Chamber and committees

£481,139 was spent on online advertising from the Homecoming marketing budget. Homecoming Scotland 2009 messages were also an integral part of wider VisitScotland online marketing activity, including campaigns such as Winter White, Perfect Day, European Touring Campaign and long-haul marketing campaigns such as I am a Scot. In addition, Homecoming Scotland 2009 messages featured on gateway websites promoting Scotland.

The questions and the answers to the YouGov surveys will be included in the full report on Homecoming Scotland and this will be published in spring 2010.

Yes, the full EKOS report on Homecoming Scotland will be published as an appendix to the final report.

Yes, this information will be included as part of the final report for Homecoming Scotland.

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.

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.

The regulations do not specify how often the public register should be updated. However, in practice it is done on a quarterly basis. It was last updated on 16 December 2009.

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.

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.