Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government has not been made aware of any concerns regarding access to skiing activities during the period of extreme weather conditions that affected many aspects of public life in Scotland.

The operators, Cairngorm Mountain Ski Centre, closed the centre in the interests of public safety due to a two day blizzard which resulted in 15ft snow drifts and parts of the funicular railway track also being buried under drifting snow. This was an entirely appropriate decision in view of the extreme weather conditions at the time.

Any decision to close access roads would be a matter for between Transport Scotland, Highland Council and Northern Constabulary.

The first 14 secondary schools announced on 28 September were selected on the basis of the distribution of needs throughout Scotland; the best available information about schools'' condition and unsuitability to deliver Curriculum for Excellence; additionality, and authorities'' own plans, priorities and readiness to proceed. Secondary schools which were not included in the first announcement will be eligible for consideration in subsequent phases of the programme.

Any decision to upgrade or replace an individual school remains one for the local authority in question. Along with other schools, Campbeltown Grammar School will be eligible for consideration in subsequent phases of the school building programme.

The condition assessment of a school is a matter for the local authority. Argyll and Bute Council reported that Campbeltown Grammar School was in condition category B in the School Estate Statistics 2008. That was changed to category D in the 2009 Statistics. Of the 14 secondaries announced on 28 September, Lasswade High School was in condition D, Harris Academy, James Gillespie''s High School and Dumbarton Academy were in condition B and the remainder were in condition C.

Information about schools'' condition was only one of six criteria, which were agreed by the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, used to identify the first 14 schools. The others were; the distribution of needs throughout Scotland; the best available information about schools'' unsuitability to deliver Curriculum for Excellence; additionality, and authorities'' own plans, priorities and readiness to proceed.

In Scotland, planning permission is required from local authorities for the siting of a marine finfish farm under the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 (as amended by the Planning etc (Scotland) Act 2006). This requires an assessment of the number of cages, layout and design of all equipment associated with the farm. A proposal for any development over 100 tonnes also has to be assessed against the requirements of the Environmental Impact Assessment (Scotland) Regulations 1999 (as amended), to determine whether it is likely to have a significant environmental effect.

In Norway, planning permission is not required. Screening for any environmental impact does not start until the consent exceeds 3,120 tonnes of biomass. A basic assessment is carried out to determine any seabed impacts of the proposed biomass before a pollution control permit is issued.

Energy costs represent only a relatively small proportion of housing associations'' overall operating costs, but energy cost fluctuations will also have an impact on the financial position of housing association tenants. The Scottish Government is working with associations to address energy efficiency and fuel cost issues, through the Scottish Housing Quality Standard, the Energy Assistance Package and in accordance with the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009.

The Scottish Housing Regulator recently published guidance on business planning for housing associations to ensure that they review and update their assumptions to reflect the changing economic environment.

The housing co-operative sector is part of the Registered Social Landlord (RSL) sector. The individual organisations within the sector each establish their own vision and business plan to suit their specific circumstances. The Scottish Government sees a continued role for the RSL sector in the management and development of affordable housing in Scotland.

Under the provisions of Scottish Planning Policy SPP6 Renewable Energy, housing projects above a specified size will generally be required to include appropriate micro-regeneration technologies. Housing associations must comply with such planning requirements. The Housing Association Grant, awarded to housing associations, takes into account the necessary costs of compliance with SPP6.

The housing co-operative sector is part of the Registered Social Landlord (RSL) sector. The individual organisations within the sector each establish their own vision and business plan to suit their specific circumstances. The Scottish Government supports the work of the sector by investing in the provision of new affordable housing, and in other ways. Co-ops also benefit from regulation by the SHR which offers lenders assurances that the RSL has to meet nationally agreed performance standards.