- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 November 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 25 November 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to reach its target of planting 100 million trees by 2015, which is equivalent to planting 10,000 hectares of trees per year.
Answer
Our woodland creation targets are mainly achieved through grant support under the Scotland Rural Development Programme and some direct planting undertaken by Forestry Commission Scotland. The 2011-12 Draft Budget provides sufficient funding to meet our targets and we have actually increased grants available for forestry by £8.9 million to £36 million.
We are only part way through the first year of the Scottish Government pledge to plant 100 million trees by 2015 and we have already approved plans for 10,800 hectares of planting by the private sector which, when added to Forestry Commission Scotland''s plans, amount to over 25 million trees.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 November 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 25 November 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that it will meet its target of planting 100 million trees by 2015, given that the number of trees planted annually since 2007 is estimated at 6.7 million.
Answer
We are only part way through the first year of the Scottish Government pledge to plant 100 million trees by 2015 and we have already approved plans for over 25 million trees.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 November 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 25 November 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will protect funding for new tree planting to meet its target of 7,500 hectares of new trees in the next 12 months, as referred to by the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment at the Forestry in the Low Carbon Economy conference on 2 June 2010.
Answer
Our woodland creation targets are mainly achieved through grant support under the Scotland Rural Development Programme and some direct planting undertaken by Forestry Commission Scotland. The 2011-12 Draft Budget provides sufficient funding to meet our targets and we have actually increased grants available for forestry by £8.9 million to £36 million.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 November 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Alex Neil on 22 November 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will ensure that the number of boilers proposed in unsuccessful applications to the boiler scrappage scheme for private landlords is recorded and broken down by local authority.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-37483 on 22 November 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.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 November 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Alex Neil on 22 November 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive how long the boiler scrappage scheme for private landlords will be open for applications.
Answer
The private sector landlord boiler scrappage scheme will operate on a first come, first served basis until its vouchers have been fully allocated and will be open to those private landlords who can claim their voucher rebate by 28 February 2011.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 November 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Alex Neil on 22 November 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will ensure that the number of boilers installed under the boiler scrappage scheme for private landlords is recorded and broken down by local authority.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-37483 on 22 November 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.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 November 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Alex Neil on 22 November 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will ensure that the numbers of successful and unsuccessful applications to the boiler scrappage scheme for private landlords are recorded and broken down by local authority.
Answer
The number of successful and unsuccessful applications, and boilers installed, to the private sector landlords boiler scrappage scheme will be recorded and broken down by local authority.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 08 November 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 22 November 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to extend the Climate Challenge Fund.
Answer
The Scottish Government has decided to extend the Climate Challenge Fund into financial year 2011-12 at the enhanced funding level of £10.3 million. Further details will be announced in due course.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 08 November 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 22 November 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive what final energy consumption figure for Scotland was assumed for 2020 under a business-as-usual scenario in determining the target to reduce Scottish final energy consumption by 12% by 2020, as set out in Conserve and Save: A Consultation on the Energy Efficiency Action Plan for Scotland.
Answer
The Energy Efficiency Action Plan emphasises the importance of energy efficiency measures and behavioural change in delivering the energy consumption and ultimately emission reduction targets.
The energy efficiency target was set and will be reported against using the sub-national final energy consumption data published annually by the Department of Energy and Climate Change.
There is a limited historic time series available for this regional data with the energy consumption statistics for Scotland only available from 2005-07. The lack of a historic time series means that any robust business as usual projection would largely be based upon the average over this period. In essence, the methodology adopted is equivalent to assuming reductions against a business as usual scenario.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 08 November 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 22 November 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive how the target to reduce Scottish final energy consumption by 12% by 2020 from the average 2005 to 2007 consumption levels, as set out in Conserve and Save: A Consultation on the Energy Efficiency Action Plan for Scotland, relates to the EU target of reducing energy consumption by 20% against a business-as-usual scenario through increased efficiency by 2020.
Answer
The question compares two metrics which are not in fact comparable.
The EU target relates to a reduction of 20% of annual consumption of primary energy by 2020 (compared to the energy consumption forecasts for 2020). Those 2020 forecasts are actually based upon an estimated increase on the 2005 baseline, i.e. the absolute reduction in the EU target is significantly lower than 20%. The target is voluntary and not legally binding.
Primary energy consumption is defined as the consumption of energy used in the same form as in its naturally occurring state, for example crude oil, coal, natural gas, e.g. before it is converted into electricity.
The Scottish Government target relates to an absolute 12% reduction in annual total final energy consumption when compared with the 2005-07 baseline with annual decreasing maximum limits set down in statute.
Both metrics are equally valid with the difference between the two being that the process of converting primary energy into final energy in itself leads to the consumption of energy.
The Energy Efficiency Action Plan for Scotland sets the framework for the Scottish Government''s comprehensive approach to energy efficiency and microgeneration. The plan covers the areas of behaviour change; household, business and public sector energy efficiency; infrastructure; transport; skills; and international engagement.
In this situation, final energy consumption is a more appropriate metric.
