- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 20 March 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what timescale it envisages for the drafting and implementation of recommendations on permitted development rights for micro wind turbines and air source heat pumps.
Answer
The drafting of recommendations will take place as part of the study and any timescale for implementation will depend on the content of those recommendations.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 20 March 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is committed to introducing permitted development rights for the installation of renewable technology for non-domestic buildings.
Answer
Research published in early 2007 recommended that permitted development rights distinguish between domestic and non-domestic buildings. We have given priority to domestic buildings. The research recommended that the same rights apply to all non-domestic buildings. However, non-domestic buildings vary enormously in their scale, location and type of activity. We intend to progress work on non-domestic microgeneration when matters are resolved for domestic.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 March 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 19 March 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive when it plans to respond to the outcome of the consultation, Climate Change and the National Forest Estate - Consultation on forestry provisions in the Scottish Climate Change Bill.
Answer
We announced our response on 13 March 2009.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 February 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 13 March 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to its announcement on 2 February 2009, whether it will outline the (a) types of jobs, (b) industries and (c) exact number of jobs in each industry that constitute the 16,000 renewable energy-related jobs to be created over the next decade.
Answer
The estimate is based on analysis by the UK Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform of the potential expansion in centralised renewable electricity generation, renewable microgeneration, and in domestic biofuel feedstock and refinery activities necessary to meet the EU renewable energy transport targets.
Our Renewables Action Plan, to be published in the summer, will include an analysis of the economic benefits and supply chain opportunities associated with expanding renewable energy capacity across Scotland.
In addition, we anticipate that both the Energy Technology Partnership and the Scottish European Green Energy Centre will create further energy research and development opportunities in Scotland.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 February 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 13 March 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to its announcement in a press release of 2 February 2009, how it calculated that 16,000 jobs are to be created in the renewables industry over the next decade.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-20460 on 3 March 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.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 February 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 13 March 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people are employed to conduct research into (a) nuclear fusion, (b) biodiversity, (c) marine biodiversity and (d) opportunities to install hydroelectric facilities for electricity generation.
Answer
The information requested is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 February 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 13 March 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that Scotland’s higher target for the development of renewables compared with the rest of the United Kingdom will produce more than 10% of the estimated number of UK jobs to be created in the renewables industry over the next decade.
Answer
The Scottish Government considers that Scotland''s enormous potential renewable energy resource, its energy infrastructure and skills, opportunities in sectors like carbon capture and storage, combined with the scale of our ambitions for the energy sector mean that we can go higher than the estimate for 16,000 green energy jobs over the next decade.
Our Renewables Action Plan, to be published in the summer, will include an analysis of economic development opportunities and future potential for growth across the renewables sector, and identify how we can facilitate the creation of jobs by the private sector.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 February 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 10 March 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it envisages amending procurement plans to require public transport providers to purchase low emission vehicles.
Answer
Yes. A Scottish sustainable procurement action plan to support the public sector''s move to more sustainable behaviour is currently in development. The EU Energy Services Directive and forthcoming Cleaner and More Efficient Vehicles Directive will require public authorities and certain public transport providers to take into account energy efficiency and environmental impacts when purchasing road transport vehicles.
In addition, we are currently investigating ways of making the Bus Service Operators Grant scheme more environmentally focused by encouraging operator investment in cleaner and more efficient vehicles. We will consult with stakeholders in due course as proposals are developed.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 February 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 5 March 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that maintaining economic activity in remote areas and food production are public goods.
Answer
Maintaining economic activity in remote areas and maintaining capacity to produce food are public goods that deliver social, economic and environmental benefits.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 February 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 4 March 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that wildlife and landscape are public goods.
Answer
Enjoyment of wildlife and landscape generally conform to standard definitions of public goods. For example, appreciation of scenery is freely available to all and the pleasure from the study of wildlife can be shared by all. However, there are also gains from land use which are not public goods and in some instances controls to avoid disturbance of wildlife or sensitive environments may be desirable or necessary in the wider public interest.
