- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 November 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 14 November 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what precise energy efficiency standards will be met by its proposed new affordable houses.
Answer
I refer themember to the answer to question S3W-6028 on 14 November 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions areavailable on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can befound at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 November 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 14 November 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what contribution its proposed new affordable housing will make to the Scottish Government’s CO2 emission reduction targets in (a) real and (b) percentage terms.
Answer
I refer themember to the answer to question S3W-6028 on 14 November 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions areavailable on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can befound at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 November 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 14 November 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what analysis the Scottish Government has carried out of the factors contributing to the 8% above-inflation increase in subsidy required by housing associations, referred to by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing on 31 October 2007 (Official Report c. 2839), and what these factors are.
Answer
The ScottishGovernment analysed the amount of Housing Association Grant (HAG) thatCommunities Scotland paid out between 2002-03 and 2006-07 to support theconstruction of new houses for social rent. The analysis showed that theaverage amount of grant per house rose from £52,000 in 2002-03 to £79,000 in2006-07: equivalent to an annual increase of 8% in real terms over the period.
Factors that mayhave contributed to the increase include land and construction costs. In FirmFoundations: the Future of Housing in Scotland, the Scottish Governmentproposes to address these and other contributory factors, and ensure thatpublic expenditure supports the largest possible programme of new socialhousing, through the introduction of arrangements for awarding HAG on acompetitive basis.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 November 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 14 November 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how many households in Edinburgh will be eligible to apply for support through its low-cost initiative for first-time buyers.
Answer
The LIFTinitiative – our Low-cost Initiative for First-Time buyers – is a key part of the package of measures to revitalise Scotland’s housingset out in the
Firm Foundations discussion document published on 31 October 2007.
LIFT currently includes a mix of government grantsand shared equity schemes. However, through the Firm Foundations consultationprocess, we are seeking views on other potential measures which could beincorporated within LIFT. The number of households who will be eligible toapply for support through LIFT will therefore depend on LIFT’s futurecomposition.
Through LIFT weaim to assist at least 1,800 households into home ownership this year. Asignificant number of these households is expected to be located in the Edinburgh area.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 October 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 9 November 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consult rural communities and the retail industry about the best locations for new abattoir facilities.
Answer
Although we have nocurrent plans to consult rural communities, we will await the outcome of thefoot-and-mouth disease review. While the location of any new abattoirs is a commercialmatter for individual operators, our draft Scotland Rural Development Programmedoes includes measures offering support for new rural abattoirs.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 October 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Linda Fabiani on 8 November 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it routinely plans to release draft documents given to it by the UK Government as part of the process of inter-governmental co-operation.
Answer
The Scottish Governmentwill continue to treat documents received from the UK Government in accordance withthe principles outlined in the Memorandum of Understanding.
A copy of the Memorandumof Understanding is lodged with the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 October 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 8 November 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in respect of the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in August 2007, any communication accompanying the draft statement provided to the Executive by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs that indicated what the Secretary of State for Rural Affairs and the Environment might say to the UK Parliament indicated that it had been approved by the Secretary of State as the final statement, or was qualified in any way as being a draft yet to be approved by the Secretary of State.
Answer
The draft speech receivedby Scottish Government officials on the morning of the 8 October 2007 announcement was a late draft. Defra officials had notedthat it may be subject to revision.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 October 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 8 November 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it expects to be copied any future drafts of statements or other documents by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) following the Executive’s release of the recent DEFRA draft statement for the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Answer
The Scottish Governmentfully expects to continue having a positive working relationship with the Departmentfor Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 October 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 8 November 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Foot and Mouth Disease Contingency Plan has been reviewed to address the bluetongue outbreak in England.
Answer
Bluetongue andfoot-and-mouth disease are two separate exotic notifiable diseases requiring separatedisease control responses. The UK Bluetongue Control Strategy is being revised asa result of a new Commission Regulation on bluetongue.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 October 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 8 November 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what specific financial assistance it has formally requested from the UK Government other than assistance under the Sheep Welfare Scheme.
Answer
The Cabinet Secretaryfor Finance and Sustainable Growth wrote to the Chief Secretary to the Treasuryon 24 October 2007 seeking reimbursement of £25 million, whichwe estimate to be the cost of the support package that I announced on that day.The package includes the cost of the Sheep Welfare Scheme. We still await a formalresponse.
