Parliamentary questions

Peter Peacock

1,395 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

18 May 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much coastal dune system is planted with trees on the national forest estate.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: There are 4,540 hectares of coastal sand dune system planted with trees on the national forest estate.

18 May 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much unmarked deer fencing remains in capercaillie core areas.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Capercaillie Project Officer, funded by SNH, Forestry Commission Scotland and RSPB keeps a full inventory of the deer fences within one kilometre of active capercaillie lek sites. The inventory shows that the amount of unmarked fencing in these areas is c…

18 May 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many Forestry Commission Scotland staff have current bat licences.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: There are 26 Forestry Commission Scotland staff who currently have bat handling licences.

18 May 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many felling licences issued in the last four years included conditions related to minimising disturbance to badgers.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS) has not issued any felling licences in the last four years which included specific conditions relating to minimising disturbance to badgers. FCS does, however, formally notify felling licence applicants of their responsibili…

18 May 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive to what extent planning authorities are bound by the recommendations arising from examination reports on strategic development plans and local development plans as set out in Planning Circular 1 2009: Development Planning.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The process differs for strategic development plans (SDPs) and local development plans (LDPs), given Scottish Ministers'' statutory role in approving SDPs. Once they have received the examination report on a proposed SDP, section 13 of the Planning …

18 May 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what funding has been committed to monitor bee diseases in 2010-11 and what the equivalent figures were for (a) 2007-08 (b) 2008-09 and (c ) 2009-10.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: Funding is not allocated directly to the monitoring of bee diseases. The Scottish Government provides funding for a number of areas in relation to the health of honeybees including support for a team of 12 bee inspectors (four full-time equivalents) and a fre…

18 May 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its assessment is of the (a) health and (b) numbers of the bee population following the severe weather conditions in the winter of 2009-10.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The health of the bee population will be clearer when more inspections have been completed this summer. An assessment of information provided by commercial bee farmers indicates that overwinter losses are highly variable between businesses, ranging f…

18 May 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to inspect hives in spring 2010 to establish the status of disease among honeybees.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: Scottish Government Bee Inspectors commenced their programme of inspections in May 2010. Inspections have initially focussed on the apiaries of the commercial beekeepers in the Perthshire area that were most severely affected by European Foulbrood in 2009. In…

18 May 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its assessment is of the extent of (a) European and (b) American foulbrood.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: In 2009 European foulbrood was confirmed in 255 hives in 64 apiaries located in Perthshire, Angus, Inverness and Moray. In 2009 American foulbrood was confirmed in 123 hives in 32 apiaries located in Inverness-shire, Perthshire and Angus and the St…

4 May 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether Scottish internet service providers will be among the stakeholders to be consulted to explore the UK Government’s Digital Britain telecoms strategy in more detail.

Answer · Jim Mather: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-33497 on 13 May 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Bu…

4 May 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive who the key Scottish stakeholders are that will be involved in helping develop future broadband strategy and responding to the recommendations of the UK Government’s Digital Britain telecoms strategy.

Answer · Jim Mather: The Scottish Government has established a small group of key Scottish stakeholders in order to help us improve our understanding of wider Scottish interests in the telecoms elements of Digital Britain. This will allow us to present a robust and inclusive Scot…

27 Apr 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that it has a role, along with the UK Government, in seeking to secure upgraded broadband connectivity across Scotland, which Scottish Government objectives the upgrading of broadband connectivity would support and what it believes are the roles it can perform in seek…

Answer · Jim Mather: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-33389 on 12 May 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at: <a href="file:///\\sh260eda\PQDocs$\S3W\32500-3299…

27 Apr 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what (a) target it has to support the achievement of universal coverage across Scotland of super-fast broadband, (b) year it expects this target to be met in, (c) speeds it considers would constitute minimum super-fast broadband and (d) its position is on the objectives in the Digital Bri…

27 Apr 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it shares the universal service commitment target of 2 Mbs by 2012 set out in the Digital Britain report as its objective for Scotland or whether it has set a separate target and, if so, within what timescales.

Answer · Jim Mather: Whilst the Scottish Government does welcome the UK Government''s universal service commitment target of 2 Mbps (megabits per second) by 2012, we would not wish this to be a restrictive target in terms of potential future scaleability. The Scottish Government'…

29 Mar 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether applications for assistance from public funds from crofting community trusts are subject to the same scrutiny as those from other organisations.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: An eligible crofting community trust''s application to a public funding scheme is subject to the same level of scrutiny as applications from other eligible organisations.

29 Mar 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether a crofting community trust is regarded as a properly constituted organisation in relation to applications for assistance from public funds.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: A crofting community trust will - as with all applicants - require to meet the eligibility requirements for any public funding programme to which they apply, in order to be considered for funding.

29 Mar 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what it defines as a properly constituted organisation in relation to applications for assistance from public funds.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Organisations looking to acquire funding from public funds will require to be properly constituted in accordance with the requirements of whichever funding programme they apply to. For example regulation 9 of The Leader Grants (Scotland) Regulations …

17 Mar 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will commit to upgrading the sections of the A82 with the greatest accident rates.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The sections of the A82 which currently have the greatest accident rates are between Tarbet and Crianlarich and Ballachulish and Fort William. Regarding the section between Tarbet and Crianlarich, subject to satisfactory completion of statutory proce…

17 Mar 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what next section of the A82 it will commit to upgrading.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Within the current programme work is progressing to deliver improvements at Crianlarich and Pulpit Rock. Subject to satisfactory completion of statutory procedures, it is estimated that the Crianlarich bypass will be open to traffic in 2012-13. Regar…

17 Mar 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the projected improvement is on the accident rate on the A82 following the upgrading of the Crianlarich section.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The projected accident rate associated with the newly designed single carriageway at Crianlarich is 0.293 (personal injury accidents per million vehicle kilometers). This is less than half the rate associated with the section of the A82 being bypassed in rece…

17 Mar 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the reasons were for prioritising the upgrading of the A82 at Crianlarich rather than upgrading sections with a greater accident rate.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The A82 Route Action Plan (RAP) published in April 2006 identified six long term measures to address key operational problems along the route. On the basis of these recommendations Scottish ministers decided to take forward the A82 Crianlarich Bypass and the…

15 Mar 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what arrangements it has in place for a second round of Wave and Tidal Energy Support Scheme (WATES) funding and what criteria will be used to determine applications.

Answer · Jim Mather: A new £12 million fund to support wave and tidal energy technologies (known as WATERS) has now been launched and a call for applications is currently open. The fund is being administered by Scottish Enterprise. Further information is available at: </…

15 Mar 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether funding allocated under the Wave and Tidal Energy Support Scheme (WATES) but not spent by March 2011 will be withdrawn.

Answer · Jim Mather: Funds in respect of projects granted support under the WATES scheme must be spent by March 2011. Activities beyond this point will not be eligible for WATES funding, and any unused funding will be recycled into other activities aimed at supporting the wave an…

15 Mar 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that all Wave and Tidal Energy Support Scheme (WATES) funding allocations are spent by March 2011.

Answer · Jim Mather: We are and will remain in close contact with the outstanding WATES project developers to ensure that the relevant funds are drawn down in accordance with agreed project milestones.

15 Mar 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to use any Wave and Tidal Energy Support Scheme (WATES) funding not drawn down by March 2011.

Answer · Jim Mather: Any WATES funding not drawn down by March 2011 will be available for recycling into other activities aimed at supporting the wave and tidal sector.

15 Mar 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether a company can continue to draw down its Wave and Tidal Energy Support Scheme (WATES) funding following changes in the technology it is developing.

Answer · Jim Mather: A company may retain its WATES grant in circumstances where any changes to the technology in question are a clear and demonstrable evolution of the original design, or a change in the size and rated capacity of the device.

15 Mar 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-31315 by Jim Mather on 2 March 2010, whether all applications have been assessed by the same criteria in relation to the draw down of Wave and Tidal Energy Support Scheme (WATES) funding.

Answer · Jim Mather: Yes.

4 Mar 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what studies have been undertaken into the projected CO2 emissions arising from the planned Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) structural reorganisation process and how this compares with the emissions from SEPA’s current operations.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: This is an operational matter for SEPA. I have asked Dr Campbell Gemmell, Chief Executive of SEPA, to respond to your question.

3 Mar 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the flood funding grant in 2010-11 and 2011-12 will take account of previous years’ flood expenditure by local authorities.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The General Capital Grant distributed to all authorities covers all services including flood risk management measures. A distribution methodology for resourcing these measures has been agreed with COSLA and does not take account of previous years'' expenditur…

3 Mar 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what advice it gives to onshore wind farm developers on the (a) considerations to be taken into account and (b) methods of calculation to be used in relation to the carbon payback of a proposal, particularly those involving peat land.

Answer · Jim Mather: The Scottish Government provides guidance to potential developers of onshore wind farms on the Energy Consents and Deployment Unit website. This includes: links to relevant energy, environmental and planning legislation; an indicative timetable for the proces…