Parliamentary questions
Richard Baker
2,136 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
23 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the cost of maintaining local government employee pension contributions at the current level.
Answer · John Swinney: It is estimated that, if fully implemented in line with the original UK Government policy announcement, around £140 million of additional income would be available within the Local Government Pension Scheme each year from April 2014. That income would be spli…
23 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its estimate is of how many people would leave local government pension schemes in Scotland if employee contributions were raised in line with the proposals of the UK Government.
Answer · John Swinney: In answering this question, we have assumed that it applies to the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) in Scotland. There is only one LGPS in Scotland, though it is underpinned by eleven separate pension funds. The Scottish Executive has not made any esti…
23 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people are members of local government pension schemes.
Answer · John Swinney: In answering this question, the Scottish Government has assumed that it refers to the Local Government Pension Scheme. There is only one Local Government Pension Scheme in Scotland, though it is underpinned by eleven separate funds. Membership totals, based o…
22 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what additional funding it will provide for the Climate Challenge Fund in (a) 2011-12 and (b) 2012-13.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The funding level for the Climate Challenge Fund in 2011-12 has been announced at £10.3 million, an increase of £1 million on the 2010-11 level. The 2012-13 funding level of the Climate Challenge Fund is subject to Parliamentary approval however, the Cabinet …
22 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will deliver 500 modern apprenticeships in the energy and low-carbon industry; what the average duration of these apprenticeships will be; what companies will employ the apprentices, and how many each will employ.
Answer · Alasdair Allan: Skills Development Scotland has completed the contracting process for Modern Apprenticeships in 2011-12. This includes the 500 targeted at the energy and low carbon industry. Recruitment of Modern Apprentices by employers will take place throughout the finan…
22 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what meetings it has had with Scottish Water regarding a rapid expansion of renewable energy production and what the outcomes were.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The Scottish Government is in regular dialogue with Scottish Water on all aspects of its business. It has agreed a growth plan with Scottish Water which aims to facilitate renewable generation on their assets equivalent to the amount of electricity Scottish W…
22 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when its obesity strategy will be implemented and how much this will cost.
Answer · Shona Robison: The implementation is being taken forward as set out in Obesity Route Map published in 2010. The Action Plan published in 2011 sets out more detail on the individual actions being taken forward and timeframes for these. The actions set out in the Route Map a…
22 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive (a) when it will begin the expansion of the forest estate, (b) what the estimated cost of this expansion will be and (c) how many trees it will plant in (i) 2011-12, (ii) 2012-13, (iii) 2013-14 and (iv) 2014-15.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: There has been a steady expansion of the forest estate in Scotland for many years, with woodland cover increasing from 5% in the early 20th century to its present level of 17.8%. The estimated cost of achieving a new woodland planting programme of 10,000 he…
22 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many companies it aims to sign up to its proposed zero waste pledge for (a) 2011-12 and (b) 2012-13.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: Once we have launched this new initiative we will aim to sign up as many companies as possible.
22 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what funding is being provided to EventScotland for the second Homecoming in 2014.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The total budget for Scotland’s second Year of Homecoming in 2014 will be determined as part of the forthcoming Spending Review. In this financial year a total of up to £200,000 will be made available to VisitScotland for activity in relation to Homecoming Sc…
22 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many jobs will be created as a result of its Zero Waste Scotland Plan in each of the next five years.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government estimates that developments in the waste management sector alone will generate 2,000 jobs for Scotland, as stated in last year’s Zero Waste Plan. It is not possible to break this estimate down into the annual figures requested.
22 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its targets are for recycled waste in each of the next five years.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government has not set annual targets for recycling. The next domestic target is 50% recycling of waste by the end of 2013. The EU Landfill Diversion target for 2013, of landfilling no more than 1.8 million tonnes, has already been met.
22 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to protect and restore peatlands.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The December 2010 Scottish Government discussion paper on carbon-rich soils set out the programme of work which the government and its agencies is taking to protect and restore damaged peatlands. This can be found at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Enviro…
20 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what meetings it has had with industry to discuss an extension of the renewable heat target and with what outcome.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: Officials are already in discussion with industry on this issue. Consideration of advice on extending the heat target will be a key issue for the Scottish Advisory Theme Group on Renewables to address when it meets in September.
20 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much it will save from a move toward district heating.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: The report Low Carbon Scotland: Meeting the Emissions Reductions Targets 2010-2022 – The Report on Proposals and Policies, highlights that most of the cost-effective potential in this sector comes through energy efficiency measures. However renewable heat and…
20 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the transport budget was spent on low-carbon, active and sustainable travel in 2010-11 and how much this will increase in (a) 2011-12 and (b) 2012-13.
Answer · Keith Brown: The following table shows Scottish Government budget allocations for low-carbon, active and sustainable travel: Total Funding for Low-Carbon, Active and Sustainable Travel 2010-11 2011-12 £21.7 million £25.1 million Decisions on funding for 2012-13 will…
20 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will begin development of an infrastructure for electric cars and at what estimated cost.
Answer · Keith Brown: The roll-out of charging infrastructure for electric vehicles in Scotland has commenced with the £3.3m Low Carbon Vehicle Procurement Support Scheme, for public bodies, which we ran in conjunction with local authorities in 2010-11. This scheme delivered over …
20 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated (a) cost and (b) timescale is for a move toward district heating.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: Various reports highlight the relatively high capital cost of developing heat networks. We have, in partnership with UK Government, opted for Scotland to be part of the GB wide Renewable Heat Incentive which will provide financial support from Central Governm…
20 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it plans to establish an expert commission on the delivery of district heating.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: We will set up an Expert Commission on the delivery of district heating in the coming months. This has been highlighted as a key action in the recently published 2020 Routemap for Renewable Energy in Scotland. Members of the Renewables Task Group on heat, a s…
20 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many jobs it will create under its plans for a low-carbon economy in each of the next five years.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: We do not hold annual estimates for low-carbon economy job creation. I refer the member to the answer to the question S3W-39781 on 24 February 2011 for our estimate for 2014-15. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament’s…
20 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its renewable electricity targets are for (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13, (c) 2013-14 and (d) 2014-15.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: Scotland has a massive renewable energy opportunity that will deliver jobs across Scotland. The Scottish Government has set a target to meet an equivalent of 100% of Scotland’s electricity demand from renewables by 2020. We have an interim target to meet 31% …
20 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has asked the Scottish Futures Trust to provide advice on the most appropriate financial mechanisms to support the preliminary cost of a move toward district heating and, if so, what financial mechanisms it has recommended.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: In the coming months we will establish an Expert Commission on the Delivery of District Heating to advise on the steps we need to take to ensure a major move to district heating. A key task of the Commission will be to the most appropriate financial mechanism…
20 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will take forward its proposals for the electrification of the central Scotland rail network and at what cost.
Answer · Keith Brown: The Scottish Government are already taking forward electrification, as demonstrated by the official re-opening of the Airdrie to Bathgate rail link in March 2011. This provided the first direct, fully electrified route between Edinburgh and Glasgow. The Stra…
16 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it holds on the number of (a) grocery, (b) butcher, (c) baker, (d) fishmonger, (e) newsagent, (f) confectionery and (g) tobacco retail outlets in the most recent period for which it is available, and on the number of wholesalers in each category.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: Data on business sites by industrial sector in Scotland are available from the Inter-Departmental Business Register (IDBR). The IDBR is maintained by the Office for National Statistics and is a database of all registered enterprises operating in the UK i.e. e…
15 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it plans to start construction work on HMP Grampian.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked John Ewing, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows: The SPS is currently undertaking a procurement exercise to appoint a contractor to construct HMP Grampian. The outcome of this process will…
15 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what recommendations it has taken forward from the 2006 report, Review of Public Procurement in Scotland.
Answer · John Swinney: The Public Procurement Reform Programme was initiated to implement the recommendations of the Review of Public Procurement in Scotland Report. Since 2006, all 82 recommendations have been taken forward. The Efficiencies from Procurement Report that was publis…
15 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will introduce a new graduate apprenticeship scheme and how much it estimates that each apprenticeship will cost.
Answer · Alasdair Allan: We will consider options for the implementation of both the graduate and technical apprenticeship routes as part of the Scottish Government commitment to making training work better. The conclusions of this will be published by the end of 2011. No estimate co…
15 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it will take forward to establish a maximum waiting time of 12 months for IVF treatment and what the financial implications of this are for NHS boards.
Answer · Michael Matheson: We are continuing to work towards establishing a maximum waiting time of 12 months for IVF treatment, to ensure long term equity of access across Scotland. I will ask the National Infertility Group to consider the implications for NHS boards as part of their …
15 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will introduce a four-year health MOT pilot for people over 40 and how much it will cost.
Answer · Michael Matheson: Economic modelling work is currently underway to determine the likely size and cost of the pilot. Details on when the pilot will commence will be announced once this modelling work is complete.
15 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will allocate new funding to social banking in each year of the current parliamentary session.
Answer · John Swinney: No funding has been allocated to social banking for 2011-12. Decisions on funding for 2012-13 onwards will made later in 2011.