- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 November 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 26 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive how many long-term jobs will be created as a result of wind farm development.
Answer
The Scottish Executive, in partnership with Renewables UK, Scottish Enterprise and Highlands andIslands Enterprise, has commissioned a study of the current status of the UKrenewables industry and its future potential. The study, which will bepublished around the end of the year, will provide information on employmentopportunities in the renewables industry, including the wind sector.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 November 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 26 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what incentives are available to encourage energy production from biomass.
Answer
The Executive is workingwith UK colleagues to put in place an Energy Crops Infrastructure Support grantscheme. The aim is to provide support to generating plants that utilise energycrops and forestry residue as the fuel sources. State aids approval is beingsought and it is hoped that the scheme can be brought into operation shortly.£3.5 million will be available in the period to 2005.
Biomass projects based in Scotlandhave benefited from the DTI sponsored UK capital grant scheme for biomass technologies.
Grant assistance is alsoavailable for growing short rotation coppice (SRC) under both theWoodland Grant Scheme (WGS) and the new Scottish Forestry GrantsScheme (SFGS). Both schemes are managed by the Forestry Commission.
The forum for renewable energydevelopment in Scotland will be tasked at its January meeting with producingan action plan for the development of a viable biomass industry in Scotland.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 November 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 26 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether guidance will be issued on community benefits in relation to wind farm developments.
Answer
The level of community benefit is a matter between individual developers and communities and ministershave no powers to intervene. However, we are keen to work with representativesof interested parties to see if best practice guidelines can be prepared on thematter of community benefit generally.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 November 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 25 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting times are for the treatment of alcohol-dependent patients in each local authority area.
Answer
The information requested isnot held centrally at present. However, the team at the national alcohol informationresource at ISD Scotland are currently discussing information needs with local alcoholaction teams and will be considering how proposed developments in thecollection of waiting times data for drug services can be applied to servicesfor people with alcohol problems.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 October 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 25 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive how registered social landlords can be made aware of a prospective tenant's record of anti-social behaviour prior to entering into a tenancy agreement.
Answer
I have asked Ms Angiolina Foster, Acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:
A Registered Social Landlord(RSL) may ask for a reference from a prospective tenant’s landlord beforehousing them, but this requires the permission of the prospective tenant. Itmay also ask a local authority whether an Anti Social Behaviour Order existsagainst that person, without obtaining consent. There are currently proposalsin the Antisocial Behaviour Bill that would impose duties on RSLs and localauthorities to disclose information on these records to RSLs, Scottish ministers,the police and other local authorities.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 October 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 25 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive how (a) social inclusion, (b) closing the opportunity gap, (c) poverty, and (d) the eradication of poverty is measured.
Answer
The
Social Justice AnnualReport 2002 reported on the 29 Social Justice Milestones, which measure progresstowards tackling social exclusion and poverty. The milestones cover a range ofmeasures including low income, education and health.The technical notes thataccompany each target set out in
Building a Better Scotland (including closingthe opportunity gap targets) are available on the Executive’s website at
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/finance/technotes2.pdf.Each note sets out how the individual target will be measured.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 November 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 20 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting times are for drug rehabilitation treatment in each local authority area.
Answer
The information requested isnot held centrally. Waiting times data for treatment for drug misuse is notheld consistently by agencies and statutory authorities across Scotland.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 24 October 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 20 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance will be given to farmers and crofters in south Shetland who are seeking to restore their businesses following the recent flood damage in the area.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is providing assistance in a number of ways, in particular throughgrants under the crofting counties agricultural grants scheme. The amount ofassistance given will depend on the nature and extent of the expenditureincurred in rectifying the damage. Rates of grant under that scheme varyaccording to the nature of the eligible work.
The Executive is also able to beof some assistance to participants of the environmentally sensitive area (ESA) schemewhere the floods have meant that compliance with scheme conditions will not bepossible this year. In such cases, ESA scheme payments will continue and consideration will be given to requests toallow stock to graze on areas where this would not normally be permitted.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 24 October 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 20 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-2550 by Allan Wilson on 25 September 2003, how much was paid to each local authority for flood prevention and flood alleviation measures in each of the last five years.
Answer
Over the last five years,requests from local authorities to fund confirmed flood prevention schemes haveresulted in capital allocations as follows
| Year 2003-04 | East Dunbartonshire Council | £0.75 million |
| | East Ayrshire Council | £4.2 million |
| | City of Glasgow Council | £0.5 million |
| | North Ayrshire Council | £0.65 million |
| | Argyll and Bute Council | £1.6 million |
| Year 2002-03 | East Dunbartonshire Council | £4.25 million |
| | Renfrewshire Council | £1.5 million |
| | West Lothian Council | £1.1 million |
| | City of Glasgow Council | £0.5 million |
| | Perth and Kinross Council | £1.55 million |
| | North Ayrshire Council | £0.25 million |
| Year 2001-02 | East Dunbartonshire Council | £5.25 million |
| | Renfrewshire Council | £1.0 million |
| Year 2000-01 | East Dunbartonshire Council | £0.25 million |
| | Perth and Kinross Council | £0.75 million |
| | Renfrewshire Council | £1.0 million |
| Year 1999-2000 | Renfrewshire Council | £1.0 million |
In addition, all councilsreceive a general capital allocation for their capital programmes: it is foreach council to decide how it spends that allocation. Councils may or may notchoose to spend their general capital allocation on flood prevention measures.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 24 October 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 20 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether assistance and compensation to farmers and crofters in south Shetland will be sought through Article 33 of EU Council Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999 which states that support shall be granted for “restoring agricultural production potential damaged by natural disasters and introducing appropriate prevention measures”, following the recent severe flooding in the area.
Answer
The Scottish RuralDevelopment Plan, which sets out the uses of the available EC rural developmentmoney, does not provide funding for Article 33 measures. However, the farmersand crofters affected are likely to be able to get grant assistance towardsmaking good the damage. Most of that assistance will be available through the croftingcounties agricultural grants scheme.
In addition, the Executiveis also able to be of some assistance to participants in the environmentally sensitivearea (ESA) scheme where the floods have meant that compliance with schemeconditions will not be possible this year. In such cases ESA Scheme paymentswill continue and consideration will be given to requests to allow stock tograze on areas where this would not normally be permitted.
