Chamber and committees

The Ayrshire Power application for a Multi-Fuel Power Station at Hunterston was received on 2 June 2010. The application is currently with consultees, including North Ayrshire Council as the relevant planning authority, as per the normal process. The consultation is due to end on 1 October, after which Scottish ministers will carefully consider consultees'' responses alongside all representations in line with statutory requirements. The determination of applications for such large energy projects is a complex undertaking which spans many and varied issues, and as such it is not possible to commit to an exact timeline, nevertheless Scottish ministers will deal with the application as promptly as is practically possible.

Information on waste arisings is detailed in the Scottish Government Environmental Performance: Annual Report 2008-09, published on 21 May 2010. Copies of the report are available from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 50874).

Figures in respect of food waste are not held as it is not currently possible to disaggregate volumes of food waste that are included within the general waste stream. We will be holding discussions with our new waste management contractor shortly to see what improvements can be made to the waste data that we receive. Additionally a six month pilot project will shortly begin at Victoria Quay to assess the feasibility of removing food and other suitable wastes from the general waste stream for composting. If successful the initiative will enable a reduction in our waste arisings being sent to landfill in line with the Zero Waste Plan.

It is not the role of the commercial sector to minimise waste arising in the public sector.

The Zero Waste Plan for Scotland sets out a Number of actions that will be implemented to address all waste arisings, irrespective of the sector in which it arises. These actions include development of a Waste Prevention Programme, in line with the EU Waste framework Directive, in order to place prevention at the heart of Zero Waste policy.

Scottish Government is taking forward a number of actions under the Zero Waste Plan that will encourage the commercial sector to recycle more. Key actions include the development of a Waste Prevention Programme, introduction of a 70% recycling target for all of Scotland''s waste and new legislative measures that will place restrictions on the wastes that can be landfilled or go for incineration.

Additionally, Zero Waste Scotland will be working to identify key waste streams and sectors, including the commercial sector, with a view to establishing sector-specific programmes of work to help deliver the Zero Waste Plan.

This type of information is not readily available across the public sector. The Scottish Government however does lead by example by recording the quantity of Scottish sourced produce used in its catering contract, which, in many cases is 100% Scottish sourced.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-34432 on 18 June 2010. 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/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

This type of information is not readily available across the public sector. The Scottish Government however does lead by example by recording the quantity of Scottish sourced produce used in its catering contract, which, in many cases is 100% Scottish sourced.

Information on the percentage of public sector waste recycled is not held centrally.

The Scottish Government has a target to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill by recycling 80% of the total waste it produces as an organisation, by 2011. There are also targets to reduce total waste by 10% by March 2011 (this has already been met), and by 25% by 2020, relative to 2006-07 levels.

In the Scottish Government''s Environmental Performance Annual Report for 2008-09, it was reported that 73% of all waste was recycled over that period. In addition, waste arisings also dropped by 2%.

Support measures for new entrants to farming under 40 years of age is available under the Rural Priorities element of the Scotland Rural Development Programme, established in 2008.

The Setting up young farmers “ interest rate relief option under Rural Priorities provides specific support for young farmers in providing interest rate relief on loans to develop a farming business. The option has recently been revised to include provision for a one-off establishment grant.

For certain other options, young farmers may also claim an additional 10% grant. It is not possible to provide a detailed breakdown of this additional funding using current reporting systems.

Full details of the options available are on the Rural Priorities website:

www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Farmingrural/SRDP/RuralPriorities.

The following table sets out the levels of uptake of the interest rate relief option.

Year	Applications	Approved	Approved Value
2008	8	8	£164,580
2009	16	11	£234,576
2010	8	7	£168,873
Total	32	26	£568,029

 

Use of Scottish sourced food within the public sector varies depending on the food type and sector. The Scottish Government leads by example in its catering contract and has significantly increased the quantity of Scottish sourced produce to 100% in many cases. Through Scotland''s National Food and Drink policy we have also committed to raising awareness of the origin of food supplied through public sector contracts.