- Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 26 June 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 6 August 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether potential producers of short rotation coppice (SRC) are at a competitive disadvantage compared with potential producers in England owing to the level of forestry commission grant available in Scotland for SRC being lower than that available in England for SRC when combined with funding under the Energy Crop Scheme.
Answer
Forestry is a devolved issue and the Scottish Forestry Grants Scheme (SFGS) supports priorities contained within the Executive's Scottish Forestry Strategy.The steering group that developed the SFGS felt that, while energy crops and wood fuel were potential areas for future development, in view of the many competing priorities for the forestry grant budget, the short rotation coppice grant rates should not increase.The energy crops scheme in England is entirely separate from the forestry grants system, although it is part of the England rural development plan. It is administered by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Due to the lack of past interest, no similar scheme exists in Scotland.
- Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 26 June 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 6 August 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to separate support for short rotation coppice from the Scottish Forestry Grants Scheme and treat it as an arable crop.
Answer
We have no plans to separate support for short rotation coppice from the Scottish Forestry Grants Scheme and treat it as an arable crop.
- Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 26 June 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 6 August 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to the concerns of potential producers of short rotation coppice (SRC) in relation to the level of forestry commission grant available for SRC in Scotland being lower than that available in England for SRC when combined with funding under the Energy Crops Scheme.
Answer
Forestry is a devolved issue and the Scottish Forestry Grants Scheme (SFGS) supports priorities contained within the Executive's Scottish Forestry Strategy.The steering group that developed the SFGS included representatives from the Timber Growers Association (now called the Forestry and Timber Association), Scottish Landowners Federation, National Farmers Union for Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage, Institute of Chartered Foresters, Scottish Crofting Foundation, Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, Deer Commission for Scotland, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Scottish Environment Link, Forest Industries Development Council, Scottish Trade Union Congress, Forestry Commission and the Scottish Executive Rural Affairs Department. This stakeholder group felt that, while energy crops and wood fuel were potential areas for future development, in view of the many competing priorities for the forestry grant budget, the short rotation coppice grant rates should not increase.
- Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 June 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 5 August 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications have been (a) made and (b) approved for energy from waste schemes in each year since 1999.
Answer
Information relating to applications for planning consent is not held centrally. An application for an operating license must also be made to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. The following table contains information regarding applications made and licenses granted in each year since 1999.
| Year | PPC License Application | PPL License Granted |
| 1999 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 | 1* | 0 |
| 2002 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 | 0 | 0 |
Note:* deemed not duly made.
- Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 June 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 1 August 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what studies it has conducted into the impact energy to waste schemes might have on the environment and on public health.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is represented on a working group which is overseeing a UK-wide study of the environmental and health impacts of waste management, including incineration. The draft report, by a consortium led by Enviros Consulting Ltd, was recently passed to the Royal Society of Chemistry for peer review.This research builds on the work of the UK Government's Small Area Health Statistics Unit whose report Cancer incidence near municipal solid waste incinerators in Great Britain appeared in the British Journal of Cancer, Volume 73, pp702-710.The environmental and health impacts of energy from waste schemes are considered on a case by case basis by the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency when it issues or reviews permits for facilities. The Pollution Prevention and Control (Scotland) Regulations 2000 require that applications for permits shall contain information about any foreseeable significant effects of emissions on the environment and on human health.
- Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 03 July 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 28 July 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-652 by Allan Wilson on 18 June 2003, whether it will give details of all stakeholders involved in the development of the Scottish Forestry Grants Scheme.
Answer
The steering group was made up of representatives from Timber Growers Association (now called Forestry and Timber Association), Scottish Landowners Federation, National Farmers Union for Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage, Institute of Chartered Foresters, Scottish Crofting Foundation, Council of Scottish Local Authorities, Deer Commission for Scotland, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Scottish Environment Link, Forest Industries Development Council, Scottish Trade Union Congress, Forestry Commission and SEERAD.Further, during 2001 there was a public consultation on the review of the grants scheme with local seminars being held in Dumfries, Perth and Inverness. A total of 168 organisations and individuals responded to the consultation.
- Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 26 June 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 23 July 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what role the development of biomass renewable energy crops has in its overall renewable energy strategy.
Answer
We believe that emerging renewables technologies such as biomass and marine can play a significant part in achieving Scotland's ambitious renewables objectives. The Forum for Renewable Energy Development Scotland will be tasked with identifying measures that can be taken to establish a viable biomass industry in Scotland.
- Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 June 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 21 July 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive why retrospective consent to discharge is required from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency for existing discharges of sewage effluent from domestic properties into controlled waters rather than new discharges.
Answer
Discharge of sewage effluent to the water environment requires consent under the Control of Pollution Act 1974. It is an offence not to hold a consent for such a discharge. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency will take action to require dischargers to comply with their legal obligations, even if the discharge in question has been taking place for some time.
- Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 June 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 21 July 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to assist those on low incomes who find it difficult to pay the charge for applying for retrospective consent to discharge sewage effluent into controlled waters.
Answer
The current cost of an application for small discharges such as those related to individual households is £82. For discharges not subject to monitoring requirements, this is a one-off fee, which is intended to cover costs incurred by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency in issuing the consent. The Executive has no plans to provide financial assistance to those applying for such consents.
- Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 June 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 21 July 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to address concerns of residents in rural communities in respect of the requirement to apply for retrospective consent to discharge sewage effluent into controlled waters.
Answer
Discharge of sewage effluent to the water environment requires consent under the Control of Pollution Act 1974. I support the need for any such discharges that do not have consent to be brought into line with legal requirements.
