Chamber and committees

The Environmental Impact Assessment (Agriculture)(Scotland) Regulations 2006 contribute to protecting and enhancing the rural environment by guarding against possible negative environmental effects arising from the restructuring of rural land holdings on agricultural land and/or the use of uncultivated land and semi-natural areas for intensive agricultural purposes.

Other EIA consent systems may apply to agricultural or land management activities. Exemptions to the provisions of the 2006 Regulations are provided for in Regulation 3 (2) and include projects which constitute development for which the Environmental Impact Assessment (Scotland) Regulations 1999 apply and projects as described in Regulation 3(2) of the Environmental Impact Assessment (Forestry)(Scotland) Regulations 1999.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-29866 on 12 January 2009. All 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.

Scottish ministers have issued screening decisions on 27 projects under the Environmental Impact Assessment (Agriculture) (Scotland) Regulations 2006, and the Environmental Impact Assessment (Uncultivated Land and Semi-Natural Areas) (Scotland) Regulations 2002 which they replaced. For 20 of those projects the decision was that there was no significant environmental effect; for five others it was that they were outwith the scope of the regulations. The decisions on two projects concluded that they were relevant projects likely to have a significant effect on the environment and accordingly could not be carried out without consent of the Scottish Ministers. An Environmental Statement was received for one of the proposals on 11 July 2009 and following consideration, consent was refused and the applicant notified on 4 November 2009. An Environmental Statement has not yet been received for the other project; consequently no consent decision has been made whether or not to grant consent.

Details of proposals submitted for screening can be viewed on the public register maintained under regulation 7(7) (b) of the 2006 regulations on the Scottish Government website at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Agriculture/Environment/16808/Publicregister/publicregister.

There is no specific statutory obligation to review the regulations and I have no immediate plans to do so.

The European Commission has indicated its intention to bring forward proposals for revision of the EIA Directive 85/337/EEC later this year or early in 2011.

I refer the member to the answers to questions S3W-28340, S3W-28341, S3W-28342, S3W-28343, S3W-28344 and S3W-28345 on 18 December 2009. 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.

Information relating to the private sector creditors of The Gathering 2009 Ltd is commercially sensitive and, as such, it would be inappropriate to list these creditors.

Given the circumstances of the company, the judgement was taken that the debts were irrecoverable. As a result, the Scottish Government, Historic Scotland and the Scottish Ambulance Service took the decision to write off the amounts owed to them by The Gathering 2009 Ltd. Debt written off by the public sector totals £316,000.

Clearly it will be important for those delivering future Gathering events to take cognisance of the experience gained in the organisation and delivery of the 2009 event.

(a) Given the positive results from the independent economic impact analysis of the Gathering event and the potential of future Gathering events, the Scottish Government had several discussions with representatives of the City of Edinburgh Council.

(b) The Scottish Government has had no direct discussions with Destination Edinburgh Marketing Alliance regarding the debts incurred by The Gathering 2009 Ltd.

The First Minister met with the directors of The Gathering 2009 Ltd on 12 November 2008 and Michael Russell, the then Minister for Culture, External Affairs and the Constitution met with them on 28 April 2009.

In addition to this, EventScotland, the national events directorate of VisitScotland managing the Homecoming Scotland initiative on behalf of the Scottish Government, attended regular steering group meetings with The Gathering 2009 Ltd, the City of Edinburgh Council and Scottish Enterprise in the run up to the event taking place.

A news release issued on 15 October 2009 by the City of Edinburgh Council, on behalf of Destination Edinburgh Marketing Alliance (DEMA), stated that DEMA was taking over The Gathering 2009 Ltd, citing the positive economic impact of the event and the potential of future events, and stating that DEMA would be taking on The Gathering 2009 Ltd''s remaining private sector obligations.

The Scottish Government did not take on losses incurred by the company but made the decision to write-off the public sector debts owed to them.