- Asked by: Fiona McLeod, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 28 June 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 16 July 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what funding was made available to local authorities prior to April 2002 to prepare for the regulatory inspections by Communities Scotland.
Answer
None.
- Asked by: Fiona McLeod, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 28 June 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 10 July 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the statement by the Minister for Finance and Public Services on 26 June 2002, on what environmental initiatives it will spend the extra #5 million and, in particular, what recycling initiatives will be included.
Answer
The £5 million for environment initiatives announced by my colleague Andy Kerr, on 26 June has to be seen in the wider context of the total end year flexibility allocation of £76 million for the Environment and Rural Development portfolio, which includes £30.2 million for environment programmes. Full details of how this funding will be allocated are provided in the answer given to question S1W-27441 today.Specifically on recycling, Andy Kerr also announced that an additional £95 million was being allocated to local authorities this year for supporting children and young people and improving the local environment. Although it will be for local authorities to propose exactly how this allocation is to be spent, the Executive has asked that they give consideration to certain issues, one of which is the provision of recycling banks. It is clear that providing easy access to facilities such as bottle and can banks or separate household collections of recyclable materials are the best ways to encourage more recycling of waste.
- Asked by: Fiona McLeod, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 June 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 10 July 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to the Report on Care Home Costs for Older People in Scotland, whether it has made any financial provision for water charges in respect of older people in care homes.
Answer
The National Review Group considered various ways of anticipating increases in care home costs. Rather than suggest any specific formula they concluded that an increase in real terms should be applied annually to take account of various pressures, including water rates. We will, in consultation with local authorities and the independent sector, determine the most appropriate means of uplifting care home fees shortly.
- Asked by: Fiona McLeod, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 June 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 9 July 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in the light of the provisions of SI 1992/1331 and SI 1992/2955, the recovery of non-domestic water charges in respect of registered care homes by Scottish Water is appropriate and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-26738.
- Asked by: Fiona McLeod, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 June 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 9 July 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it agreed to or required the replacement of exemptions from water and waste water charges under SI 1992/1331 and SI 1992/2955 by the former water authorities with a discretionary concession; if so, when it did so, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.
Answer
The Statutory Instruments (SIs) referred to relate to council tax. Council tax is payable on all "dwellings" within the meaning of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 (section 72(2)). SI 1992/2955 varies the definition of dwelling for the purposes of that Act and SI 1992/1331 prescribes classes of dwelling in respect of which special provision as to liability for council tax is made.An appeal case, due to be heard by the Court of Session, will consider the proper interpretation of statutory provisions relating to the definition of a dwelling for council tax purposes and how those provisions relate to the liability of an occupier of premises to pay water and sewerage charges.In these circumstances, it would be entirely inappropriate for the Scottish Executive to comment.
- Asked by: Fiona McLeod, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 10 June 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 2 July 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what energy efficiency targets have been set for HM Prison Kilmarnock in each year since the prison was established and whether these targets were achieved in each year.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:HM Prison Kilmarnock was designed in accordance with the energy saving measures outlined in the Energy Efficiency Office Guide to Best Practice in Prisons, Emergency Buildings and Court, including 95.1 kWh/sq m/annum for electrical consumption and 183.5 kWh/sq m/annum for fossil fuels. Annual targets were not set.
- Asked by: Fiona McLeod, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 10 June 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 24 June 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what environmental protocol or compliance regime is attached to the expenditure of public money on a national basis.
Answer
Sustainable development is an integral part of the current spending review. Spending departments within the Executive and those partners and agencies we fund, will need to demonstrate what contribution their proposals will make towards the achievement of sustainable development objectives and in particular how they would:
- lead to reductions in resource use and assist in efforts to protect Scotland from the overuse of resources;
- reduce the amount of waste and increase recycling;
- reduce demands on energy from non-renewable sources, and
reduce the need for travel.
- Asked by: Fiona McLeod, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 10 June 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 24 June 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what targets have been set to improve energy efficiency in the public sector.
Answer
Under the Home Energy Conservation Act 1995, local authorities are working towards making substantial improvements in home energy efficiency over 10 to 15 years beginning in 1997. In their original strategy reports, setting out how they would improve home energy efficiency, most local authorities identified scope for improvements of between 20% and 30%.
- Asked by: Fiona McLeod, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 10 June 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 24 June 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Ministerial Group on Sustainable Scotland (MoSS) met as planned on 5 February and 26 March 2002 and, if so, when the minutes will be posted on the MoSS website.
Answer
The Ministerial Group on Sustainable Scotland (MoSS) has been replaced by the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Sustainable Scotland (CSCSS) which is chaired by the First Minister. CSCSS met on 5 February and 26 March and reports of these meetings have been posted under "publications" on the Sustainable Scotland website at:
www.sustainable.scotland.gov.uk
- Asked by: Fiona McLeod, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 10 June 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 24 June 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to revise A Forward Strategy for Scottish Agriculture to reflect any changes in direction in the Common Agricultural Policy from farm production to environmental protection and the EU Waste Framework and Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control directives.
Answer
A Forward Strategy for Scottish Agriculture anticipates changes in the Common Agricultural Policy, including increased emphasis on environmental protection, and so its key messages remain valid. A cross-sectoral group, similar in composition to the group that drew up the strategy, has been created which, amongst other tasks, will help ensure that the strategy remains relevant by advising me on any revisions required in the light of experience.
