Sarah Boyack

7 Sep 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by Fergus Ewing on 3 September 2015 (Official Report, c.52), (a) what support and (b) how much inward investment it will provide to mitigate the impact of the closure of Longannet Power Station on (i) communities, (ii) businesses and (iii) employees in (A) Kinca…

Answer · Fergus Ewing: We recognise that the impact of the closure of Longannet will be felt in Fife and across Scotland. An economic development plan will be developed by the Longannet taskforce, which was set up by the Scottish Government to support the workers, businesses and co…

7 Sep 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-26272 by Fergus Ewing on 27 July 2015, whether it will publish the minutes of the meetings with representatives of (a) Broad Alliance, (b) the UK Onshore Operators Group, (c) Friends of the Earth Scotland, (d) COSLA and (e) The Royal Society for the…

Answer · Fergus Ewing: In cases where there is a recorded minute of these meetings, a copy will be lodged in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

7 Sep 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-26063 by Fergus Ewing on 22 June 2015, when it will provide a substantive update on its plans for a consultation and accompanying work on unconventional gas and fracking.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: Further details of the consultation and accompanying work will be announced in due course.

7 Sep 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the announcement on unconventional oil and gas by Fergus Ewing on 28 January 2015 (Official Report, c. 17), what progress it has made on (a) commissioning a full public health impact assessment, (b) conducting further work into strengthening planning guidance and (c) looking …

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government is taking time to develop an extensive and robust evidence base, and ministers have continued to meet with key stakeholders over the summer to discuss this work. In line with our cautious evidence-based approach, we will continue to t…

31 Aug 2015 · Topical Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with National Museums Scotland regarding the ongoing pay dispute.

25 Aug 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making towards the development of an animal health and welfare strategy.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: Effective animal health and welfare policies that build on Scotland’s reputation for good husbandry are essential for the future of the livestock industry. Discussions have already taken place with stakeholders and identified a number of possible initiatives.…

25 Aug 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what secondary legislation under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 it plans to introduce before March 2016.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: As noted in answer to question S4W-25563 on 2 June 2015, it is planned to bring the Microchipping of Dogs (Scotland) Regulations 2016 into force in January 2016, with the requirement for mandatory microchipping of all dogs coming into effect in April 2016. A…

25 Aug 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question SW4-25062 by Aileen McLeod on 21 April 2015, what the timeframe is for the review and how it will be carried out.

Answer · Aileen McLeod: The timeframe for the Snaring Review is set out under Section 11F of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. This section states that the review must be completed no later than 31 December 2016. The details of the procedure for the review will be announced in …

25 Aug 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-22977 by Paul Wheelhouse on 14 November 2014, how many people had obtained an identification number by 1 August 2015.

Answer · Aileen McLeod: By 1 August 2015, 1,166 snare users, having attended the required training, had obtained their snaring identification number from the Chief Constable of Police Scotland.

25 Aug 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-19275 by Paul Wheelhouse on 30 January 2014, how many people had attended the training by 1 August 2015.

Answer · Aileen McLeod: By 1 August 2015, 2386 people had attended and completed a snaring training course.

19 Aug 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the announcement by the Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform on 9 June 2015 that energy efficiency will be designated as a national infrastructure priority, what new measures it will take to deliver energy efficiency improvements in the transport sector.

Answer · Derek Mackay: The Scottish Government are delivering a number of energy efficiency improvements across the Scottish transport sector. We are installing LED Road Lighting luminaires on the Scottish Trunk Road Network, which can achieve a 50% reduction in energy consumption,…

17 Aug 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consultation it carried out with its scientific advisors prior to its recent decision on GM crops, and what advice they provided.

Answer · Aileen McLeod: The Scottish Government made the decision to opt out of cultivating EU approved GM crops on the basis that it is not willing to risk Scotland’s multi-billion pound food and drink sector. Like Europe’s biggest country, Germany, the Scottish Government has rest…

17 Aug 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the comments by the Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform on 11 August 2015, what criteria will be applied in determining whether the licensing of shooting businesses should be introduced, and when this determination will be made.

Answer · Aileen McLeod: The Scottish Government has put in place a number of measures to tackle raptor persecution, including the introduction of vicarious liability, a scheme to remove illegal pesticides from the environment, and restrictions on the use of general licences on land …

17 Aug 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the remit is of its examination of the regulation of game shooting, and when its findings will be published.

Answer · Aileen McLeod: The planned review of the regulation of game shooting will look at measures that are deployed elsewhere, particularly in the European Union. This is expected to be a desk-based study and further details of the work, including the remit and timetable, will be …

17 Aug 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the findings of its study of the sentences applied in wildlife crime cases.

Answer · Aileen McLeod: The Wildlife Crime Penalties Review Group is currently considering a final draft of its report which, when completed, will be submitted to me.

1 Jul 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what monitoring and enforcement tools it has put in place to ensure that fishing vessels comply with the pelagic discard ban; how many warnings have been issued to fishing vessels in Scotland for infringing the ban; how many infringements have been recorded; whether there have been prose…

Answer · Richard Lochhead: Marine Scotland deploys three ocean-going marine protection vessels and two specialist maritime surveillance aircraft to monitor compliance with the pelagic discard ban and all other fisheries legislation in the Scottish zone. In addition Marine Scotland o…

1 Jul 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how the implementation of the pelagic discard ban has affected the pelagic fleet and what evaluation it has undertaken of the success of the ban.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The pelagic landing obligation came into force on 1 January 2015. Those fisheries affected by its introduction are traditionally ‘clean’ fisheries, meaning that historic levels of discarding are recorded as negligible. Although no formal evaluation of the pel…

1 Jul 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when planning decisions will be taken on the Allt Duine, Sallachy and Glencassley proposals for renewable development.

Answer · John Swinney: A decision has been taken on Allt Duine. The planning application was refused by Scottish Ministers on 30 July 2015. In respect of Glencassley and Sallachy, the consideration that officials and ministers have been required to give to these proposals, inclu…

1 Jul 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to its announcement on 9 June 2015 that energy efficiency would be designated as a national infrastructure project (Official Report, c. 60), whether the new scheme under the Energy Efficiency Programmes for Scotland will set specific targets for improving the energy efficiency o…

Answer · Alex Neil: The detail and design of Scotland’s energy efficiency programme which will lie at the heart of the national infrastructure priority will be developed in close co-operation with stakeholders across Scotland. We need an approach that can take account of the div…

1 Jul 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how its announcement on 9 June 2015 that energy efficiency will be designated as a national infrastructure project (Official Report, c. 60) will change its approach to delivering improvements to energy efficiency.

Answer · Alex Neil : We will set out further details of the national infrastructure priority designation later this year when we publish our refreshed infrastructure investment plan. We will use the powers recommended by The Smith Commission to build on our successful Home Energ…

1 Jul 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform’s statement on 9 June 2015 (Official Report c. 58), how it plans to “work together with energy experts, businesses and communities to develop a more holistic approach to these issues over the next year.”

Answer · Alex Neil : The Scottish Government has a strong track record of working with energy experts, businesses and communities to develop energy efficiency programmes to help meet Scottish needs. We will work closely with relevant stakeholders over the coming months on how we …

10 Jun 2015 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish an updated infrastructure investment plan.

20 May 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to address each of the recommendations of the Committee on Climate Change in Reducing emissions in Scotland: 2015 progress report.

Answer · Aileen McLeod: As made clear in the Scottish Government’s response to the Committee on Climate Change 2015 progress report laid before parliament on 15 May 2015 (laying number: SG/2015/59), although we are making substantial progress, the Scottish Government recognises that…

18 May 2015 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with stakeholders regarding boosting the economy of Edinburgh and the south east of Scotland.

15 May 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what research it has carried out on developing more effective systems of waste collection to maximise opportunities for recycling and the reuse of materials and what specific advice it has offered local authorities regarding procurement.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government has funded Zero Waste Scotland research and guidance on effective systems for waste collection to maximise reuse and recycling. This can be found on the Zero Waste Scotland and WRAP websites and includes: Kerbside Recycling Indicative…

15 May 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what work it is doing to deal with contaminated recyclate.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government has taken a number of actions that will improve the quality of recyclate in Scotland by reducing contamination, as follows: The Code of Practice on Sampling and Reporting at Material Recovery Facilities, published in March 2015, requi…

11 May 2015 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the City of Edinburgh Council regarding its proposed local development plan.

5 May 2015 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support community policing in Edinburgh.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government is committed to protecting and supporting frontline services and local community policing across the whole of Scotland – supported by this government’s continued commitment to 1,000 additional officers and our ambitious Building Safer …

1 May 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on the proportion of gadget waste that is recycled.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: Statistics on waste recycling are collected and reported by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, available at: http://www.sepa.org.uk/environment/waste/waste-data/ The most recent household waste figures show 31,000 tonnes of ‘Discarded equipment (ex…

23 Apr 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many inpatients there have been at the Edinburgh Western General Hospital's Royal Victoria Building in each year since 2012; how many were recorded as having fell while in the hospital; how many fell more than once, and how many subsequent complaints were made.

Answer · Shona Robison: All patient falls are reported on our adverse event reporting system Datix. Table 1 reports all falls reported by severity and year for Royal Victoria Building (wards 70-75): No known adverse effect at this time Harm to a person – minor Harm to a person…