Alex Johnstone

18 Dec 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive why, under the Waste Incineration (Scotland) Regulations 2003, small waste oil burners of the same si'e can be used to heat homes but not offices or workshops.

Answer · Allan Wilson: Following comprehensiveconsultation with industry, it was decided to transpose the Waste IncinerationDirective through the existing pollution prevention and control (PPC) regime. TheWaste Incineration (Scotland) Regulations 2003 implement the directive byamen…

18 Dec 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive why it has decided not to set a threshold in relation to small commercial waste oil burners under the Waste Incineration (Scotland) Regulations 2003, as has been set by Her Majesty's Government, and whether it has any plans to review its interpretation of the regulations to reflect the po…

Answer · Allan Wilson: I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-5142 on 20 January 2004.All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/we…

18 Dec 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-4278 by Allan Wilson on 5 December 2003, whether it has the power to specify threshold levels for small commercial waste oil burners under the Waste Incineration (Scotland) Regulations 2003, as has been exercised by Her Majesty's Government under the…

Answer · Allan Wilson: The Waste Incineration (Scotland)Regulations 2003 transpose the Waste Incineration Directive (2000/76/EC). Section57(2) of the Scotland Act 1998 provides that the Executive has no power to makeregulations in a way that is incompatible with European Community …

20 Nov 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the Waste Incineration (Scotland) Regulations 2003, why existing guidelines allowing locally regulated recycling of waste oil for space heating cannot be maintained.

Answer · Allan Wilson: The Waste Incineration (Scotland) Regulations2003 bring the burning of waste oils on commercial premises into a new controlregime. These regulations supersede any earlier guidance. The existing 2001guidance from the Department of Trade and Industry warns that…

20 Nov 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive why the Waste Incineration (Scotland) Regulations 2003 do not recognise the role of small generators and processors of waste oil in preventing localised pollution whilst the equivalent regulations proposed by Her Majesty's Government do.

Answer · Allan Wilson: The provisions in the WasteIncineration (Scotland) Regulations 2003 relating to small waste oilburners are the same as the equivalent provisions in the Waste IncinerationRegulations for England and Wales. It would be inappropriate for the Executive tocomment …

20 Nov 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any concerns that localised pollution will increase in the event of small waste oil burners being made cost-prohibitive as a result of the Waste Incineration (Scotland) Regulations 2003.

Answer · Allan Wilson: Operators are under a dutyof care to ensure that they dispose of waste oil without harming theenvironment. The Executive does not anticipate an increase in localisedpollution unless anyone was to dispose of the waste oil illegally. The ScottishEnvironment Pro…

20 Nov 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will address any concerns that many small waste oil burners will be made cost-prohibitive as a result of the Waste Incineration (Scotland) Regulations 2003.

Answer · Allan Wilson: It would be inappropriatefor the Executive to become involved in commercial decisions on whether itwould be viable to upgrade small-scale industrial waste oil burners to meet therequirements of the Waste Incineration (Scotland) Regulations 2003.</p>

20 Nov 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any small waste oil burners will be made cost-prohibitive as a result of the Waste Incineration (Scotland) Regulations 2003 and, if so, how waste oil will be rendered harmless, particularly in rural and remote areas.

Answer · Allan Wilson: The decision on whether itwould be cost-prohibitive to upgrade small waste oil burners to meet therequirements of the Waste Incineration (Scotland) Regulations 2003 is a commercial matter forindividual operators. It is expected that many small burners will cl…

20 Nov 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether small waste oil burners help prevent localised pollution.

Answer · Allan Wilson: The Executive does notbelieve that small commercial waste oil burners help prevent localisedpollution. These units, which are generally of very simple design and have no pollutionabatement equipment fitted, have the potential to cause localised air pollution.…

20 Nov 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive why the Waste Incineration (Scotland) Regulations 2003 classified small domestic or commercial oil burners in the same category as oil-fired power stations and industrial quarries.

Answer · Allan Wilson: The Waste Incineration (Scotland)Regulations 2003 were made to fulfil the Executive’s obligations under theEuropean Directive on the incineration of waste (EC 2000-76-EC). The directivedefines incineration plant as a stationary or mobile technical unit andequ…

5 Nov 2003 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the implementation of the European Commission Waste Incineration Directive will have on the use of small waste oil burners.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The impact theWaste Incineration (Scotland) Regulations 2003, which transposethe Waste Incineration Directive, will have on small waste oil burners (SWOBs) dependson individual circumstances. A SWOB will only be affected if it is deemed to bea technical unit …

27 Oct 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to allow local authorities to cap council tax rises for pensioners or introduce exemptions from council tax, similar to such proposals by Her Majesty's Government.

Answer · Tavish Scott: Her Majesty’s Government has made no such proposals.</p>

27 Oct 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how individuals and representative groups, including groups representing pensioners, will have an input into the independent review into local government finance.

Answer · Tavish Scott: I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-3658 on 10 November 2003. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/…

27 Oct 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made by the independent review into local government finance.

Answer · Tavish Scott: We are discussing thetiming, remit and format of the review with COSLA. We will announce ourconclusions when those discussions have been completed.</p>

24 Oct 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will be represented at the International Solid Waste Association Congress 2003 in Melbourne, Australia, from 9 to 14 November 2003.

Answer · Ross Finnie: No.</p>

1 Oct 2003 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met staff representatives from the Scottish Agricultural College's (SAC) Craibstone Campus and what issues were discussed.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive has not met staff representatives from SAC’s Craibstone Campus.</p>

24 Sep 2003 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether education will continue to be provided in the long term by the Scottish Agricultural College at the Craibstone complex in light of the strategic review announcement on Tuesday 16 September 2003.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The Scottish Agricultural College’s (SAC) proposals for the delivery of education were described in its NewsRelease dated 16 September. SAC said that it proposes to retain traditional HNC/HNDprovision on a regional basis in Ayrshire and Aberdeenshire, subject…

5 Sep 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated production is per kilowatt of electricity of the installed capacity of devices designed to harness wind, wave, tidal and solar energy in a period of dead calm, at the moment when the tide turns, during the hours of darkness.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Renewable energy is dependenton the renewable resource, therefore, if there is no resource, no power will beoutput. However, since Scotland is noted as having the greatest wind and wave resourcein western Europe, it is highly probable that a calm period in on…

5 Sep 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated minimum production is per kilowatt of electricity of the installed capacity of devices designed to harness (a) wind, (b) wave, (c) tidal and (d) solar energy.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The minimum production ofall power generation technologies (conventional or renewable) is zero, incircumstances where there is no fuel or resource available.</p>

5 Sep 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated average daily production is per kilowatt of electricity of the installed capacity of devices designed to harness (a) wind, (b) wave, (c) tidal and (d) solar energy.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: This information is not heldcentrally.</p>

5 Sep 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its projection is for the likely demand for electricity by 2020 as a percentage of the 2003 demand.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive is currently in the process of commissioning a study into energy supplyand use in Scotland to inform the development of an integrated strategyfor demand-side management and renewable generation.</p>

4 Sep 2003 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Presiding Officer how much it cost the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body to produce and show the film of Sir Sean Connery's visit to the new Scottish Parliament building site and on whose authority funding was provided to produce and show the film.

Answer · Andrew Welsh: Sir Sean Connery’s visit to theHolyrood Parliament building on Thursday, 28 August was filmed by the Parliament’sBroadcasting Unit under the authority of the Parliament’s Head of Broadcasting inconsultation with the Parliament’s Head of Media. The pictures ge…

25 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance is available to Montrose Port Authority for the reconstruction of berth 16 on Montrose's south quay and whether it will meet representatives of the authority to discuss this matter.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Executive policy on assistancefor ports is set out in <i>Modern Ports: A UK</i> <i>Policy</i> (Bib. number 9874),a copy of which is available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre. Officials inthe Executive met representatives of Montrose Port Authority on…

8 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive on which road locations in Angus fatal and serious road accidents have been recorded since 1999.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Central StatisticalDatabase contains information on the road class and number (if any), the gridreference of the locations of road accidents, local authority area and policeforce area.</p><p>Figures for the numbers ofaccidents on individual roads can only…

8 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide local authorities with additional funding to support local access forums.

Answer · Allan Wilson: <div class=Section1><p>I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-1949 today. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility forwhich can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliam…

8 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much each local authority will spend on local access forums under the Land Reform Act (Scotland) 2003 in 2003-04.

Answer · Allan Wilson: <div class=Section1><p>Each local authority willhave discretion as to the number and size of local access forums which itdecides to establish. It is not possible, therefore, to estimate at this stagethe spend by each local authority on access forums. However,…

15 Jul 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much it is spending on flood prevention issues; what its future spending proposals are, and what this money is being, or will be, spent on.

Answer · Allan Wilson: Provision of publicly fundedflood defences is a matter for local authorities. Arising from the 2002spending review, the Executive increased the capital allocation available tolocal authorities for flood prevention and coast protection programmes to atotal of …

11 Jul 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many ruddy ducks have been culled in Scotland under the UK-wide culling programme; where such culls have been taken place, and what the cost of such culls has been.

Answer · Allan Wilson: In Scotland, 216 ruddy ducks were culled in Fife between April 1999 and May 2002. The cull formed part of the UK Ruddy Duck Control Trial, established to determine the feasibility of reducing the UK ruddy duck population, to research the most appropriate meth…

3 Jul 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-652 by Allan Wilson on 18 June 2003, whether it will undertake further consultation with other groups about the Scottish Forestry Grants Scheme in light of any companies expressing willingness to develop willow for co-firing since the original consul…

Answer · Allan Wilson: The Scottish Forestry Grants Scheme customers representatives group is scheduled to meet on 28 August. This group includes representatives from the Scottish Crofting Foundation, the Scottish Landowners Federation, the Institute of Chartered Foresters, the For…

3 Jul 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-652 by Allan Wilson on 18 June 2003, whether it will give details of all stakeholders involved in the development of the Scottish Forestry Grants Scheme.

Answer · Allan Wilson: The steering group was made up of representatives from Timber Growers Association (now called Forestry and Timber Association), Scottish Landowners Federation, National Farmers Union for Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage, Institute of Chartered Foresters, S…