- Asked by: Fiona McLeod, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 July 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 21 August 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what support it is giving to waste initiatives, including those for recycling paper, as referred to in chapter 10 of The Scottish Budget: Annual Expenditure Report of the Scottish Executive.
Answer
The Scottish Executive was involved with instigating the REMADE Scotland project which aims to encourage markets for recycled materials and has contributed £50,000 support each year since its inception in 1999. In addition, the Executive has agreed to contribute £2.1 million over three years towards the national Waste and Resources Action Plan set up to help overcome barriers to recycling. Both of these projects will be addressing problems of recycling several types of material, including paper.
- Asked by: Fiona McLeod, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 July 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 21 August 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what extra funding has been or will be made available to each local authority for consultation on and implementation of Area Waste Plans, as referred to in chapter 10 of The Scottish Budget: Annual Expenditure Report of the Scottish Executive.
Answer
£2.5 million was allocated between local authorities as part of the agreed local authority settlement in 2000-01, for planning and preparation for implementation of the National Waste Strategy. In 2001-02, this amount was included within the waste management grant-aided expenditure figure, although it is for authorities to determine their actual level of expenditure.Additional grant-in-aid has also been announced for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency to take account of the duties that will fall to it in fulfilling the Executive's Programme for Government commitments. This includes the implementation of the National Waste Strategy and assistance with the preparation of the Area Waste Plans.
- Asked by: Fiona McLeod, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 20 July 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 21 August 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what initiatives have been introduced, or are planned for introduction, to make waste management more sustainable.
Answer
Scotland's National Waste Strategy was published by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and adopted by the Scottish Executive in December 1999. The strategy sets out the framework to make waste management in Scotland more sustainable and to meet targets for reducing the reliance on landfill for waste disposal. Implementation of the strategy is now being taken forward.The Executive has introduced several initiatives to help take forward implementation of the strategy and thereby to make waste management more sustainable. These include:
making an additional £3 million available as a specific grant in 2000-01 for local authorities to increase recycling and composting;
making £50.4 million available through the Strategic Waste Fund for local authorities to begin implementation of the Area Waste Plans - which are currently being prepared, andsupport for the REMADE Scotland and Waste and Resource Action Programmes which aim to develop markets for recyclable materials and break down barriers to recycling.
- Asked by: Fiona McLeod, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 23 July 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 20 August 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the SMART/SPUR grant scheme for early stage research and development of innovative products/processes can be used for renewable energy enterprise and, if so, whether it has been so used and what projects have been supported.
Answer
The SMART/SPUR grant schemes are not sector specific and applications are invited from a wide range of technologies including renewable energy. Three projects involving wind turbine and fuel cell technology are currently being supported under these schemes.
- Asked by: Fiona McLeod, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 23 July 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 20 August 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether Scotland's water and sewerage service has delivered value for money in each year since 1996.
Answer
The Scottish water authorities have made substantial progress since 1996 in delivering value for money, and further improvements will be required during the next strategic review period.
- Asked by: Fiona McLeod, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 23 July 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 20 August 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what advanced planning in relation to finance and human resources has been undertaken in preparation for implementation of the EC Water Framework Directive.
Answer
We are still developing our policy on the implementation of the EC Water Framework Directive. The full resource implications are not likely to be clear for some time.However, additional grant-in-aid, totalling some £16.5 million over the 3-year period 2001-02 to 2003-04, has been announced for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). The extra grant-in-aid takes account of the increased responsibilities and duties that will fall to SEPA in implementing European and domestic legislation and in fulfilling the Executive's Programme for Government commitments. This includes preparatory work for the implementation of the EC Water Framework Directive.
- Asked by: Fiona McLeod, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 23 July 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 20 August 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will investigate (a) whether the incidence of Non-Hodgkins lymphoma in men in the Tayside area is 4.6% higher than the national average and (b) whether such incidence could be directly related to the emission of dioxins from the Baldovie waste incinerator, as stated by Friends of the Earth Scotland.
Answer
Figures from the Scottish Cancer Registration System confirm that during the period 1988-1997 cases of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma for men living in Tayside were indeed 4.6% higher than the national average. However, the incidence for women living in the same area during this period was 6.4% lower than the national average. These variations from the national averages are within the range of normal fluctuations. There is no reason to believe that exposure to environmental factors in a particular locality would increase the risk in men but not in women. The Executive therefore has no plans for an investigation at this time.
- Asked by: Fiona McLeod, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 23 July 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 20 August 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive which of the two aims of providing value for money or meeting statutory requirements, as referred to in page 188 of The Scottish Budget, carries the higher priority in Scotland's water and sewerage service.
Answer
Scottish Executive policy is to meet statutory requirements in a manner that delivers value for money.
- Asked by: Fiona McLeod, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 23 July 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 20 August 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether Baldovie waste incinerator, run by Dundee Energy Recycling Limited, has breached its safety limits since re-opening this year and, if so, on what dates the breaches took place, what the nature was of the breaches and whether they were reported to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.
Answer
These are operational matters for the Health and Safety Executive and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, both of which regulate the incinerator at Baldovie. The information is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Fiona McLeod, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 20 July 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 17 August 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish water and sewerage service meets UK and EC statutory requirements.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is committed to ensuring that the Scottish Water Authorities meet statutory requirements. The authorities have achieved a very high level of compliance, and where problems remain, urgent action is being taken to address them.
Achieving compliance is an ongoing process. The water quality and standards process put in place by the Executive, in consultation with the Water Industry Commissioner, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and the Scottish water authorities, outlines the environment and drinking water standards (including UK and EU statutory requirements) the water authorities must meet and estimates the investment required to meet them.
"Water Quality and Standards, Investment Requirements for Scotland's Water Authorities 2000-2002" (Q & S 1) is available in the Parliament's Reference Centre Bib number 8483.
A copy of the consultation paper on Water Quality and Standards 2002-2006 is available in the Parliament's Reference Centre Bib number 14923. A copy of "Water Quality and Standards, Investment Requirements for Scotland's Water Authorities 2002-2006" (Q & S 2) will also be available shortly in the Parliament's Reference Centre.
