Parliamentary questions

Linda Fabiani

2,507 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

24 Mar 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to commission nationwide studies on the effect of wind turbines on the environment in order to comply with Council Directive 2001/42/EC, which comes into force in July 2004.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: We have no plans to commissionsuch studies as the directive will apply to new plans and programmes started onor after 21 July 2004, or old plans if they will not be adopted before July 2006.Individual wind farm developments are, and will remain, subject to th…

24 Mar 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will measure emissions savings resulting from the generation of electricity by wind turbines.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Emissionssavings from wind power will vary depending upon the fuel that is displaced - displacement of coal will result in higher emission savingsthan displacement of gas. The most recently published data shows that wind generation in Scotland in 2002 account…

24 Mar 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it advised Scottish Power regarding its request to third party objectors to copy their submissions to Scottish Power in advance of recent local authority planning committee hearings in respect of the proposed wind farm at Whitelee Forest.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive issuesgeneral advice to applicants about the contents of notices published in connectionwith applications to the Scottish ministers for consent under the Electricity Act.The request referred to is not included in that advice. The notice…

23 Mar 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will respond to calls by South Lanarkshire Council and East Renfrewshire Council, among others, for it to ensure that Scottish Power submits separate planning applications with accompanying environmental assessments for the 16 sites it proposes to quarry to provide three million cu…

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: We are considering whether thesesites should be treated as ancillary to the development under s.36 of the ElectricityAct 1989 and will advise the councils and those other parties that have raised thismatter once a decision has been made.

23 Mar 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will now institute a public inquiry into the application to build a wind farm at Whitelee Forest, in light of Scottish Power's recent acknowledgement that it underestimated the amount of aggregate to be excavated from the site by over two million cubic metres and South Lanarksh…

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: There are a number of mattersconcerning this application that remain to be resolved. This is likely to take sometime. If at the end of this process there are still issues that cannot be resolvedwithout a public inquiry, then a public inquiry will be put in pl…

23 Mar 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will respond to the substantive objections submitted by the Sandford and Upper Avondale Community Council, among others, in March 2002 to the application under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 for the construction of a 322 megawatt wind farm at Whitelee Forest.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: All representations receivedin regard to the proposal will be fully considered when ministers determine theapplication. After the application is determined, the main reasons and considerationson which the decision was based will be sent to all parties who mad…

23 Mar 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what scientific evidence Scottish Power has provided to support the claim in its environmental impact assessment for the proposed wind farm at Whitelee Forest that peat removed during site construction can be successfully reinstated thus preventing it releasing large quantities of carbon …

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: This is one of a number of issuesthat remain to be considered by ministers when determining the application. No decisionwill be made until ministers are satisfied that appropriate measures are in placeto address the environmental and other impacts of the prop…

23 Mar 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many cubic metres of peat are now expected to be disturbed at the site of the proposed wind farm at Whitelee Forest following Scottish Power's identification of deeper and more extensive areas of peat within the site during further ground investigation.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The disturbance of peat is oneof a number of issues that remain to be considered prior to determination of theapplication by ministers. No decision will be made until these issues are resolvedor until it becomes clear that there is no solution available that …

23 Mar 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether Scottish Power was required to undertake a new environmental impact assessment at the site of the proposed wind farm at Whitelee Forest to estimate potential significant habitat impact from the proposed four-fold increase in aggregate to be quarried from the site and what the reas…

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Scottish Power were advised on29 May 2003 that the increased scale of borrow pits would, in terms of Regulation14 of the Electricity Works (Environmental Impact Assessment) (Scotland) Regulations2000, require a further environmental impact assessment.

23 Mar 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the quadrupling of the amount of aggregate to be quarried from the site of the proposed wind farm at Whitelee Forest makes the addendum to Scottish Power's proposal to build a 322 megawatt wind farm at Whitelee Forest a material change to the original application.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: We have considered this in consultationwith the three planning authorities and concluded that as the revised proposal constitutesa significant change to the original application, the applicant should be requiredto prepare an addendum to the environmental stat…

23 Mar 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it became aware that the amount of aggregate to be quarried from the site of the proposed wind farm at Whitelee Forest would be increased from three-quarters of a million cubic metres to three million cubic metres and whether this was a factor in the consideration of extending the co…

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: This information was given tothe Scottish Executive and the three relevant planning authorities during a meetingwith Scottish Power in May 2003. The reasons for the request for an extension tothe construction period are included in the addendum to the environ…

23 Mar 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive at what level the decision was taken to extend the construction programme in the application for a wind farm at Whitelee Forest from 24 to 31 months without public consultation.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The applicant’s proposal to extendthe construction programme will be considered when the proposal comes to be determined.In the meantime the applicant has included this proposal in its amended environmentalstatement, which has been the subject of public consu…

22 Mar 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what funding, and other support, it has provided to the Scottish Civic Forum in each year of its operation and what funding, and other support, it will provide to the forum in 2004-05.

Answer · Tavish Scott: The Executive has provided core funding to the Scottish Civic Forum as follows: <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <tr> <td> Year </td> <td> Amount (£000) </td> </tr> <tr> <td> 1999-2000 </td> <td> <p…

18 Mar 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether section 75 of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 is compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights.

Answer · Mary Mulligan: Scottish Planning Policy 1:The Planning System sets out the role of the European Convention on HumanRights within the planning system. The Executive undertook a review of existingplanning legislation from the perspective of the European Convention on HumanRig…

12 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what funding has been allocated under the New Housing Partnership programme in each year since its inception; whether any changes have been made to these allocations and, if so, whether it will detail the changes made, and what underspend there has been in each year, all broken down by l…

Answer · Margaret Curran: Details of the allocations of resources to councils under the New Housing Partnership programme and underspends against those allocations in each year since its inception are set out in the tables. The figures in the following tables are not cumulative. Alloc…

12 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much expenditure has been set aside for New Housing Partnership challenge funding and (a) what level of and (b) to whom such funding was distributed in each year for which it has been available.

Answer · Margaret Curran: The information on resources currently earmarked for each council and the spend for each complete year to date is set out in the table. It updates the information provided in the answer given to question S1W-32778 and takes into account changes in NHP allocat…

6 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what powers social work departments have to assist children and families from whom welfare benefits are withdrawn under clause 7 of the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants) Bill.

Answer · Euan Robson: If as a result of asylumsupport being withdrawn, a local authority considered that any child concernedwas one in need or one for whom accommodation should be provided under section25 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995, then it could exercise its powers inthe…

5 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will provide a substantive answer to question S2W-3857.

Answer · Tom McCabe: Question S2W-3857 wasanswered on 17 February 2004.

29 Jan 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S2W-4961 and S2W-4962 by Malcolm Chisholm on 26 January 2004, whether it can form companies for other purposes and, if not, what statutory impediment prevents it from doing so.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive may form companies where appropriate powers exist. All decisions oractions, including the formation of companies, by a public sector body must bewithin the powers (intra vires) of that body. Depending on the type ofpublic body, t…