- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 28 January 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 25 February 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any minister raised issues with any public agency which had a locus in the planning application in Aviemore in which Mr Donald Macdonald had an interest, following representations received from Mr Macdonald, his representatives or others to the First Minister and, if so, which agencies these were.
Answer
I met the Convenor and the Chief Executive of the Cairngorms National Park Authority on 5 December 2007 to discuss their plans for taking forward the business of the authority over the coming year. In the course of this meeting the convenor referred to the significant media and local interest, including local MSP interest, in the Aviemore planning applications and informed me how the matter was being handled by the authority.
On 7 December I discussed with the Chief Executive of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency the process and timescales for SEPA''s work assessment with the Aviemore planning applications.
The Minister for Community Safety, acting in his capacity as constituency MSP, has raised issues with different public agencies concerning the Aviemore planning applications on a number of occasions.
The Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment raised issues with his officials in the light of correspondence from the constituency MSP on 29 November 2007. Officials were subsequently in touch with SEPA.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 28 January 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 25 February 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive at what time and on what day the Minister for Environment spoke to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency regarding the planning application in Aviemore in which Mr Donald Macdonald had an interest.
Answer
I first spoke to the Chief Executive of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency during the morning of Friday 7 December 2007. I spoke to the Agency again, in the person of its Chief Executive, some hours later when he updated me on the issues in questions.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 28 January 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 25 February 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what matters were discussed by the Minister for Environment with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency regarding the planning application in Aviemore in which Mr Donald Macdonald had an interest and what action the minister requested.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-9048 on 25 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/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 28 January 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 25 February 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the First Minister or any other minister raised issues with the Chief Planner or any other Scottish Government official in relation to the planning application in Aviemore in which Mr Donald Macdonald had an interest; if so, what issues were raised and when.
Answer
Between 29 November and 14 December 2007, the First Minister, the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and I raised various issues with officials including the Chief Planner in the Scottish Government about the facts surrounding letters received from parliamentarians from four different parties concerning the Aviemore planning applications and the need to check with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency whether there were any misunderstandings or matters of process that were unnecessarily delaying proper consideration of these applications>.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 28 January 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 25 February 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any ministers have met representatives of Mr Donald Macdonald where reference has been made to the planning application in Aviemore in which Mr Macdonald had an interest.
Answer
The Minister for Community Safety, acting in his capacity as constituency MSP, met with representatives of Mr Donald Macdonald on a number of occasions.
Th Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism met respresentatives of Mr Macdonald in Aviemore on 26 October 2007.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 28 January 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 25 February 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Chief Executive of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) is accountable on a day-to-day basis to the board of SEPA for the operational decisions taken by staff of SEPA, or to ministers.
Answer
The Chief Executive of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) is accountable to SEPA''s board. SEPA''s board, like other non-departmental public bodies'' boards, is appointed by ministers and accountable to Scottish ministers. The precise nature of the relationship is set out in the Environment Act 1995 and SEPA''s management statement.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 28 January 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 25 February 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions the First Minister has had with other ministers following and concerning any issues raised by Mr Donald Macdonald or his representatives or others on his behalf in respect of a planning application in Aviemore in which Mr Macdonald had an interest.
Answer
On 6 December 2007, the First Minister discussed with the Minister for Community Safety the letters received from cross-party parliamentarians about the Aviemore planning applications and sought information on the background to the issue from Mr Ewing as constituency MSP.
On 7 December 2007, the First Minister discussed with me the representations submitted by cross-party parliamentarians about the Aviemore applications which suggested that Scottish Government agencies might be responsible for delaying matters.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 28 January 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 25 February 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any of the work of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) relating to aspects of the planning application in Aviemore in which Mr Donald Macdonald had an interest could be said to have been completed more quickly than could normally be expected for similar tasks, following the receipt of information required by SEPA from the applicants and, if so, in respect of what issues.
Answer
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency prioritises responses to planning consultations primarily according to environmental risk, but also takes into account sustainable development considerations. To meet planning authorities'' deadlines, SEPA will also deal with some consultations more rapidly than others.
SEPA gives high-priority to flood risk assessments for developments of a scale and nature such as that proposed at Aviemore in an area already prone to flooding. In the case of the Aviemore planning applications, SEPA also took account of the Cairngorms National Park Authority''s deadlines and the need to provide for the sustainable development of the region, including the particular financial and employment imperatives involved, as part of SEPA''s overall consideration of the applications.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 28 January 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 25 February 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the advice from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency to the Cairngorm National Park Authority changed shortly before the National Park Planning Committee was due to consider a planning application in Aviemore in which Mr Donald Macdonald had an interest and, if so, on what date the advice was changed and how close that date was to the date that the planning committee was due to meet.
Answer
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) withdrew its objection to the planning application for the development of the Horse Field site at Aviemore on 12 December 2007. SEPA was able to withdraw its objection after it had completed its review of the Flood Risk Assessment, received from the developer on 10 December, and satisfied itself about the potential impact of the development on adjacent properties. The National Park Planning Committee met on 14 December 2007.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 28 January 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 25 February 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Chief Planner involved himself or any of his staff in discussions on, or raised issues with any of the statutory agencies involved in, the planning application in Aviemore in which Mr Donald Macdonald had an interest, prior to the First Minister receiving any representations on the issues and, if so, on how many occasions.
Answer
No.
