- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 19 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 28 January 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2O-999 by Lewis Macdonald on 18 December 2003, what the timescale will be for a Sewel motion on the UK Energy Bill.
Answer
The Sewel motion andmemorandum was considered by the Enterprise and Culture Committee on Tuesday 27January.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 23 January 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to the second supplementary to question S2O-615 by Tavish Scott on 9 October 2003, when it announced the criteria underpinning its relocation policy including that socio-economic factors are to account for some 50 per cent of the analysis in relation to a decision on a particular relocation.
Answer
Detailed information on thebackground to the policy and issues ministers expect to see addressed inreviews is issued each year as reviews are announced. This advice has developedover the four years since the policy was announced. Since December 2002, advicehas been offered to the bodies, beginning relocation reviews, on the weightingsto apply to socio-economic factors.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 21 January 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to the second supplementary to question S2O-615 by Tavish Scott on 9 October 2003, given that socio-economic factors account for some 50% of the analysis in relation to a decision on a particular relocation, what other factors are considered and how they are weighted.
Answer
Relocation decisions arebased on a range of factors. The organisation carrying out the review isinvited to forward material bearing on key location criteria; socio-economicconsiderations; business efficiency (including the position of existing staff);sustainable transport links; accessibility and propertyavailability/suitability.
For relocation reviews, the Executive recommends that a weighting of 50% is allocated to socio-economic factorswhich shows a measure of its determination to assist disadvantaged areas in Scotland.The remaining assessment criteria, however, are weighted by each organisationto reflect their own strategic requirements.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 21 January 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to the second supplementary to question S2O-615 by Tavish Scott on 9 October 2003, what criteria it uses when considering relocation proposals.
Answer
In taking forward ourrelocation policy we consider the objective of our policy and range ofmeasurable factors relating to the organisation concerned.
The organisation carryingout the review is invited to forward material bearing on key location criteria;socio-economic considerations; business efficiency (including the position ofexisting staff); sustainable transport links; accessibility and propertyavailability/suitability.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 19 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 20 January 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2O-999 by Lewis Macdonald on 18 December 2003, what will be included in the Sewel motion on the UK Energy Bill.
Answer
The Sewel memorandum andmotion were forwarded to the Enterprise and Culture Committee for consideration on 12January. The memorandum addresses a wide range of provisions within the EnergyBill that fall within devolved competence. These include provisions toestablish the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority; to reconstitute the UKAEAConstabulary as the Civil Nuclear Constabulary; to amend the RadioactiveSubstances Act 1998; to establish Renewable Energy Zones; to provide powers inrespect of the decommissioning of offshore renewable energy installations; toextend the scope of the Renewables Obligations and to permit funds from theFossil Fuel Levy to be paid into the Scottish Consolidated Fund.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 13 January 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what the latest estimated costs are for the relocation of the headquarters of Scottish Natural Heritage from Edinburgh to Inverness.
Answer
Scottish Natural Heritage(SNH) submitted a project plan on 31 October which contained a cost estimate of£22 million for the entire relocation package. The elements contained in theplan are currently subject to discussion between SNH and Executive officials.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 19 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 12 January 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what the comparative net present values are of Scottish Natural Heritage remaining in Edinburgh and relocating to Inverness over a 30-year period.
Answer
The Executive’s refinementand analysis of the discounted costs of the various relocation optionsidentified in the DTZ Pieda study was placed in the Parliament’s ReferenceCentre (Bib. number 27058) on 20 March 2003. Over a 30-year period this showedthe move to Inverness would cost in the region of £21.7 million in netpresent value terms, assuming that premises would be rented. On the same costbasis, the status quo would cost £15.3 million.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 12 January 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive how many members of staff currently employed in the headquarters of Scottish Natural Heritage it estimates will be employed there in (a) 2004-05, (b) 2005-06, (c) 2006-07 and (d) 2007-08, expressed also as percentage of current staffing levels.
Answer
Staffing levels are anoperational matter for Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH). The number of staff currentlyworking in SNH headquarters who will still be employed by SNH in future yearswill depend on a variety of factors including the pattern of staff retirement andturnover.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 12 January 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated staffing levels will be for the headquarters of Scottish Natural Heritage in (a) 2004-05, (b) 2005-06, (c) 2006-07 and (d) 2007-08, expressed also as a percentage of current staffing levels.
Answer
This is an operationalmatter for Scottish Natural Heritage.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 October 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Mary Mulligan on 18 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that, for all new buildings over 1000 sq m, formal consideration is given to alternative systems of heating, including CHP, district heating, heat pumps and systems based upon renewable energy, as required by Article 5 of Directive 2002/91/EC of the European Parliament and Council on the energy performance of buildings.
Answer
We intend that these matterswill form part of the first amendment to the new system of functional buildingstandards which is to be introduced in 2005.
