- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 19 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 29 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-9066 by Michael Russell on 25 February 2008, for what reasons the Minister for Environment’s private secretary wrote to the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment and the First Minister on 7 December 2007 informing them that the “Park Authority planning officer is also expecting to be able to secure resolution of the outstanding highways issues early next week” and how the private secretary came into possession of information relating to a material consideration of a live planning application that was before the Cairngorms National Park Authority Planning Committee.
Answer
In light of the wide public interest at the time and the fact that urgent representations had been made by parliamentarians from four different parties expressing concern about the process and timetable for consideration of this development proposal by the planning authority (Cairngorms National Park Authority) and by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, I sought information from those bodies about those matters. The purpose of the briefing note which my Private Secretary sent to ministers on 7 December 2007 was therefore to provide them with information on the processes and timetable for the planning authority''s consideration of the planning application. This included information which had been provided by Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA) about their timetable for handling issues raised by the highway authority as a consultee on the application. These issues were referred to in the papers issued to the CNPA Planning Committee (and also published on the CNPA website) on 7 December 2007.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 29 January 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 29 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will announce its decision on the Beauly to Denny power line application.
Answer
The Beauly Denny public inquiry, the largest in Scotland since devolution, with public meetings being held at Perth, Inverness, Newtonmore, and Stirling during the course of 2007. The inquiry reporters are currently preparing their report, which is expected to be delivered to Scottish ministers shortly.
It will be then for Scottish ministers to consider the reporters findings in reaching their determination. Subject to the time of receipt and the actual recommendations made, Scottish ministers aim take a decision in the course of 2009.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 19 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 22 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-9054 by Michael Russell on 25 February 2008, which of the Scottish Government’s strategic priorities and objectives the Minister for Environment required the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) to work to and be aware of when he discussed with SEPA matters of process that might be unnecessarily holding up proper consideration by SEPA of Aviemore Highland Resort’s planning application.
Answer
The approach was consistent with the Scottish Government''s objectives.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 19 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 21 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive when the First Minister was first made aware of the potential loss of 300 jobs at Aviemore Highland Resort and what immediate action he took on being informed.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-9480 on 28 February 2008. 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/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 19 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 21 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-10966 by Michael Russell on 11 April 2008, whether the assistant private secretary sought advice from senior officials, ministers or special advisors on how the items of correspondence received from the First Minister’s constituency office manager, marked as high importance and relating to a potential loss of 300 jobs at Aviemore Highland Resort, should be handled and, if so, what advice was given and by whom.
Answer
As the correspondence was handled in line with established practice, no advice was sought by the assistant private secretary.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 19 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 21 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-9059 by Michael Russell on 25 February 2008, whether matters of timescales in relation to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency’s (SEPA) independent statutory role in individual planning applications are operational matters for SEPA.
Answer
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has an independent statutory role in advising on individual planning applications and ministers have no locus to intervene in this process. However, ministers have a legitimate interest in the efficiency and effectiveness with which SEPA carries out this role, including the timescales involved.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 19 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 21 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-9067 by Michael Russell on 25 February 2008, whether the Minister for Environment briefed his private secretary on the outcome of his discussion with the chief executive of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and, if so, whether that briefing constituted the basis of the private secretary’s memo to the First Minister and the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment on 7 December 2007.
Answer
Yes.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 19 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 21 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-9062 by Michael Russell on 25 February 2008, whether it considers that it was appropriate in the circumstances for the Minister for Environment to phone the chief executive of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency to check that there were no matters of process unnecessarily holding up consideration of Aviemore Highland Resort’s planning applications in the absence of formal advice prior to making the call.
Answer
Yes.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 19 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 21 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-10968 by Michael Russell on 11 April 2008, on what basis the Minister for Environment has stated that no member of the Scottish Government saw or was shown the exhibition of phase two of the Aviemore Highland Resort’s development arranged by Mr Donald Macdonald for the First Minister during the SNP conference in Aviemore from 26 to 28 October 2008 and whether individual ministers were invited to view the exhibition but declined.
Answer
The answer was provided on the basis of consultation with Ministerial Private Offices.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 19 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 21 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S3W-10966 and S3W-10965 by Michael Russell on 11 April 2008, whether it will detail the protocol and established practice under which correspondence from the First Minister’s constituency office, dated 9 and 13 November 2007, marked as high importance and relating to a potential loss of 300 jobs at Aviemore Highland Resort, was not shown to the First Minister, nor placed in the ministerial correspondence system, and explain the difference between a protocol and established practice.
Answer
It is established practice for correspondence received in the First Minister''s private office, but which is not personally addressed to him, not to be shown to the First Minister or to be put on the ministerial correspondence system.
In this context, there is no difference between a protocol and an established practice as both are in line with Scottish Government Ministerial correspondence administration guidance for staff.
