Chamber and committees

I have asked Dr PaulStollard, Chief Executive of the Scottish Building Standards Agency (SBSA), to answer. His response is as follows:

Targets and timescalesfor reducing the carbon footprint of new buildings are currently under consideration.We appointed an Expert Panel to advise on a “Low Carbon Building Standards Strategy for Scotland”.The report of the panel will be published before the end of the year.

The role of the planningsystem in tackling climate change is already addressed in several Scottish PlanningPolicies including those on flooding, renewable energy and housing. It will alsobe addressed in the second National Planning Framework. The Planning etc (Scotland) Act 2006 requires that work on the second National PlanningFramework and local authority development plans be undertaken with the objectiveof contributing to sustainable development. The Scottish Government is also consideringamendments to The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (Scotland)Order 1992 to allow more microrenewable equipment to be installed on existing residentialbuildings without the need to apply for planning permission. We intend to consultin the new year.

Whilst some expenditurein the autumn budget revision will support the Scottish Government’s climate changeobjectives, it is not necessarily identified as such. However, provision totalling£16.7 million was made in the autumn budget revision for a Forestry Commission drawdownfrom Central Unallocated Provision for the climate change programme, private woodlandgrants and Cost of Capital. £7.3 million of this was specifically for acquisitionand planting of additional land and increased new planting in the private sectorin support of measures included in Scotland’s Climate ChangeProgramme.

The Cabinet Secretaryfor Finance and Sustainable Growth announced at the end of June that he would notbe allocating end year flexibility to portfolios this year, with a view to consideringthose resources as part of the Strategic Spending Review.

Such schemes havebeen of value in the past and helped us to understand better the issues relatingto both air quality, and the emissions causing climate change. We are currentlyconsidering new measures which will best offer value for money and help deliversignificant emission reductions and encourage the demand for cleaner vehicles acrossScotland. These include investment in public transportand the promotion of behaviouralchange which includes supporting the development and use of travel plans, eco-driving,green fleet reviews and the use of fuel and vehicle technologies that result inreduced emissions. A strategic approach to the use of both biofuels and other fueland vehicle technologies as they emerge, will be supported by this wider range ofbehavioural measures being pursued and is consistent with expert opinion and bothUK and EU policy.

The public local inquiryis expected to take place early in 2008. We are currently working in preparationfor this. Arrangements are currently in hand and the next step will be to hold apre-inquiry meeting to which all statutory objectors will be invited. That willset the timescale for the inquiry.

We have a target tohalt the growth of municipal solid waste by 2010. Latest figures suggest municipalwaste growth is between 1% to 1.5%.

We have no targetsfor the reuse of waste but the impact of successful programmes on reuse is to contributeto the target on halting waste growth.

We have a target ofrecycling/composting 30% of waste by 2008. Latest figures for the year July 2006to June 2007 show that we are recycling 29.8% of municipal waste. We estimate thatScotland needs to achieve around 40% recycling/compostingof municipal waste by 2010, to meet our share of the EU Landfill Directive targeton reducing the amount of biodegradable municipal waste sent to landfill.

The National WastePlan also has a target of 55% recycling/composting by 2020.

Finally, there arerecycling targets laid down in producer responsibility regimes, such as the producerresponsibility system for packaging. The Scottish Government, and other governmentdepartments across the United Kingdom, are consulting on recyclingtargets for packaging for 2008 and thereafter. This consultation can be found athttp://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/packaging-reg07/consultation.pdf.It includes information on current performance.

The current NationalWaste Plan envisaged that energy would be recovered from 14% of municipal wasteby 2020.

The Scottish Governmenthas received an Outline Business Case from the City of Edinburgh Council, West Lothian Council, East Lothian Council, MidlothianCouncil and Scottish Borders Council outlining their proposals for residual wastetreatment as an alternative to landfill. This Outline Business Case is not technologyspecific. We are expecting another Outline Business Case from North LanarkshireCouncil and South Lanarkshire Council shortly. The Scottish Government has not yetdecided whether these Outline Business Cases should receive any funding fromgovernment.

We are consideringthe way ahead on waste policy generally, following the Scottish Government’s wastesummit on 3 October 2007. Our consideration includes dealing with thequestion of the role of energy from waste as we move towards a zero waste Scotland. We intend to make an announcement in the New Year onwaste policy.

We are aware of anumber of proposed energy from waste plants being built without financial supportfrom government. Any such plants would be subject to planning permission requirementsand would need to be licensed by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.

The Glasgow 2014 CandidateCity File (CCF) set out the environmental plans for the games. The CCF made specificcommitments that all new and refurbished games associated buildings will be no orlow carbon, to low emission zonesaround games venues, car-free venues, high technology vehicles in the gamesvillage and the use of renewable energy. The CCF also committed to the provisionof a fund, by the Scottish Government, to Commonwealth countries for off-settingcarbon emissions generated by the games. This will be targeted at climate changeadaptation and mitigation in Commonwealth countries. Furthermore, the Scottish Governmentis committed to ensuring that the games village is carbon-neutral.

Delivery of the measurescontained within the CCF is a matter for the Games Organising Company, in conjunctionwith the key games partners – the Scottish Government, Glasgow City Council andthe Commonwealth Games Council for Scotland – and in consultation with key environmentalbodies represented on the Glasgow 2014 Environmental Forum.

Officials are currentlycarrying out an internal review of the extent of fuel poverty in Scotland whichwill assess how effective current programmes have been in making progress towardsour target to end fuel poverty, as far as is reasonably practicable, by 2016 andwhether the resources deployed on current programmes are being used to best advantage.

The annual reporton the central heating programme and warm deal provides an estimate of annual reductionsin carbon emissions as a result of measures installed. For example over 2005-06programmes achieved a predicted annual reduction in CO₂ emissions of66,687 tonnes. As well as improving the approach to tackling fuel poverty the currentreview will examine opportunities to strengthen the links between fuel poverty,energy efficiency and climate change objectives as part of our progress towardsa fairer Scotland.

The SpendingReview document confirmed that policies and initiatives across all portfolioswill take full account of our ambitions for a Greener Scotland, and that we arecommitted to introduce carbon impact assessments for policy options.

Measures takenforward under the rural affairs and the environment programme will beconsistent with this, and carbon impact assessments will be developed overtime.