- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 09 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 23 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive in how many planning applications for listed building consent, which have not yet been determined and concluded, has a decision been made by Scottish Ministers to call in the application and to appoint a Reporter where the opposition to the application has been maintained by Historic Scotland, in each of the last 10 years.
Answer
I have asked Graeme Munro, Director and Chief Executive of Historic Scotland to respond. His response is as follows:-
The number of applications for listed building and conservation area consent called-in by Scottish Ministers (or previously the Secretary of State) under the appropriate legislation has been as follows:
Year | Applications Called-in |
1989 | 6 |
1990 | 9 |
1991 | 7 |
1992 | 2 |
1993 | 4 |
1994 | 5 |
1995 | 3 |
1996 | 8 |
1997 | 2 |
1998 | 5 |
1999 | 8 |
With the exception of one application calling in during 1999, all applications called in between 1989 and 1999 have been determined and concluded.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 09 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 23 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive who is responsible for the appointment of Reporters in planning inquiries; whether it will detail any plans to review the method of appointment, and whether such appointments should in future be made independent of it.
Answer
As with other Scottish Executive civil servants, full-time Reporters are selected on merit through fair and open recruitment competition and appointed by the Scottish Executive Directorate of Personnel and Pay following the successful completion of a probationary period.
When the workload so demands, the Chief Reporter makes appointments to inquiries from the Part-time Reporters Panel, who are not employees but act in a consultant capacity, on a case-by-case basis.
There are no plans at present to alter these arrangements.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 09 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 23 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how many planning applications have been called in by Scottish Ministers and a Reporter appointed and how many were called in where Historic Scotland opposed the proposed development, in each of the last 10 years.
Answer
The information required is only available from 1993, and is as follows:
Year | Total applications called-in | Total called-in because of Historic Scotland objection |
1993 | 24 | 1 |
1994 | 14 | 0 |
1995 | 24 | 0 |
1996 | 28 | 0 |
1997 | 37 | 1 |
1998 | 24 | 4 |
1999 | 45 | 0 |
2000 (to date) | 30 | 0 |
Totals | 226 | 6 |
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 09 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 23 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there will be a Biodiversity Action Plan corncrake seminar in 2000 and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.
Answer
It is for the Steering Group of the UK Corncrake Biodiversity Action Plan to decide whether a corncrake seminar is required as part of its work programme. I understand that they do not intend to hold a Biodiversity Action Plan seminar in 2000.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 22 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will introduce a small business rates relief scheme on 1 April 2001 and what the reasons are for its position on the matter.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-11050.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 22 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will introduce a small business rates relief scheme; if so, whether the scheme introduced will be that advocated by (a) the Federation of Small Businesses, (b) the Forum of Private Business or (c) the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions in Modernising Local Government Finance: A Green Paper and, if its scheme differs from all of these, whether it will outline its proposals.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-11050.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 22 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, if it introduces a small business rates relief scheme, it will introduce a scheme under which small businesses occupying premises with rateable values of less than #10,000 receive rates relief according to a set of rateable value bands, with those occupying the lowest value premises receiving the greatest relief.
Answer
We are considering the position on rate relief for small businesses and will announce before Christmas what conclusions have been drawn and how we intend to proceed.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 22 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive which of the conclusions of the Local Government Committee's 8th Report 2000: Non-domestic Rates it (a) accepts and (b) rejects and what the reasons are for its position in relation to each of the committee's conclusions.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-11050.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 22 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether business rates represent a greater burden to small businesses than to larger businesses.
Answer
It will depend on the particular business, but in general there is some evidence which suggests that non-domestic rates for small businesses represent a greater proportion of turnover than their counterparts in larger businesses.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 22 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, if small businesses are subject to a disproportionate burden in the level of business rates they are required to pay, why this is the case and what its position is in relation to the evidence given by the Federation of Small Businesses on this issue to the Local Government Committee's inquiry into non-domestic rates.
Answer
There is some evidence which suggests that non-domestic rates for small businesses represent a greater proportion of turnover and profit than their counterparts in larger businesses. We are considering the position on rate relief for small businesses and will announce before Christmas what conclusions have been drawn and how we intend to proceed.
