Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S4W-15681

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 June 2013
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 25 June 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the comments of the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment in his speech of 17 April 2013, what modelling (a) its analysts and (b) the James Hutton Institute has carried out regarding the change from historic to area-based payments in pillar 1 of the reform of the common agricultural policy; whether it will publish the results, and what the timescale is for future modelling.

My speech on 17 April 2013 at the “CAP Moving Forward” conference was to introduce the results of modelling work that had already been carried by the James Hutton Institute on behalf of Scottish Government.

The modelling covered a range of scenarios that had been discussed in advance with stakeholders. The results of the modelling have been published on the Scottish Government website at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/farmingrural/Agriculture/CAP/regulations/Meetings-2013

Following the conference and discussion with our CAP Stakeholder Group, a further phase of more detailed modelling on is now underway with a reduced number of payment options but with an expanded range of factors such as voluntary coupled support and the proposed re-distributive payment.

A further phase of modelling will be required once the final outcome of the CAP negotiations is known so that we can consider aspects such as internal convergence and capping.

We plan to consult on the way forward for Scotland towards the end of this year.

Question reference: S4W-15561

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 10 June 2013
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 19 June 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the liquidation of Scottish Resources Group and ATH Resources, what action it is taking to ensure that habitat and environmental impact regulations are maintained at open cast coal sites.

The interim liquidators for The Scottish Coal Company Limited have applied to the Court of Session for directions on whether they have power to abandon or disclaim sites owned by the company and statutory licences, analogous to that which exists in England and Wales, and on the correct treatment in the liquidation of the costs associated with planning obligations. The Scottish Ministers, Scottish Environmental Protection Agency, Scottish Natural Heritage and a number of local authorities have submitted answers as part of the court process, and the case is due to be heard in early July 2013.

Question reference: S4W-15560

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 10 June 2013
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 19 June 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, where a restoration bond proves to be inadequate, who is responsible for ensuring that the restoration work is completed.

Question reference: S4W-15558

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 10 June 2013
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 19 June 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what types of development must provide financial bonds in association with planning consent; what types of bonds there are, and what its position is on whether each provides adequate security.

Planning legislation contains no requirement that any development must provide financial bonds in association with planning consent.

Planning authorities may, if they consider it appropriate, seek to ensure restoration of sites through planning conditions or planning obligations. These may require establishment of a financial bond. This would be a matter for the relevant planning authority to determine based on the circumstances of any individual case.

Question reference: S4O-02272

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 June 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 June 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is giving from its International Development Fund for people in the Occupied Palestinian Territories of Gaza and the West Bank.

Question reference: S4W-15464

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 03 June 2013
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 12 June 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions Transport Scotland has had with tourism stakeholders regarding the chartering of train services on the Borders railway link on Saturdays.

Question reference: S4W-15167

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 6 June 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what site restoration arrangements are in place for opencast sites run by companies other than Scottish Coal.

Question reference: S4W-15158

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 6 June 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how many abandoned opencast sites there are; how much it would cost to carry out a full environmental restoration of them, and whether it has contingencies in place to fund such restorations.

The Scottish Vacant and Derelict Land Survey 2012 provides information on previous uses:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2013/01/2295/7#tb11.

The site register:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Planning/Site-Register

provides information on previous uses marked “Mineral activity – Coal” but these may include bings or other land at former deep coal mine sites as well as opencast sites.

It is understood that the liquidators for Scottish Resources Group and ATH/Aardvark have issued disclaimers for a number of their sites. The effect of these disclaimers is not yet clear. The liquidators are continuing to carry out essential work on most of the sites – i.e. they have not yet been abandoned. Precise information on how many abandoned sites is not therefore held centrally by Scottish Government.

The full costs of environmental restoration would depend on the implementation of the permitted restoration plans, any consented or pending variations thereto and the value of any restoration bond.

Scottish Environmental; Protection Agency is currently inspecting the sites to identify any short to medium term environmental problems. The new Scottish Mines Restoration Trust will engage with local councils, landowners, and coal operators to ensure the best possible outcome for local communities and the effective restoration of old open cast mines.

Question reference: S4O-02234

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 June 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 June 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the health and wellbeing benefits of community transport for older people across rural South Scotland and the rest of the country as noted in Age Scotland's report, Still Waiting.

Question reference: S4W-14189

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 08 April 2013
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 1 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government when the Minister for Environment and Climate Change last met other ministers to discuss emissions reductions in their portfolio areas.

I have on-going dialogue concerning emissions reduction with my ministerial colleagues. The development of the draft second climate change Report on Proposals and Policies and our strategy for a low carbon Scotland has been discussed at two meetings of the Cabinet in January 2013, formal bilateral meetings with fellow ministers and their officials as well as during informal discussions with ministerial colleagues. In addition joint Ministerial meetings are held on a weekly basis and RPP2 has been discussed on several such occasions.