 and how it considers that these could be reduced by 61% in 2011-12, as indicated in table 11.03 on page 174 of Scotland’s Spending Plans and Draft Budget 2011-12.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Rural Communities budget supports community related projects through the Scotland Rural Development Programme (SRDP). Under Rural Priorities, this supports activities such as the creation and upgrading of paths and access routes. Under Land Managers'' Opt…

18 Nov 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what programmes were supported by the Rural Enterprise category of EU Support and Related Services in 2010-11 and how it considers that these could be reduced by 58% in 2011-12, as indicated in table 11.03 on page 174 of Scotland’s Spending Plans and Draft Budget 2011-12.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Rural Enterprise budget supports off-farm/forest rural development through the Scotland Rural Development Programme (SRDP). Support is mainly delivered through Rural Priorities, where activities include renewable energy, development of micro-enterprises a…

18 Nov 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what programmes were supported by the Business Development category of EU Support and Related Services in 2010-11 and how it considers that these could be reduced by 19% in 2011-12, as indicated in table 11.03 on page 174 of Scotland’s Spending Plans and Draft Budget 2011-12.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The reduction in the Business Development budget affects capital schemes which form part of the Scotland Rural Development Programme (SRDP). This includes: funding under the Food Processing Marketing and Co-operation Grant Scheme; support to help crofters imp…

18 Nov 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what programmes of research are supported by the Research, Analysis and Other Services level 2 budget line and how it considers that expenditure on these can be reduced from £74.5 million in 2010-11 to £62.7 million in 2011-12, as reported in table 11.04 on page 175 of Scotland’s Spending…

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Programmes of Research budget, which forms part of the level 2 Research, Analysis and Other Services budget, will fund two major programmes of strategic research: Environmental Change, and Food, Land and People. This budget will also fund: underpinning ca…

12 Nov 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the need for the notification of new Sites of Special Scientific Interest for biological features.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The notification of Sites of Special Scientific Interest is a statutory duty of Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) under section 3 of the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004. SNH regards the SSSI network as being substantially complete but maintains…

2 Nov 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how local authorities are permitted to use capital receipts from the sale of buildings.

Answer · John Swinney: Local authorities may use capital receipts from the sale of buildings to finance new capital expenditure or to repay the principal element of loans.

2 Nov 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it encourages local authorities to support community use of council-owned buildings that they no longer require.

Answer · Alex Neil: Decisions on the future of any local authority owned building, including community centres are solely at the discretion of each individual local authority. The Scottish Government has no locus to intervene. However, the Scottish Government awarded £250,000 in…

2 Nov 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it issues guidance to local authorities regarding the disposal of buildings that they no longer require and, if so, where it can be accessed.

Answer · John Swinney: Recent guidance to local authorities in relation to the disposal of land (including buildings) was issued by the Scottish Government in May 2010. A copy of the guidance is on the Scottish Government website at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publica…

14 Oct 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the definition is of a vulnerable adult under the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007.

Answer · Adam Ingram: The act defines a protected adult as an individual aged 16 or over who is provided with a particular service, such as a support service registered under the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001, a prescribed medical service, a community care service or a pr…

14 Oct 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007 requires groups that include persons over the age of 65 to have at least one member undertake a disclosure check.

Answer · Adam Ingram: It cannot be assumed that an adult is unable to protect his or herself in every situation just because they have a specific condition, disability or are of a particular age. It is the receipt of a particular service as defined by the act which confers protect…

12 Oct 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has considered introducing a requirement in public procurement contracts for the use of fresh food.

Answer · John Swinney: Existing Scottish Government guidelines on sustainable development in public sector contracts for food and catering services highlights the opportunity for public bodies to specify fresh and seasonal produce in food and catering contracts. The guidance is cur…

12 Oct 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking to promote the introduction of kerbside collections of used batteries.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The provision of kerbside collection services and the materials collected is the responsibility of local authorities. Since 1 February 2010 retailers which place more than 32kg per year (equivalent to approximately 1400 AA batteries per year) of …

12 Oct 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking to support farmers who wish to make the transition to organic production.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: Funding for farmers who wish to convert to organic farming, or maintain their organic status is available under the SRDP Rural Priorities scheme. The Scottish Government also supports the provision of advice and guidance on organics and food marketing through…

11 Oct 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what level of remuneration is proposed for the (a) national convener and (b) board members of the national body proposed in the Children’s Hearings (Scotland) Bill.

Answer · Adam Ingram: This information is not available at present. Remuneration will, however, be in line with Public Sector Pay Policy Guidance for Senior Appointments, which is available on the Scottish Government website. A link to the 2010-11 guidance is attached: <a…

11 Oct 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether funding will be transferred from the local authority settlement to support the national body proposed in the Children's Hearings (Scotland) Bill and, if so, how much.

Answer · Adam Ingram: The information requested can be found in the Financial Memorandum to the Bill, pages 73 to 86 inclusive at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/s3/bills/41-ChildrensHearingsb41s3-introd-en.pdf.

11 Oct 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how the cost of the national body proposed in the Children’s Hearings (Scotland) Bill compares with the cost of the existing arrangements.

4 Oct 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-35939 by Roseanna Cunningham on 14 September 2010, what its position is on the cost and efficiency of the system of delivering sustainable deer management.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: A voluntary approach to engagement with deer managers will generally represent the most effective and efficient means to deliver sustainable deer management. The Scottish Government recognises however that on occasion Scottish Natural Heritage may need to…

4 Oct 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what staff and other costs were incurred by (a) Scottish Natural Heritage, (b) Forestry Commission Scotland and (c) Scottish Government Rural Payments and Inspections Directorate staff in developing and implementing section 7 control orders under the Deer (Scotland) Act 1996 in each of th…

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The following table sets out estimates for the staff and other costs associated with Section 7 control agreements. <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <thead> <tr > <td valign=top > Year </td> <td vali…

4 Oct 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-35939 by Roseanna Cunningham on 14 September 2010, whether the figures supplied for the Deer Commission for Scotland costs include the staff time involved in the development of section 7 agreements with individual landowners for scoping work and meet…

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The figures for staff costs supplied in the answer to question S3W-35939 are based on an estimate of staff time devoted to developing and implementing control agreements under section 7 of the Deer (Scotland) Act 1996. Staff involved in the joint working prog…

4 Oct 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of the Deer Commission for Scotland budget in each of the last five years was spent on delivering and implementing section 7 agreements under the Deer (Scotland) Act 1996.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The following table details the proportion of Deer Commission for Scotland (DCS) budget that was spent in each of the last five years on delivering and implementing section 7 agreements. The table also includes estimates of the budget that was spent on joint …

4 Oct 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-35939 by Roseanna Cunningham on 14 September 2010, how the figures for Deer Commission for Scotland staff costs were calculated.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The figures for the Deer Commission for Scotland staff costs were calculated using the 2009-10 baseline. Details are as follows and include costs for the joint working programme, a process that aims to secure favourable conservation status on designated sites…

4 Oct 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-35939 by Roseanna Cunningham on 14 September 2010, what the average costs are of implementing control orders (a) per section 7 agreement and (b) per site of special scientific interest or special area of conservation-designated feature over the last …

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The costs of implementing control agreements issued under section 7 of the Deer (Scotland) Act 1996 are set out in the following table. The areas of individual sites vary considerably with control agreements extending over areas from approximately 2,500 hecta…

4 Oct 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, following publication of the report, Making Space for Nature: A review of England’s Wildlife Sites and Ecological Network, whether it will establish a similar inquiry or review for Scotland and, if not, how it determines what future work and resources are needed to protect and enhance pr…

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: We have no plans for an inquiry or review similar to the Lawton review in England. In Scotland, priorities for further work to protect and enhance species and habitats are considered by the working groups of the Scottish Biodiversity Forum which bring togethe…

4 Oct 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how its assessment of Scotland’s performance in meeting the 2010 target of halting the loss of biodiversity will inform decisions on where further effort and investment are needed in order to meet the international targets set for 2020.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: We are working with Scottish Natural Heritage and other partners in the Scottish Biodiversity Forum on our assessment of Scotland''s performance in meeting the EU 2010 target of halting the loss of biodiversity, and the UN Convention on Biological Diversity 2…