- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 14 March 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 16 April 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Environment Protection Agency is obliged under its statutory duties, or in guidance issued to it, to have regard to the economic interests of developers in making statutory determinations, beyond any general encouragement or guidance to act efficiently and expeditiously in conducting its affairs and dealing with planning applications.
Answer
SEPA has a general duty under section 32 of the Environment Act 1995 to have regard to the economic needs of any area when formulating proposals relating to any of the agency''s statutory functions. SEPA is also required to adhere to statutory guidance on Sustainable Development which requires the agency to ensure its actions do not unnecessarily constrain economic development, and to enforce high environmental standards whilst having regard to economic considerations.
When responding to planning consultations, SEPA takes into account sustainable development considerations including, if relevant, the financial and employment imperatives involved. The statutory guidance on Sustainable Development also makes clear that SEPA''s involvement in development planning is crucial in helping planning authorities to protect communities from inappropriate development and degradation of their local environment.
SEPA, like other public bodies, needs to be aligned with, and prioritise, the strategic objectives of the Scottish Government which include Wealthier as well as Safer and Greener.
Any question about how SEPA carried out its functions in relation to an individual case should be directed to its chief executive.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 14 March 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 16 April 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Environment Protection Agency has any statutory duties to promote economic development
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-11032 on 16 April 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: Friday, 14 March 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 16 April 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive who in the First Minister’s private office decided not to bring to the First Minister’s attention correspondence from Mr Donald Macdonald and an enclosure of correspondence between HBOS and Highland Council intimating the prospective closure of the Macdonald hotel company and the complete resort operation received from the First Minister’s constituency office manager and expressing the critical nature of his planning application and inviting the First Minister to visit an exhibition of the proposed development at the SNP conference; how that decision was reached, and when.
Answer
The decision was taken by the Assistant Private Secretary with responsibility for correspondence on the basis of established protocol upon receipt of the correspondence to the First Minister''s private office.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 14 March 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 16 April 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive which minister would have determined any appeal by the developers of Aviemore resort hotels against a decision by the Cairngorms National Park Authority to reject the master plan and any related planning applications
Answer
Where an application for planning permission has been made to the planning authority and has been refused, approved with conditions, or the authority has failed to make a decision on the application within the set period, the applicant may appeal to Scottish ministers. Appeals are handled by inquiry reporters in the Directorate for Planning and Environmental Appeals.
In most cases the inquiry reporter will prepare and issue the decision letter on behalf of Scottish ministers. In a small number of cases, however, the reporter will not issue the decision but will send a report with a recommendation to Scottish ministers. The decision on the appeal would be taken by the Planning Minister, Stewart Stevenson. If the Planning Minister were debarred from the decision-making process, e.g. by having a constituency interest or by having publicly expressed a view about the case, then another minister would make the decision on his behalf.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 14 March 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 16 April 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether correspondence from Mr Donald Macdonald and an enclosure of correspondence between HBOS and Highland Council intimating the prospective closure of the Macdonald hotel company and the complete resort operation, as received by email from the First Minister’s constituency office manager on 29 October 2007, was produced in hard copy and given to either the First Minister or his advisers by the First Minister’s private office.
Answer
They were not.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 14 March 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 16 April 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether correspondence from Mr Donald Macdonald and an enclosure of correspondence between HBOS and Highland Council intimating the prospective closure of the Macdonald hotel company and the complete resort operation, as received by email from the First Minister's constituency office manager on 29 October 2007, were placed in the ministerial correspondence system.
Answer
They were.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 14 March 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 16 April 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are standard operating practices and procedures in place in the First Minister’s private office for dealing with correspondence from constituents and others and, if so, whether it will publish these practices and procedures.
Answer
There are standard operating practices and procedures in place for management of the First Minister''s correspondence by his private office. These practices are in line with the Scottish Government ministerial correspondence administration guidance for staff and are unchanged from the previous administration. We have no current plans to publish this guidance.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 14 March 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 16 April 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the contents of the letter from HBOS to Highland Council dated 23 October 2007 and copied to the First Minister in which it was stated that without the relevant planning consents the bank would have “no option but to take action to mitigate its financial position.... likely to involve closure of the company and the complete resort operation, including the retail, no later than the middle of January 2008”, what the reasons were for the First Minister taking no action other than sending a formal response three weeks later and before personally intervening on 6 December 2007 to assist the consortium involved in the development.
Answer
The First Minister did not have sight of the correspondence and did not respond to it. A response was sent by an official in line with ministerial correspondence administration protocol.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 14 March 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 16 April 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Environment Protection Agency is under any statutory duty to give weight to the economic interests of developers in undertaking its statutory duties, beyond any general encouragement or guidance to act efficiently and as expeditiously as possible in conducting its affairs and dealing with planning applications.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-11032 on 16 April 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: Friday, 14 March 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 16 April 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether standard operating practices and procedures were applied by the First Minister’s (FM’s) private office in relation to the receipt of correspondence from Mr Donald Macdonald and an enclosure of correspondence between HBOS and Highland Council intimating the prospective closure of the Macdonald hotel company and the complete resort operation, received from the First Minister’s constituency office manager on 29 October 2007.
Answer
Yes.
