Parliamentary questions
Tavish Scott
2,683 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
23 Feb 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied that the Scottish environment is adequately protected through the role of Her Majesty's Nuclear Installations Inspectorate in supervising the operations of the nuclear plant at Sellafield, particularly in the light of the recent report by the Inspectorate on the pl…
Answer · Sarah Boyack: The regulatory role of the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) relates to safety within nuclear licensed sites. This is a reserved matter.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">Protection of the environment is the regulatory responsibility of the environment agencies who re…
23 Feb 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and Her Majesty's Nuclear Installations Inspectorate meet on a regular basis to discuss the operation of nuclear plants in Scotland to ensure that any risk to the Scottish environment from the operations of the plants is minimised.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and Her Majesty's Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) interact on a regular basis at nuclear sites in Scotland to address areas of mutual interest including minimisation of any risk to the Scottish enviro…
23 Feb 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in the light of the recent reports by Her Majesty's Nuclear Installations Inspectorate into the operation of the nuclear plant at Sellafield, it has made or plans to make representations to Her Majesty's Government to take any steps needed as a matter of urgency to ensure the saf…
Answer · Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with Her Majesty's Government on a wide range of issues including matters relating to the Scottish environment.
23 Feb 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide details of the monitoring routinely carried out by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency to assess the levels of radioactive contamination reaching Scottish air, land and sea as a result of discharges into the environment from the nuclear plant at Sellafield.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) carries out a comprehensive programme of monitoring of environmental radioactivity in Scotland. The objectives of this programme include the determination of the levels of man-made radionuclides in the Scottis…
9 Feb 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how the implementation of Road Traffic Reduction (National Targets) Act 1998 is being monitored and whether it will summarise details of any information that has been collated on each individual local authority's progress.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: The Road Traffic Reduction (National Targets) Act 1998 provides for the setting of a target for road traffic reduction in Scotland. It is for the Scottish Ministers to implement, not the local authorities.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">In accordance with the provisions o…
9 Feb 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications have been received for the public transport fund on an annual basis since 1998, how many bids have been successful and whether there are any plans to review the level of available funds to allow the implementation of more projects each year.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: There have been two Public Transport Fund competitions held to date. In the first competition, for projects commencing in 1999-2000, 17 bids were received with 12 awarded funding. 26 bids were received in the second competition for projects commencing in 2000…
9 Feb 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide details of the traffic growth forecasts used as the basis for formulating its transport polices and whether these figures are available on a regional basis.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: In formulating transport policy, the Scottish Executive takes account of the National Road Traffic Forecasts (Great Britain) 1997 amongst a range of other considerations. The NRTF is produced by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, an…
21 Jan 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress the new Scottish Law Commission has made in its review of the law of the foreshore and seabed and when it is expected to submit its report to the Scottish Executive.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The initial stage has been for the Scottish Law Commission and my officials to explore in detail the content and process of this review. This stage has now been completed. The commission will now begin reviewing the full range of relevant Scottish law and wil…
21 Jan 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what role the use of vehicles using liquid petroleum gas can play in reducing the environmental damage caused by vehicles.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: Vehicles using liquid petroleum gas play a number of important roles in respect of the environment. They help reduce emissions of air pollutants that impact on local air quality, as well as reducing emissions of carbon dioxide. Compared to diesel vehicles use…
21 Jan 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what role the use of vehicles using liquid petroleum gas can play in reducing the high cost of transport for businesses in the Highlands and Islands and what action it proposes to take to encourage its use.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: Liquid petroleum gas can reduce vehicle running and maintenance costs. The Scottish Executive grant aids the Energy Savings Trust in Scotland to <I>inter alia</I> promote the UK Powershift programme which can fund from 25% to 75% of the additional cost of buy…
21 Jan 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it proposes to work with the automobile industry to encourage the production and sale of cars and small commercial vehicles using liquid petroleum gas.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive funds the Energy Savings Trust in Scotland to promote <I>inter alia</I> the UK Powershift programme which seeks to stimulate the market for clean fuel vehicles. Powershift is a government-backed initiative, in partnership with the suppl…
21 Jan 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what role it can play to encourage energy companies to install liquid petroleum gas supply points throughout the Highlands and Islands.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive funds the Energy Savings Trust in Scotland to promote the use of liquid petroleum gas (LPG) vehicles including supply points, primarily through the Trust's UK Powershift programme. In December 1999 I launched Shell's MotorGas fuel netwo…
12 Jan 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether assistance under the Infectious Salmon Anaemia Re-Start Scheme is currently limited to a "de minimis" level of ?100,000 cumulative over three years and, if so, what action it is taking to raise the limit so as to allow full payment of justified claims.
Answer · John Home Robertson: The "de minimus" provisions referred to do not apply to aquaculture. HIE will be revising its guidance on the matter.
5 Jan 2000 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met Highlands and Islands Enterprise and whether the Crofting Counties Agricultural Grants Scheme was discussed.
Answer · Ross Finnie: Meetings take place on a regular basis to discuss a range of matters. Officials carrying out the review of the Crofters Commission met officials of Highlands and Islands Enterprise in August 1999 and the Crofting Counties Agricultural Grants Scheme was one of…
21 Dec 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it received the consultation document on the National Contingency Plan for Marine Pollution from Her Majesty's Government, when its response to the document was submitted to Her Majesty's Government and whether copies of the response will be made available to the Parliament.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: The National Contingency Plan for Marine Pollution from Shipping and Offshore Installations has been under review since early 1997 with extensive consultation conducted through a Consultative Forum of interested parties, including Scottish local authorities. …
8 Dec 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to Her Majesty's Government regarding the upgrading of the electrical grid in Scotland in order to allow Scotland's potential to generate electricity from renewable energy sources to be developed.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: Any decision to upgrade the electrical grid in Scotland is a commercial matter for its owners, ScottishPower and Scottish and Southern Energy, and the Office of Gas and Electricity Regulation, which regulates the prices charged for use of the grid. Powers to …
8 Dec 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the current planning process as applied to applications for the development of wind farms and small hydroelectric schemes requires protection of the environment to be balanced against the interests of developers.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: I refer the Member to the answer to S1W-3085.
8 Dec 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has produced guidelines to achieve a balance between support for the development of small hydroelectric schemes and the protection of the natural environment and, if not, when such guidelines will be produced.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: I refer the Member to the answer to S1W-3085.
8 Dec 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has produced guidelines to achieve a balance between support for the development of wind farms and the protection of the natural environment and, if not, when such guidelines will be produced.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: Guidance on renewable energy, including windfarms and hydroelectric schemes, is contained in National Planning Policy Guideline (NPPG) 6: Renewable Energy and Planning Advice Note (PAN) 45: Renewable Energy Technologies, which were issued in 1994. NPPG6 state…
8 Dec 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to develop wave power schemes in Scotland in order to generate electricity from wave power and create employment opportunities for Scotland's engineering and construction industries.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: To date the mechanism for encouraging the development of renewable energy projects in Scotland has been the Scottish Renewables Obligation (SRO), the third round of which was announced last year. The support offered under the SRO is designed to enable renewab…
8 Dec 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has assessed the cost benefit to Scotland of the development of renewable energy resources in terms of both savings in costs associated with dealing with climate change and benefits from the development of jobs.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive is firmly committed to the promotion of renewable energy, which is an executively devolved matter. This policy takes account of the contribution which renewable energy can make to climate change mitigation, as well as the economic benef…
8 Dec 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Her Majesty's Government to develop a strategy for the development of renewable energy schemes in Scotland as part of the overall UK strategy to meet international obligations to reduce the burning of fossil fuels.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive is firmly committed to the promotion of renewable energy, which is an executively devolved matter. The Department of Trade and Industry is currently reviewing the mechanisms required to achieve the generation of 10% of the UK's electric…
7 Dec 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether implementing all of the proposals covered in the Strategic Roads Review would result in (a) more vehicle journeys and (b) longer average journeys.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: The information requested would only become available after detailed engineering design had been undertaken on all schemes considered in the <I>Strategic Roads Review</I>. This detailed work will, however, be confined to these schemes to be progressed.
7 Dec 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the projected figures for road traffic growth are for the next (a) five; (b) 10; (c) 20 and (d) 30 years and whether it plans to review these figures to reflect policies of traffic reduction.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: The current projections for road traffic growth are contained in the <I>National Road Traffic Forecasts (Great Britain) 1997</I> published by DETR on 14 October 1997. These figures were calculated from a 1996 base and relate to Great Britain as a whole. The f…
7 Dec 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide outline estimates for the construction time for each of the preferred route alignments for schemes covered by the Strategic Roads Review, including schemes where funding is not yet available, and those being processed by local authorities.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: <I>The Strategic Roads Review - Scheme Decisions</I> provides the latest information about dates for commencement of construction of the five major schemes being progressed. An estimated completed date for the M77 is also shown. The completion data for the ot…
7 Dec 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what level of traffic capacity enhancement, in percentage terms, would be provided through implementing all the schemes in the strategic trunk roads review.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: In order to establish a percentage overall capacity enhancement, recourse to a trunk road network model incorporating all of the proposed schemes in the Strategic Roads Review would be required. As the Executive does not propose to implement all of the scheme…
6 Dec 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, under the Infectious Salmon Anaemia re-start scheme, how many applications in each local enterprise company area received by the Rural Affairs Department are still held by the Department and have not been passed back to the local enterprise company.
Answer · John Home Robertson: The scheme is being administered by Highlands & Islands Enterprise, from whom details of applications are available. As part of the process my Department has undertaken to offer a view on eligibility within 10 working days. Seven enquiries have been …
6 Dec 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether smolt production hatcheries will be eligible under the Infectious Salmon Anaemia re-start scheme.
Answer · John Home Robertson: The purpose of the scheme is to help fish and shellfish farmers affected by ISA to become re-established at their previous level of trading. The concentration of aid at this end of the production cycle is seen as the best way of helping smolt and other s…
6 Dec 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will confirm that, under the Infectious Salmon Anaemia re-start scheme, individual applicants will not have to provide matching funding, as stated by the Deputy Minister for Rural Affairs in his announcement to the salmon industry on 6 September 1999.
Answer · John Home Robertson: As with all HIE Schemes, applicants will be expected to contribute. The balance of contribution will be determined by EU State Aid rules, the attractiveness of the project, and the amount of public sector support needed for the project to proceed. The effect…
6 Dec 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications have been received by the Rural Affairs Department under the Infectious Salmon Anaemia re-start scheme since the Ministerial announcement on 6 September 1999, broken down by local enterprise company area.
Answer · John Home Robertson: I refer the Member to the answer I gave to his question number S1W-3002.