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-04670

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 19 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 10 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a breakdown of the (a) type and (b) scale of renewables projects being approved for each of the five lots on the Forestry Commission estate.

Question reference: S4W-04662

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 19 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 10 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what benefits it expects that communities will receive from the Forestry Commission Scotland renewables contracts announced by the Minister for Environment and Climate Change on 22 February 2011.

Following Forestry Commission Scotland’s (FCS) competitive negotiation processes six development partners were identified for hydro and wind developments (four for wind and two for hydro). Through that process FCS negotiated market leading rates of community benefit of £5,000 per megawatt installed per year (index linked) to be shared by local communities. Communities also have an opportunity to invest in specific schemes, subject to the proviso that the combined Forestry Commission and community interest in the project does not exceed 49% (exact details vary between developers).

Question reference: S4W-04661

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 19 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 10 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what its estimate is of the renewables potential of the Forestry Commission estate.

Question reference: S4W-04664

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 19 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 10 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what income it expects to receive from companies that it has selected to develop renewables projects on the Forestry Commission estate.

Question reference: S4W-04567

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 4 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what estimates it has asked local authorities to provide to indicate whether they expect to meet the 2012 target for eradicating homelessness.

Homelessness statistics are published every six months from quarterly returns provided by local authorities. These provide an indication of progress towards the target that by the end of December 2012 all unintentionally homeless households will be entitled to settled accommodation. The key statistic is the percentage of homelessness assessments that are in priority need; the closer a local authority is to 100%, then the closer it is to meeting the 2012 target. At present, local authorities are assessing 88% of homeless households as being in priority need.

Local authorities, working in partnership within five geographical “Hubs” are preventing homelessness through the introduction of an innovative housing options approach. This approach to homelessness prevention is making the 2012 target more achievable. Scottish Government officials work closely with the Hubs and understand the progress local authorities are making to meet the 2012 target.

Question reference: S4W-04566

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 4 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what the penalty will be for local authorities that do not meet the 2012 target for eradicating homelessness.

The 2012 target is not about eradicating all homelessness but about ensuring that, by the end of December 2012, all unintentionally homeless households applying to their local authority for assistance will be entitled to settled accommodation.

The terms of the Homelessness etc (Scotland) Act 2003 do not provide for any specific penalty to be applied to a local authority that does not meet the 2012 target. Local authorities could face legal action through existing legislation which allows applicant households to utilise their rights to go to the Court of Session for Judicial Review. In addition, the Scottish Housing Regulator may take a view on performance if a local authority is not fulfilling its responsibilities under the homelessness legislation.

Question reference: S4O-00561

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 December 2011
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish its response to the investigation by NHS Lothian of so-called hidden waiting lists.

Question reference: S4W-04477

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 14 December 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how many forests or woods are identified as to be made available to communities through the National Forest Land Scheme.

Under the National Forest Land Scheme, communities or housing bodies can apply to buy or lease areas of land that are owned by Scottish Ministers and managed by Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS), even where such land has not been declared surplus or for sale. The scheme covers all the forests, woods, open land and other property managed by FCS. It is subject to a number of criteria, such as the need to demonstrate community support and a requirement that proposals should not be significantly detrimental to the wider management of the estate.

More specific arrangements apply to community-led renewable energy developments. FCS has recently published a map showing areas (totalling 540,000 hectares) that are potentially available through the National Forest Land Scheme for community-led hydro development; communities should register their interest by 30 June 2012. A similar map will be produced for community-led wind renewable energy schemes by the end of January 2012.

Question reference: S4W-04475

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 14 December 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive which local authorities are implementing its guidance, The right tree in the right place, and have (a) published or (b) are writing a forest and woodland strategy.

The right tree in the right place was published in 2010.

(a) The following local authorities have published a forestry and woodland strategy. Depending on the date of production these may or may not directly follow the right tree in the right place guidance, but all of these strategies are formally linked to or referred to in the development plan:

Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire

Argyll and Bute

Ayrshire

Cairngorms National Park

Clackmannanshire and Stirling

Dumfries and Galloway

Dundee

Falkirk

Fife

Glasgow and Clyde Valley

Highland

Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park

Moray

Orkney Islands

Scottish Borders

Shetland Islands

Western Isles.

(b) We understand that the following local authorities are in the process of producing or updating their forestry and woodland strategies and are following the Right Tree in the Right Place guidance:

Aberdeen City

Angus

Ayrshire

Clackmannanshire and Stirling

Dumfries and Galloway

Edinburgh and the Lothians

Fife

Glasgow and Clyde Valley

Highland

Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park

Perth and Kinross

Scottish Borders.

Question reference: S4W-04474

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 14 December 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will start publicly reporting woodland loss and by what (a) method and (b) frequency.

Forestry Commission Scotland expects to publish further information about woodland loss in April 2012. The method for gathering this information includes an analysis of the Commission’s own records and an investigation of the extent of woodland loss resulting from development. The report is expected to give information by species type (e.g. “Sitka spruce”, “mixed conifer” and “mixed broadleaf”) and by cause (e.g. habitat restoration and windfarm development). As part of this exercise, the commission will consider how best to capture and when to publish similar information in the future.