- Asked by: Robin Harper, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 June 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 13 June 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what sanctions will be imposed on local authorities if they exceed targets set for the maximum amount of incineration of biological municipal waste in 2010, 2013 and 2020.
Answer
We are working in partnership with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and individual local authorities to achieve shared policy aims. As I have indicated, we will include our 25% limit for energy from waste technologies for treating municipal waste by 2025 in the National Planning Framework, at both a national and regional level.
- Asked by: Robin Harper, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 June 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 13 June 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any formal or voluntary agreement with local authorities in respect of targets for 2010, 2013 and 2020 limiting the amount of municipal waste used for generating energy.
Answer
No such agreements exist. However, in my statement to parliament on the 24 January I made it quite clear that I would apply a 25% cap on the amount of municipal waste sent to energy-from-waste facilities and that this cap would be incorporated, in due course, into the National Planning Framework.
- Asked by: Robin Harper, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 09 June 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 13 June 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what work is being done to establish the cause and exact volume of the recent oil spills from Talisman Energy (UK) Ltd’s Beatrice Alpha platform.
Answer
Under the Scotland Act 1998, matters relating to oil and gas, including offshore installations and pipelines, are reserved. However, I understand that in response to two recent incidents involving the discharge of crude oil in produced water from the Beatrice Alpha platform that the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) are investigating the incidents. As a consequence BERR have taken enforcement action in line with the Offshore Petroleum Activities (Oil Pollution Prevention and Control) Regulations 2005.
- Asked by: Robin Harper, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 09 June 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 13 June 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures will be taken to ensure that oil spills will be avoided from the Beatrice Alpha platform in future.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-14022 on 13 June 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/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Robin Harper, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 09 June 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 13 June 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are being taken to limit and clean up the recent oil spill from the Beatrice Alpha platform and what observable degree of success has been achieved by such measures so far.
Answer
The initial clean up of oil coming ashore as a consequence of the spill in question was co-ordinated by the Highland Council. However when it was established that the oil had come from Beatrice Alpha platform, Talisman Energy (UK) Ltd took over responsibility for arranging the clean up and contracted Oil Spill Response Limited (OSRL) to undertake the removal of the oil, which was in the form of small tarry lumps, coming ashore on successive tides. Highland Council has advised that as far as they are aware all oil observed on beaches is being successfully removed by OSRL.
- Asked by: Robin Harper, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 09 June 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 13 June 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what work is being done to assess the damage done by the two recent oil spills from the Beatrice Alpha platform.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-14022 on 13 June 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/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Robin Harper, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 June 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 13 June 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what powers it has to ensure that local authorities do not exceed targets set for the maximum amount of incineration of biological municipal waste in 2010, 2013 and 2020.
Answer
We intend to include our 25% limit for energy from waste technologies for treating municipal waste by 2025 in the National Planning Framework, at both a national and regional level.
- Asked by: Robin Harper, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 May 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 5 June 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in setting policy targets in the Scottish Forestry Strategy or elsewhere for planting forests, it has undertaken a strategic environmental assessment; if so, whether it has included an assessment of the impacts on migrating fish such as salmon, the desirability of protecting peatlands and the requirements of EU protected species that occur on open ground habitats such as golden eagles and mountain hares, and how any adverse impacts of inappropriate afforestation will be avoided.
Answer
Strategic Environmental Assessment was carried out for the preparation of the Scottish Forestry Strategy, including the woodland expansion aspiration further details are available at
http:/www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/infd-6c3dj8).
Research was also undertaken on the potential for woodland expansion in Scotland, this is also available at http:/www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/infd-6mgfky.
At a more local level, woodland creation is guided by Indicative Forestry Strategies prepared by local authorities, taking into account important environmental issues. At an individual scheme level, environmental impact assessment is required where there may be significant environmental impacts from woodland creation, in accordance with the Environmental Assessment (Forestry) (Scotland) Regulations 1999. All proposed woodland creation schemes are subject to a public consultation process and must be implemented in accordance with the UK Forestry Standard.
- Asked by: Robin Harper, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 08 May 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 8 May 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what estimate has been made of the amount of additional climate-changing pollution, in tonnes of CO2, from increased air traffic as a result of the proposed expansions of Glasgow and Edinburgh airports.
Answer
The Emissions Cost Assessment which the UK Government is carrying out this year will allow the social cost of UK aviation''s climate change emissions (not just CO2 emissions) to be considered against the extent to which the sector covers that cost. It will provide a strategic assessment to inform future decision making.
- Asked by: Robin Harper, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 18 April 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 2 May 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to provide extra protection for Scottish bees against disease and, in particular, to expedite approval of treatments such as Apivar and oxalic acid; whether it has identified any enhanced funding for such protection, and whether any other specific assistance to bee farming, including the development of a bee health strategy, are envisaged in the future.
Answer
The approval of veterinary medicines, including those for the treatment of bee pests and diseases, is a reserved matter.
Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture provides a free diagnostic service to beekeepers who suspect that their hives may be infected by pests or diseases. This service is funded by the Scottish Government''s rural directorate at a cost of £17,500 per annum.
A further £62,000 per annum is provided to the Scottish Agricultural College to fund a comprehensive advisory, training and education programme for beekeepers with the objective of improving the knowledge of and standards in bee husbandry.
The Scottish Government is preparing a strategy for Scotland which will be issued in the near future to interested parties for comment and discussion.
