Robin Harper

12 Apr 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that any new investment in recycling infrastructure to meet the recycling targets set for itself by the newspaper industry will benefit Scotland.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: The Executive is a joint contributor to the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP). One of WRAP's key priorities is to stimulate a significant increase in newsprint reprocessing capacity in the UK. Specifically, WRAP's programme includes a target to supp…

12 Apr 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-11507 by Angus MacKay on 23 November 2000, which of the organisations and individuals who responded to its consultation in response to the recommendations contained in the report of the McIntosh Commission were in favour of combined local authority a…

Answer · Peter Peacock: A copy of the detailed responses to this consultation is held centrally for public inspection at the Scottish Executive Library. In general terms of those who responded to this question, 29, including CoSLA, were in favour of combined elections whilst 22 were…

12 Apr 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many jobs the recycling industry directly supports.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: The information requested is not held centrally.

12 Apr 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that any new UK investment in recycling infrastructure benefits Scotland.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: The Executive is a joint contributor to the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP). One of WRAP's key priorities is to stimulate a significant increase in reprocessing capacity in the UK. Specifically, WRAP's programme includes a target to attract at lea…

12 Apr 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what targets have been set for the recycling of municipal waste over the next (a) five, (b) 10 and (c) 15 years and who is responsible for setting and monitoring these targets.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: Recycling targets have not been set. However, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has established a Recycling Targets Working Group consisting of representatives from the Scottish Executive, CoSLA, local authorities and Recycling Market Developm…

12 Apr 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what subsidies are available for the recycling of municipal waste; what amounts are involved, and what the source is of each subsidy.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: Details of grants and subsidies available for the recycling of municipal waste are given in the table.<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=616><TR><TD WIDTH="32%" VALIGN="TOP"><P ALIGN="CENTER">GRANT / SUBSIDY</TD><TD WIDTH="18%" VALIGN="TOP"><P AL…

12 Apr 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much revenue is currently generated from the recycling of municipal waste.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: This is a matter for local authorities. The information requested is not held centrally.

12 Apr 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much and what proportion of Scotland's municipal waste is currently recycled within Scotland.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: Information is not held centrally on the proportion of municipal waste collected in Scotland which is currently recycled into new material within Scotland.

9 Apr 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received any representations from A/F Protein Inc. or from any other company involved in the genetic modification of fish and, if so, when and what issues have been discussed.

Answer · Ross Finnie: No such representations have been received by the Scottish Executive.

9 Apr 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what research into genetically-modified fish it has funded and what the purpose, length and cost of any such research was and which institution undertook it.

Answer · Ross Finnie: No scientific projects on genetically modified or transgenic fish have been directly funded by the Scottish Executive.

29 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the exclusion of energy from waste from the Scottish Renewables Order would reduce the achievability of its target for electricity from renewable sources by 2010.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: The achievement of our renewable energy target for 2010 under the Renewables Obligation (Scotland) will be dependent on many factors, of which the inclusion or otherwise of any particular technology will be only one.

29 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to exclude energy from waste from renewable energy funding in the light of the majority of the responses to the consultation exercise on the Scottish Renewables Order objecting to its inclusion and given the position in England and Wales.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: A final decision on the technologies to be included within the Renewables Obligation (Scotland) has not yet been taken. We will consider the options carefully in the light of responses to the recent consultation paper, and in the light of the various energy f…

29 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to amend the definition of recycling to exclude ash from municipal waste incinerators, in line with the National Waste Strategy for England and Wales, and, if it does, when the definition will be amended.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: The definition of recycling, for the purpose of setting targets, is being considered by the Recycling Targets Group which has been established by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and is made up of representatives from SEPA, the Scottish Execu…

29 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many breaches of the authorised limits have been reported from each municipal waste incinerator in each year since 1990 and whether it will provide details of each breach.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: This is a matter for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. The information requested is not held centrally.

29 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how and where ash from municipal waste incinerators closed since 1990 was disposed of.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: This is a matter for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. The information requested is not held centrally.

29 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what subsidies have been given, and from what sources, for municipal waste incineration in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: We make no direct subsidy for municipal waste incineration. However, under the Scottish Renewables Obligation (SRO), there is a subsidy towards the cost of electricity generated by a SRO project. The only SRO energy-from-waste plant in operation in Scotland i…

29 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what future role and function the Joint Nature Conservation Committee will have in Scotland in the light of the Stage 1 Report by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR), Review of the Joint Nature Conservation Committee 2001, and how Scottish interests will be…

Answer · Rhona Brankin: No decisions have yet been taken on the future of JNCC. Whatever arrangements are finally reached will need to reflect Scottish circumstances, and Scottish Ministers will be fully involved in the decision-taking.

28 Mar 2001 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the meeting between the First Minister and Scotland Environment Link on the decision not to appoint a dedicated Minister for the Environment has taken place and, if so, what the outcome was.

Answer · Ross Finnie: I hope that this meeting will take place soon.

21 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to the forthcoming public consultation on fluoridation of the drinking water supply, how it intends to ensure that the public is as well informed about alternative methods of reducing dental caries as it is about fluoridation of the water supply.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: As described in <I>Our National Health: a plan for action a plan for change</I>, the consultation will be wide-ranging and seek views on a range of measures to improve children's oral health, not only fluoridation of the public water supply.

16 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, regarding the timber used in the recent refurbishment of the Forestry Commission (Scotland) Headquarters at Corstorphine in Edinburgh, how much timber and of what type was from (a) environmentally sustainable sources and (b) other sources, and how the environmental sustainability of any …

Answer · Rhona Brankin: The refurbishment of the Forestry Commission's headquarters will not be completed until next year. Timber suppliers will be required to provide information (such as origin and certification) to demonstrate that the timber comes from legal and sustainably mana…

16 Mar 2001 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Presiding Officer whether the Holyrood Project Team or the Holyrood Progress Group was asked by Bovis Lendlease whether certified timber should be specified for the new Parliament building and, if so, what answer was given.

Answer · David Steel: I understand that the procurement of timber for the Holyrood building was considered jointly by representatives of Bovis Lend Lease, the Project Team, the Design Team and the Holyrood Progress Group, taking into account advice from the Forestry Commission. Th…

16 Mar 2001 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Presiding Officer whether the specification for timber to be used for the new Parliament building includes a requirement that it be obtained from environmentally sustainable sources and whether the specification will be made publicly available.

Answer · David Steel: I understand from the Convener of the Holyrood Progress Group that specifications for Holyrood building works packages which include timber state that, &quot;all timber and timber-based materials used in the project must either be demonstrably from well manag…

5 Feb 2001 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister when the Scottish Executive will make available in full its report An Exploration of Regional Climate Change Scenarios for Scotland.

Answer · Henry McLeish: I welcome this opportunity to inform Parliament that the full report of this important study for Scotland will be published tomorrow.

19 Dec 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will require that archaeological surveys are carried out before any forestry planting on new ground at the same time as Strategic Environmental Assessments are carried out.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: The Forestry Commission already requires archaeological surveys to be carried out as part of the environmental assessment of forestry planting proposals where there is likely to be a significant impact on the archaeological features of the area.

11 Dec 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will encourage the development of community wind power schemes as well as commercial ones.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: Under the last round of the Scottish Renewables Obligation in 1997, special provision was made to encourage the development of small, community-scale clusters of wind turbines. I recently launched a consultation document on a new renewables support mechanism …

15 Nov 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it intends to take following the publication of the recent report by its Central Research Unit, Survey of Complainers to the Scottish Legal Services Ombudsman, and specifically whether it intends to instigate a review relating to complaints against solicitors and the way thes…

Answer · Jim Wallace: The aim of the Survey of Complainers to the Scottish Legal Services Ombudsman (SLSO) was to help the Ombudsman to improve the view and the understanding which complainers have of the SLSO's investigations. The study yielded useful operational information, it …

10 Oct 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of any problems caused by any increase in the seagull population and gull nesting sites in urban residential areas.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: Urban nesting by most species of gull has increased over the last two decades and a number of enquiries relating to nuisance caused by gulls are received by the Executive each year.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">Lethal control of three species of gull (Herring gull, Grea…

27 Sep 2000 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when an overall Scottish target for the reduction of emissions causing climate change will be announced and how and when separate targets for industry, commerce, transport and other sectors will be set.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The Executive is considering the responses to the Scottish Climate Change Consultation, which ended on 2 June. I plan to publish the final Scottish Climate Change Programme in the near future. This will detail the action we will take in Scotland across all se…

20 Sep 2000 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of the Marine Health Check report by Worldwide Fund for Nature, in particular the conclusion that the health of the marine environment is deteriorating, and what action it intends to take in response to this report.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: I have only received this report in the last week. I can assure Mr Harper that I will be studying it carefully.<P>From a preliminary read it is clear that the report raises issues which go considerably beyond the competence of this Parliament. But I agree we …

30 Aug 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average cost is of providing one kilometre of (a) a guided busway route and (b) a Greenway bus priority lane.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The information requested is not held centrally.