- Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 04 June 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Mary Mulligan on 17 June 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what role the Scottish Environment Protection Agency has in assisting local authorities assess planning applications by providing information on capacity and future demand, locally and nationally, for waste disposal provision such as landfill sites.
Answer
Planning authorities are required by statute to consult the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) in relation to planning applications for the deposit of waste. In responding, SEPA can make any point it considers relevant, including the relationship of the development proposal to the terms of the National Waste Strategy and the Area Waste Plan.
- Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 04 June 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 17 June 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what legal protection exists to secure the future of fossil sites.
Answer
The conservation of fossil sites in Scotland is the responsibility of Scottish Natural Heritage. Of the sites identified by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee Geological Conservation Review, 98% of those categorised as of national or international importance are found within Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs).
The Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004, which was passed by Parliament on 5 May 2004, significantly updates and enhances those arrangements, including through the creation of new criminal offences to protect SSSIs.
The aAct also makes provision for the production by Scottish Natural Heritage of a Scottish Fossil Code, which will provide advice, recommendations and information in relation to fossils and the protection of fossil sites.
The unauthorised removal of fossils from private land may also constitute theft.
- Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 04 June 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 17 June 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is regarding the establishment of new landfill sites across Scotland and what role landfill sites will play in its long-term waste strategy.
Answer
The National Waste Plan sets out how we will achieve more sustainable management of Scotland’s waste, including our aim to reduce the proportion of municipal waste sent to landfill from around 90% to 30% by 2020. New landfill sites are subject to strict environmental controls under the Landfill (Scotland) Regulations 2003 and will require planning permission according to the usual procedures. The plan is available in the Parliament’s ReferenceCentre (Bib. number 26101).
- Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 04 June 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 17 June 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive how it assesses the capacity of, and future demand for, waste disposal provision for industrial waste.
Answer
Provision of disposal capacity for industrial waste is a matter for the waste industry and local authorities. The role of the Executive is to provide the regulatory and policy framework to secure sustainable management of waste. Our approach to that is set out in the National Waste Plan, which is available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 26101). Industrial waste, and other forms of non-municipal waste, are also considered in the 11 Area Waste Plans which together cover the whole of Scotland. These may be found on the Scottish Environment Protection Agency’s website at
http://www.sepa.org.uk/nws/guidance/awp.htm.Certain forms of industrial waste are subject to particular study by the agency as priority waste streams, details of which are in the National Waste Plan. Data on industrial waste are collected by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. Information is available on the agency’s website at:
http://www.sepa.org.uk/nws/data/index.htm.
- Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 04 June 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 17 June 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to protect fossils.
Answer
The conservation of fossil sites in Scotland is the responsibility of Scottish Natural Heritage. I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-8779 on 17 June 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.
- Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 04 June 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 17 June 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to minimise the amount of waste from one local authority area going to landfill sites in another local authority area.
Answer
Key aims of the National Waste Plan are to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill and more generally to implement the best practicable environmental option for sustainable management of Scotland’s waste. Avoiding unnecessary transport of waste is one of the factors taken into account, but it is also important for local authorities to secure economies of scale through the joint provision of waste infrastructure. We are supporting the implementation of the Plan through the Strategic Waste Fund. The plan is available in the Parliament’sReference Centre (Bib. number 26101).
- Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 June 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 16 June 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) statutory sites have been designated under international conventions and directives, (b) non-statutory sites have been designated as sites of national importance, (c) statutory sites have been designated under national statutes and (d) other non-statutory site designations have been made and how much land has been covered by each category of designation, expressed also as a percentage of all designated land, in each of the last seven years.
Answer
Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) publishes detailed information on statutory and non-statutory natural heritage designations annually in
Facts & Figures. Reports for the last seven years can be accessed through Scottish Parliament Reference Centre or the SNH website
www.snh.org.uk.
- Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 14 May 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 1 June 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what provisions need to be observed by a landowner who wishes to erect a fence on open land along a boundary, defined by legal ownership, for the purpose of controlling the movement of wildlife, in order to avoid contravening the access provisions of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 and what legal restrictions exist in respect of the nature and construction of such a fence.
Answer
Part 1 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act2003 establishes rights of responsible access to land in Scotland. Underthe act, land owners have a duty to managetheir land responsibly with respect to access rights. Guidance on responsible managementof land will be included in the Scottish Outdoor Access Code, which will shortlybe laid before Parliament. The terms of the proposed code, which has been preparedby Scottish Natural Heritage, advises that land owners should provide gates, gapsor other access points for the public to exercise their rights of access, when puttingup a fence over long stretches of open country.
- Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 March 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 17 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it made to HM Treasury prior to the Chancellor of the Exchequer's Budget 2004 announcement with regard to whisky strip stamps, detailing each such representation.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of issues,including whisky strip stamps. Representations both written and oral questions havebeen made on a number of occasions. Representations to Whitehall departmentsby Scottish Ministers are made in confidence, as are any representations made bythe UK Government to the Scottish Executive.
- Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 6 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance is available to port and harbour authorities to assist in meeting the costs of dredging ports or harbours.
Answer
The Scottish Executive does not,in general, subsidise harbour operations or fund associated capital investment.Public money spent on ports infrastructure or operational costs could distort competitionbetween ports. The policy is set out in
Modern Ports: A UK Policy, publishedin November 2000, a copy of which is available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre(Bib. number 9874).
The Executive has two grant schemesthat support harbour works, namely, for the provision of harbour facilities supportinglifeline ferry services in the Highlands and Islands, and for emergency repairs to fishery harbours. Fundingsupport may also be available from local enterprise companies, the European Unionand the National Lottery Fund.
Responsibility for the upkeepand maintenance of harbours, including dredging requirements consistent with expectedusage, is a matter for the relevant harbour authority or owner. The main sourceof income for harbour authorities is usually harbour dues levied on vessels usinga harbour.
