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-04643

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 19 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 11 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4O-00484 by Nicola Sturgeon on 15 December 2011 (Official Report, c. 3327), on what date a copy of the further report received by the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Cities Strategy will be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

Question reference: S4W-04671

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 there are opportunities for renewables developments on parts of the Forestry Commission estate other than the five lots announced by the Forestry Commission Scotland.

The areas of the national forest estate on which communities can potentially take forward renewable developments are being identified on maps published on Forestry Commission Scotland’s website. The map for community-led hydro generation schemes is already available. A similar map for community wind developments will be added towards the end of January 2012, and will include land within the Scottish Borders and Scottish Lowlands Forest District as well as land within the areas covered by the five Wind Lots.

The maps and guidance for communities are available at:

www.forestry.gov.uk/website/forestry.nsf/byunique/infd-8f2ez7.

Question reference: S4W-04668

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 scope there is for communities to bid to establish renewables schemes on each of the five lots on Forestry Commission estate allocated for developments of (a) 5MW or less and (b) more than 5MW.

For both size categories, communities that wish to do so are being encouraged to investigate potential schemes. To assist them, Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS) has placed on the FCS website a map of areas which are available for community-led hydro projects, along with a guide on the options for community involvement in projects on the National Forest Estate and will do the same for wind towards the end of January 2012.

The maps and guidance for communities are available at: www.forestry.gov.uk/website/forestry.nsf/byunique/infd-8f2ez7.

Question reference: S4W-04672

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 support (a) it or (b) the Forestry Commission Scotland has offered community groups to become involved in bidding for the opportunity to develop renewables on the Forestry Commission estate.

Free support and guidance to communities interested in renewable energy is available from the Scottish Government's Communities and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES) managed by Community Energy Scotland (CES). CARES also provides loans to help communities and rural businesses with the high risk, pre-planning consent stages of renewable energy projects which have significant community engagement and benefit. The management contract for the scheme after 1 April 2012 is being tendered and an additional work stream, to provide specific advice and support to communities engaging in the renewable opportunities on the National Forest Estate, has been added.

In addition, Forestry Commission Scotland has been regularly meeting with CES and other national third-sector organisations (namely, the Community Woodland Association, Development Trust Association Scotland and Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations) to discuss and develop the opportunities for community involvement and to identify the type of support and advice these organisation can offer interested communities.

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-04667

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 publish the timescales for conclusion of agreements on each of the five lots on the Forestry Commission estate allocated for renewables developments.

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-04663

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 how many expressions of interest have been received by groups interested in pursuing community renewables projects on the Forestry Commission estate following the announcement by the Forestry Commission Scotland on 22 February 2011 of community development opportunities.

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-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.