- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 01 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 10 December 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is envisaged that leases for management and cutting rights over the national forest estate will be released in one block or in smaller parcels.
Answer
Offering management leases and cutting rights is a potential option for releasing capital from the national forest estate which could be used to fund woodland creation projects to help mitigate climate change. This option is included in a public consultation currently being carried out on
Climate Change and the National Forest Estate at
http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/INFD-7KUMVM.
The consultation closes on 27 January 2009. All responses will be carefully considered and will be taken into account as part of a wider options review being carried out by Forestry Commission Scotland.
No decisions have therefore been taken on the size of any blocks which may be leased, although there may be good arguments for a single lease. Forestry Commission Scotland will be considering a range of options on this aspect during its review.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 01 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 10 December 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how many companies it is envisaged will be involved in bidding for leases for management and cutting rights over the national forest estate.
Answer
Offering management leases and cutting rights is a potential option for releasing capital from the national forest estate which could be used to fund woodland creation projects to help mitigate climate change. This option is included in a public consultation currently being carried out on
Climate Change and the National Forest Estate at
http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/INFD-7KUMVM.
The consultation closes on 27 January 2009. All responses will be carefully considered and will be taken into account as part of a wider options review being carried out by Forestry Commission Scotland.
The bidding process for any management lease would be subject to public procurement rules. It is not possible to predict the number of potential bidders at this stage.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 01 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 10 December 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it envisages allowing foreign companies to bid for leases for management and cutting rights over the national forest estate.
Answer
Offering management leases and cutting rights is a potential option for releasing capital from the national forest estate which could be used to fund woodland creation projects to help mitigate climate change. This option is included in a public consultation currently being carried out on
Climate Change and the National Forest Estate at
http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/INFD-7KUMVM.
The consultation closes on 27 January 2009. All responses will be carefully considered and will be taken into account as part of a wider options review being carried out by Forestry Commission Scotland.
The bidding process for any lease would be subject to public procurement rules, which include compliance with international obligations. Therefore, foreign companies are free to bid.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 01 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 10 December 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff are currently estimated to work in the areas identified under proposals for leasing out management and cutting rights over parts of the national forest estate.
Answer
Offering management leases and cutting rights is a potential option for releasing capital from the national forest estate which could be used to fund woodland creation projects to help mitigate climate change. This option is included in a public consultation currently being carried out on
Climate Change and the National Forest Estate http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/INFD-7KUMVM. The consultation closes on 27 January 2009. All responses will be carefully considered and will be taken into account as part of a wider options review being carried out by Forestry Commission Scotland.
It is therefore too early to say how many staff are working in the areas which might be selected for leasing, should that particular option be taken forward.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 01 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 10 December 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what calculations have been carried out to establish how much of the national forest estate could be bought.
Answer
Offering management leases and cutting rights is a potential option for releasing capital from the national forest estate which could be used to fund woodland creation projects to help mitigate climate change. This option is included in a public consultation currently being carried out on
Climate Change and the National Forest Estate http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/INFD-7KUMVM. The consultation closes on 27 January 2009. All responses will be carefully considered and will be taken into account as part of a wider options review being carried out by Forestry Commission Scotland.
The amount of land which could be appropriate for leasing is a key consideration in the consultation exercise and options review.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 01 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 10 December 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will guarantee that there will be no redundancies as a result of proposals for leasing out management and cutting right over parts of the national forest estate.
Answer
Offering management leases and cutting rights is a potential option for releasing capital from the national forest estate which could be used to fund woodland creation projects to help mitigate climate change. This option is included in a public consultation currently being carried out on
Climate Change and the National Forest Estate http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/INFD-7KUMVM. The consultation closes on 27 January 2009. All responses will be carefully considered and will be taken into account as part of a wider options review being carried out by Forestry Commission Scotland.
There will be no compulsory redundancies as a result of any leasing arrangement arising from the consultation exercise and wider options review.
name
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 01 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 10 December 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is envisaged that under the option of transferring assets and land in perpetuity to a not-for-profit trust, as set out on page six of the paper Climate Change and the National Forest Estate - Consultation on forestry provisions in the Scottish Climate Change Bill, such a trust would be prevented from selling on any land that it was given to manage.
Answer
Under one option set out in the consultation paper, a not-for-profit trust could be given the task of holding in perpetuity the national forest estate land that had been leased. A trust could, however, also be given flexibility to sell any newly created woodland, which it had established using the proceeds of a lease, in order to generate funds to create more woodland. However no decision on that or any other actions possible for a trust have been made.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 01 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 9 December 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the Air Quality Screening Tool for Biomass Combustion in Scotland as identified in the report prepared for the Scottish Government entitled Measurements and Modelling of Fine Particulate Emission (PM10 and PM2.5) from Wood-Burning Biomass Boilers provides an appropriate basis for environmental health officers and planners to advise on the individual and cumulative particulate impacts of the wood–burning biomass energy elements of planning applications.
Answer
Yes, the screening tool developed in the report is being incorporated into technical guidance for air quality reporting for local authorities to determine the cumulative impact of biomass boilers on fine particulate matter levels in urban areas. It can also be referred to for advice by local authorities on reducing any local impacts of biomass boilers on fine particulate matter levels in rural areas with regards to a minimum stack height.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 November 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 20 November 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the Scottish Government’s pledge of £100 million to alleviate a chronic housing shortage will be spent in Edinburgh.
Answer
The £100 million accelerated funding will be split £30 million in 2008-09 and £70 million in 2009-10. To date £9 million of project expenditure has been announced and further tranches covering the £30 million will be announced over the coming month. We are prioritising bringing forward new construction but also spending on off the shelf units and land acquisitions where this is strategically sensible and offers good value for money.
Edinburgh is a local authority which has seen its levels of resources protected this year receiving a total of £36.1 million in 2008-09. Projects within Edinburgh are therefore not currently being prioritised for the accelerated £30 million. No decisions have been taken on the allocation of the accelerated £70 million in 2009-10.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 October 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 12 November 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-10724 by Michael Russell on 13 March 2008, which issues were identified as requiring attention and what steps have been taken in the normal course of government business or are planned in the near future; in particular, what steps have been taken in relation to (a) a specialist environmental court, (b) dispute resolution, (c) public participation and access to justice and (d) the EU environmental liability directive and, if no steps have been taken or are planned, why these matters are no longer considered to require attention.
Answer
Scottish ministers are not persuaded of the need for a specialist environmental court.
They will however shortly be seeking the Lord President''s views on ordinary court procedures with particular reference to meeting the requirements of the Aarhus Convention and European Directives for public participation in environmental decision making. As notified through the UK Government to the European Commission on 5 September 2008, this will cover decision making in relation to the EU Environmental Liability Directive.
The second public consultation exercise on the EU Environmental Liability Directive ran from 16 May to 8 August 2008. The draft Environmental Liability (Prevention and Remediation) (Scotland) Regulations published with the consultation are being revised with stakeholders. The revised regulations will be laid shortly.
More generally, the Scottish Government supports the use of alternative dispute resolution where it is feasible and appropriate to do so and is funding a number of mediation projects across a range of policy areas, currently including health, justice, housing and education.
