Chamber and committees

We are discussing plans for accessibility improvements at Haymarket Station with Network Rail and First ScotRail and hope to agree plans shortly for taking forward accessibility works at the station. In addition, the City of Edinburgh Council has received funding from the Executive to look at wider options for development at the station, including better disabled access.

Last month wepublished a new framework for workforce planning that sets out the actions requiredat national, regional and NHS health board levels. Boards are required to developtheir specific workforce plans early next year.

Provision for the regular inspection and maintenance of those cycle routes for which the Scottish Executives Roads Authority has been included in these contracts.

The Scottish survey on students income, expenditure and debt 2004-05 will be published in November 2005.

The information requested is not held centrally. It is for local authorities to determine their level of facility provision according to local needs and priorities and how best to fund facility development which may be under the new prudential regime for local authority capital, utilising the sports facilities and swimming pools element of their total revenue grant or a combination of funding sources. The Executive has committed over £28 million of Exchequer funding to support the development of a range of facilities being developed through the National and Regional Sports Facilities Strategy.

The report of the public local inquiry has identified a number of shortcomings in the scheme and recommended modifications. As a result, ministers now propose modifications but will consider representations before making a final decision.

As required by the Flood Prevention (Scotland) Act 1961, the Executive will be writing over the coming week to intimate the terms of the proposed modifications to all parties concerned who will have three months to comment.

I share the public’s disappointment that the council’s scheme cannot be confirmed yet but it is important that we arrive at the right scheme to protect homes and businesses from flooding from the Water of Leith.

I am placing copies of the report of the public local inquiry, the accompanying technical report and the terms of the proposed modifications in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. numbers 37378, 37379 & 37382) and also on the Scottish Executive website:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Environment/Water/Flooding/16919/6936.

I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows:

The Scottish House Condition Survey 2002 (SHCS2002) estimated that approximately 780,000 dwellings with cavity walls had no additional insulation or only partial additional insulation.

It is estimated that approximately 1.1 million tonnes of CO₂­ per year would be saved if all cavities were insulated.

The Scottish Executive announced on 7 December 2004 its plans to publish an energy efficiency strategy for Scotland. The strategy will set a framework, define objectives and create a more joined–up approach for energy efficiency interventions by the Executive. We expect to publish the strategy later this year.

We install cavity wall insulation through the Warm Deal and the central heating programme. We have not set targets for cavity wall installation, principally because these programmes are demand-led. The future of the Warm Deal and central heating programmes beyond 2006 is currently under consideration.

The estimated physical area taken up by golf courses in each local authority area is shown in the following table. It should be noted that they do not include driving ranges or short “pitch and putt” type courses. The areas are in hectares and are calculated using the Scottish Executive Planning Advice Note No. 43 - Golf Courses and Associated Developments. Using that guidance, a set range is applied to calculate the minimum and maximum area of a course: for a 9 hole course (ie 20 - 30 hectares) and for a 18 hole course (ie 50 - 70 hectares). The table expresses the total hectare coverage as a minimum, maximum and average for all 9 and 18 hole courses in each local authority area.

Council	18 hole	9 hole	Total Min Area	Total Max Area	Ave Area
Aberdeenshire	29	13	1,710	2,420	2,065
Angus	16	1	820	1,150	985
Argyll and Bute	10	18	860	1,240	1,050
City of Aberdeen	11	4	630	890	760
City of Dundee	4	1	220	310	265
City of Edinburgh	22	5	1200	1690	1445
City of Glasgow	7	2	390	550	470
Clackmannanshire	3	5	250	360	305
Dumfries and Galloway	19	12	1,190	1,690	1,440
East Ayrshire	4	4	280	400	340
East Dunbartonshire	16	1	820	1150	985
East Lothian	17	2	890	1250	1070
East Renfrewshire	9	0	450	630	540
Falkirk	4	2	240	340	290
Fife	36	12	2,040	2,880	2,460
Highland	23	21	1,570	2,240	1,905
Inverclyde	5	0	250	350	300
Midlothian	4	2	240	340	290
Moray	12	3	660	930	795
North Ayrshire	17	5	950	1,340	1,145
North Lanarkshire	16	2	840	1,180	1,010
Orkney Islands	2	1	120	170	145
Perth and Kinross	23	15	1,450	2,060	1,755
Renfrewshire	9	0	450	630	540
Scottish Borders	13	10	850	1,210	1,030
Shetland Islands	2	1	120	170	145
South Ayrshire	16	2	840	1,180	1,010
South Lanarkshire	15	7	890	1,260	1,075
Stirling	6	4	380	540	460
West Dunbartonshire	4	2	240	340	290
West Lothian	9	4	530	750	640
Western Isles	1	4	130	190	160
Totals (Scotland)	384	165	22,500	31,830	27,165