Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S2W-28968

Asked by: Shiona Baird, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 October 2006
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 7 November 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what further steps are being taken to ensure that recyclate markets are developed in Scotland and, in particular, what involvement Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise have in such activities.

Scottish Enterprise providesa range of support to recycling. This support includes using recycled material andcompost in construction and regeneration projects; signposting businesses to servicesoffered by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) and REMADE Scotland andthe inclusion of waste management issues in training for all Business Gateway businessadvisers.

In 2005-06, Scottish Enterprisehelped around 300 businesses to achieve businessbenefits from environmental activities, in many cases diverting waste from landfill.Scottish Enterprise, along with the Scottish Executive and the Scottish EnvironmentProtection Agency, also support the Scottish Industrial Symbiosis Programme - aresources exchange for business that seeks to identify synergies and new businessopportunities.

Highlands and Islands Enterprise has a particular focus on socialenterprise and, for example, over the last four years has supported 27 communityled recycling projects through £228,000 of financial assistance.

The Executive’s main work ondeveloping markets for recyclate is through WRAP and REMADE. Their work includescapital grant and lease guarantee schemes for bodies reprocessing recyclate; research;encouraging the use of recycled material and compost in contracts and in manufacturing;helping to develop standards and quality protocols for recyclate and compost; monitoringthe state of the markets and providing advice on ensuring the quality of recyclateand compost.

Question reference: S2W-28655

Asked by: Shiona Baird, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 September 2006
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 20 October 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of recent concerns expressed by the paper and aluminium industries about the quality of recyclable material being sent for reprocessing, what steps it is taking to ensure that the quality of recyclate is not being compromised in any attempt to increase the quantity of recyclables being collected.

We are taking action in a numberof areas to ensure that the quality of recyclate is not being compromised.

First of all, Strategic WasteFund awards to local authorities have included provision for education and awareness,to support local Waste Aware Scotland campaigns, co-ordinated by the Scottish WasteAwareness Group (SWAG). Clear and simple advice to householders helps minimise contaminationof recyclate.

Secondly, both the Waste andResources Action Programme (WRAP) and REMADE Scotland carry out work on developingmarkets for recycled products. Their work includes liaison with local authoritiesand industry. REMADE, with support from WRAP, are currently undertaking a detailedmarket analysis for a variety of materials recovered in Scotland, andwill be reporting on the state of these markets in the next few months.

Finally, WRAP are working to develop a specification(PAS 105) for recovered paper. The introduction of a specification will help guaranteethe quality of recovered paper.

Question reference: S2W-28492

Asked by: Shiona Baird, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 September 2006
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 4 October 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware that Renewable Devices’ Swift Rooftop Wind Energy System is not available in Scotland through the exclusive distributors Scottish and Southern Energy.

Question reference: S2W-27820

Asked by: Shiona Baird, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 August 2006
Current Status: Answered by Johann Lamont on 11 September 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive how many developments of 1,000 square metres of floor space or greater have been granted planning permission in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority area.

The following table shows thenumber of developments which are 1,000 square metres or greater that have been grantedplanning permission over the last five years. These figures include business, industryand all other major developments.

	2001-02	2002-03	2003-04	2004-05	2005-06
Aberdeen City	43	37	28	32	N/A
Aberdeenshire	55	42	49	57	70
Angus	7	4	3	4	8
Argyll and Bute	22	11	9	30	17
Cairngorms	N/A	N/A	N/A	4	32
Clackmannanshire	10	10	3	13	5
Dumfries and Galloway	33	31	18	36	43
Dundee City	12	24	25	12	23
East Ayrshire	23	13	18	28	23
East Dunbartonshire	7	6	6	9	9
East Lothian	41	46	32	24	22
East Renfrewshire	8	8	11	11	7
Edinburgh	90	55	54	46	43
Falkirk	15	23	17	31	20
Fife	58	73	58	57	47
Glasgow City	85	74	91	90	79
Highland	42	39	66	69	51
Inverclyde	17	9	9	11	14
LLTNP	N/A	3*	6	4	6
Midlothian	20	8	6	7	25
Moray	7	0	5	44	N/A
North Ayrshire	21	15	15	18	N/A
North Lanarkshire	50	33	50	46	41
Orkney	8	4	3	5	12
Perth and Kinross	12	10	16	34	57
Renfrewshire	38	41	52	42	21
Scottish Borders	15	11	9	6	17
Shetland	2	17	10	13	4*
South Ayrshire	16	26	7	14	16
South Lanarkshire	46	42	36	45	68
Stirling	13	8	19	28	57
West Dunbartonshire	6	3	6	21	13
West Lothian	28	31	15	39	38
Western Isles	9	21	7	3	8
Scotland	859	778	759	933	896

Notes:

*Incomplete year.

N/A Statistics not yet available.

Question reference: S2W-27821

Asked by: Shiona Baird, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 August 2006
Current Status: Answered by Johann Lamont on 6 September 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to allow public sector bodies to have access to information on the energy performance of buildings gained through the provision of energy performance certificates and how this will be achieved.

A public consultation on implementationof Articles 7, 8 and 9 of the EU Directive 2002/91/EC on the energy performanceof buildings closed on 11 August 2006 having run for 12 weeks. Section 9 of the consultationentitled Retaining and making use of information from energy performancecertificates presented four options regarding provision of a register of energyperformance certificates with national coverage. The options given were:

1. no register;

2. the building standards register;

3. a register held by a non-publicbody, and

4. a hybrid of options 2 and3.

Options 2, 3 and 4 all have registersthat are accessible to both Scottish ministers and local authorities. The responsesto the consultation are still in the process of being analysed and no decision hasbeen taken.

Question reference: S2W-27538

Asked by: Shiona Baird, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 21 July 2006
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 28 August 2006

Question reference: S2W-27536

Asked by: Shiona Baird, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 21 July 2006
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 28 August 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive how Scottish Enterprise invests in energy saving developments.

Question reference: S2W-27539

Asked by: Shiona Baird, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 21 July 2006
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 28 August 2006

Question reference: S2W-27537

Asked by: Shiona Baird, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 21 July 2006
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 28 August 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria Scottish Enterprise applies in allocating funding to energy saving developments.

Question reference: S2W-27139

Asked by: Shiona Baird, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 June 2006
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 17 August 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated average construction cost per mile is of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route.