Tavish Scott

17 Feb 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what proposed new (a) special areas of conservation and (b) marine protected areas (MPA) are in Shetland and what stakeholders have (i) been invited to take part and (ii) taken part in workshops to discuss the MPA search locations.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: Five proposals for Special Areas of Conservation have been approved by Scottish Ministers for public consultation. This includes the Pobie Bank Reef approximately 12nm east of Shetland. Further details can be found at http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/page-4537. No MP…

17 Feb 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what third parties have recently proposed a new marine protected area; how many have been proposed, and which of these are in Shetland.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: Thirty third party proposals have been received, where 27 are for nature conservation and three are for demonstration and research. The only one in Shetland is the Fair Isle demonstration and research proposal from The Fair Isle Marine Environment and Tourism…

17 Feb 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the timeline is for (a) identifying new marine protected areas (MPA), (b) reporting the MPA options to the Parliament for review and (c) the 12-week period of public consultation.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: As indicated in my ministerial statement on the creation of a network of Marine Protected Areas, which was laid in Parliament on 1 September 2010, the aim is to make significant progress towards identifying Nature Conservation MPA proposals to complete the ne…

17 Feb 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what EU guidance (a) supports and (b) opposes the inclusion of (i) economic or (ii) socioeconomic factors when considering the (A) designation and (B) management of (1) special areas of conservation and (2) marine protected areas.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-05752 on 1 March 2012. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybu…

17 Feb 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive (a) how and (b) when economic factors are taken into account when considering the (i) designation and (ii) management of (A) special areas of conservation and (B) marine protected areas.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-05752 on 1 March 2012. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybu…

17 Feb 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the differences are between a special area of conservation and a marine protected area.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: Marine Protected Areas and Special Areas of Conservation. The EU Habitats Directive requires member states to designate locations for certain internationally important habitats and species as Special Areas of Conservation contributing to a EU wide network of…

10 Feb 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many appeals relating to inaccurate Integrated Administration and Control System (IACS) land measurement fines there were at each of the (a) three stages of appeal procedure for each of the years from 2003 to 2008 and (b) two stages of appeal procedure for each of the years from 2009 …

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The following table provides a breakdown of the requested figures by year. Please note that each appeal is only counted once i.e. if it proceeds to Stage 3 it is only recorded in that column. Scheme Year Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 (Land Court) Total for …

10 Feb 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what financial target it has for total penalties being applied or to be applied to crofters and farmers under the Integrated Administration and Control System (IACS) of land measurement.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government does not have a target for levying financial penalties on farmers and crofters who over declare land in support of CAP subsidies (IACS). Any penalties that are applied arise from non-compliance with the definition of what constitutes e…

10 Feb 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what pressure the European Commission is bringing to bear on the Scottish Government in relation to land measurement under the Integrated Administration and Control System (IACS) of croft and farm areas.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The European Commission requires all EU member states to maintain a Land Parcel Information System (LPIS) for all land parcels that are involved in a claim for subsidy under the Common Agricultural Policy. This is part of its Integrated Administration and Con…

10 Feb 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many current Integrated Administration and Control System (IACS) 2011 plans are being investigated regarding measurement of land, broken down by Scottish Government Rural Payments and Inspections Directorate area office.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: We have selected 1,116 cases under the 2011 Integrated Administration and Control System (IACS) for land-based inspections, which include measurement of land. Of these, there are a small number still to carry out. The breakdown by area office is as follows: …

9 Feb 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether individual crofters will pay for the creation of a crofting register with a map acceptable to the National Records of Scotland and what the estimated cost will be of each registration application.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The Scottish Government will meet the full costs of creating the new Crofting Register under Part 2 of the Crofting Reform (Scotland) Act 2010, which is expected to become available for registration of crofts and other croft land later this year. The governm…

19 Jan 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-04539 by Fiona Hyslop on 11 January 2012, what discussions have taken place between it, its media agency and local newspapers to seek tie-ins between paid-for advertising from government agencies and editorial content promoting the work of ministers.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: No discussions of this sort have taken place.

19 Jan 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-04539 by Fiona Hyslop on 11 January 2012, what discussions took place between it, its media agency and The Shetland Times on the inclusion of editorial content on the First Minister’s visit to China in the same edition, on 2 December 2011, as a Natur…

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: No conversation took place between the Scottish Government, its agencies and the Shetland Times with regards to the editorial on the First Minister's visit to China. The inclusion of the editorial article about the First Minister’s visit was entirely at the d…

13 Jan 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive from what budget the road equivalent tariff scheme is funded.

Answer · Keith Brown: The Road Equivalent Tariff scheme is funded from the “Road Equivalent Tariff” budget line.

13 Jan 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what budget receives the money returned from Northlink Orkney and Shetland Ferries Ltd as part of the North Isles ferry contract’s clawback mechanism.

Answer · Keith Brown: Clawback payments received go back into the “Support for Ferry Services” budget.

13 Jan 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-04537 by Keith Brown on 10 January 2012, how much has been allocated to the road equivalent tariff scheme in each of the last five financial years and how much is anticipated in the current financial year.

Answer · Keith Brown: The following table details the Scottish Government spend on the Road Equivalent Tariff scheme since it started in October 2008. Financial Year RET spend 2007-08 N/A 2008-09 £1,700,000 2009-10 £6,500,000 2010-11 £6,500,000 2011-12 (forecast) £6,50…

13 Jan 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-04534 by Keith Brown on 10 January 2012, how much money has been allocated to the Gourock-Dunoon ferry service in each of the last five financial years and how much is anticipated in the current financial year.

Answer · Keith Brown: Please see the information in the following table: Financial Year Amount Operator 2007-08 £2,270,000 Cowal Ferries Ltd 2008-09 £3,130,000 Cowal Ferries Ltd 2009-10 £3,040,000 Cowal Ferries Ltd 2010-11 £3,163,000 Cowal Ferries Ltd 2011-12 (fore…

13 Jan 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-04534 by Keith Brown on 10 January 2012, how much has been returned from Northlink Orkney and Shetland Ferries Ltd as part of the North Isles ferry contract’s clawback mechanism in each of the last five financial years and how much is anticipated in …

Answer · Keith Brown: Please see the following information: NorthLink Ferries Ltd - Contract Year Amount Received Financial Year in which Clawback was received by Scottish Government Contract Year 1 £1,246,942 2008-09 Contract Year 2 £836,356 2008-09 Contract Year 3 £41…

9 Jan 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason local authorities are allowed to charge up to £20 for a Blue Badge and what its position is on this being twice the maximum charge in England. 

Answer · Keith Brown: The fee was increased, by Tavish Scott, from not exceeding £2 to not exceeding £20 from 1 April 2007, through The Disabled Persons (Badges for Motor Vehicles) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2007. At that time, I believe the then Scottish Executive recognise…

9 Jan 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish a business and regulatory impact assessment on its two new business rate taxes relating to retailers and firms with empty premises and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government has made clear that to carry out a business and regulatory impact assessment (BRIA) for the public health supplement, which impacts on just 0.1% of commercial premises in Scotland would be disproportionate. Reform of empty property re…

22 Dec 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how long it has typically taken the Student Awards Agency for Scotland to process a top-up loan application in 2011-12 for students who did not request a loan in their initial application or requested less than their full entitlement.

Answer · Michael Russell: At 11 January 2012, the average number of calendar days between SAAS receiving a top-up loan application and the issuing of the next award notice was 38 days. This average includes time required to secure from the student any required supporting information,…

22 Dec 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many student loans the Student Awards Agency for Scotland has withheld in 2011-12 as a result of a student (a) failing to enrol and (b) not providing a valid National Insurance number.

Answer · Michael Russell: The Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) processes the application for student support and pays student bursaries and tuition fees. The Student Loan Company (SLC) manages the student loan account and issues student loan payments on behalf of SAAS. Loans…

22 Dec 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what average time it takes to reprocess a Student Awards Agency for Scotland award if further information is submitted and how many loans have required such reprocessing in 2011-12.

Answer · Michael Russell: It was not possible to calculate the average days taken to re-process applications across all applicants. This would require manually sifting through over 90,000 individual student records to determine which of multiple pieces of information supplied contribu…

22 Dec 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-04421 by Michael Russell on 16 December 2011, when the Student Awards Agency for Scotland became up-to-date with the processing of applications for 2011-12.

Answer · Michael Russell: The Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) has met the Guarantee to students that applications received by the 30 June (exceptionally extended to 5 July in 2011) would be processed by course start dates. Autumn start courses can start as early as 1 August …

15 Dec 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action the NHS takes to ensure that there is sufficient support to facilitate home births for all who want them.

Answer · Michael Matheson: NHS boards are responsible for determining maternity services, including those for home births, to meet the needs of the populations for which they are responsible. These are developed in the context of their own service strategies, provided these strategies …

8 Dec 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether withdrawal from NATO would be one of its policies for an independent Scotland.

Answer · Bruce Crawford: In Your Scotland, Your Voice paragraph 8.42 sets out Scotland’s relationship to international defence organisations.

8 Dec 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which newspapers were used for and what the cost was of the advertising feature that aimed to promote the First Minister’s recent visit to China.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government did not use advertising features to promote the First Minister’s recent visit to China.

8 Dec 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the £7.5 million returned from Northlink Orkney and Shetland Ferries Ltd as part of the North Isles ferry contract's clawback mechanism is contributing to the expansion of the road equivalent tariff.

Answer · Keith Brown: Spending on the NorthLink contract has increased from £29.2 million in 2007-08 to £38.9 million in 2011-12, an increase of almost £10 million. The “clawback” returned to Transport Scotland from NorthLink Ferries under the terms of its contract to run the Nort…

8 Dec 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it expects the 6.5% price increase in North Isles ferry services from 1 April 2012 to increase the revenue received from (a) freight, (b) passenger, (c) car and (d) other services.

Answer · Keith Brown: Yes.

8 Dec 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what inflation index was used to calculate the 6.5% price rise for North Isles ferry services from 1 April 2012.

Answer · Keith Brown: The 6.5% fares increase for subsidised ferry services provided by NorthLink Ferries Ltd, CalMac Ferries Ltd and Argyll Ferries Ltd was not based solely on inflation indices. The decision was taken in order to protect these essential ferry services. Since 200…