- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 19 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive how many dog wardens are currently in the employment of local authorities, broken down by area.
Answer
This information is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 16 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to commission research into existing dangerous dogs legislation.
Answer
The Scottish Government has no plans at present to commission any research into existing dangerous dogs legislation.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 15 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive how many dog-bite incidents have resulted in claims for compensation under the Animals (Scotland) Act 1987 in each of the last five years.
Answer
The information requested is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 15 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive how many claims for compensation resulting from dog-bite incidents, made under the Animals (Scotland) Act 1987, have been upheld in each of the last five years.
Answer
The information requested is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 07 January 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 15 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made by the Scottish Courts Service towards full cost recovery in relation to summary applications made to sheriff courts.
Answer
As a result of the new fees structure implemented in August 2008, the overall level of cost recovery for Sheriff Court civil business is projected to rise to 78% by 31 March 2009. The Scottish Court Service does not monitor the level of cost recovery attributable to summary applications
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 17 December 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to set up a statutory body to undertake the planning, construction and operation of renewable electricity generating facilities to maximise the use of these natural resources, protect the environment and provide the greatest economic and employment benefits.
Answer
The Scottish Government has no such plans. However, we will continue to engage with a wide range of stakeholders to maximise the benefits to Scotland of our renewable energy sector.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 15 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 16 December 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will set out any developments in relation to the administrative arrangements for paying pensions to public service pensioners in Scotland.
Answer
I have today sent a note to the Convenor of the Finance Committee on this subject. A copy of the memorandum attached to my note has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 47178).
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- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 21 November 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 3 December 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what the peak demand for electricity was in each of the last 10 years and on what dates it occurred.
Answer
From 2005, following the introduction of the British Electricity Trading and Transmission Arrangements, official figures for Scotland are not available separately. However, available information is listed in the following table:
| Year | Simultaneous Maximum Load Met (MW) | Date |
| UK | Scotland |
| 2007 | 61,527 | - | 17.12.07 |
| 2006 | 59,071 | - | 23.01.07 |
| 2005 | 61,697 | - | 29.11.05 |
| 2004 | 61,013 | 5,579 | 13.12.04 |
| 2003 | 60,501 | 5,909 | 08.12.03 |
| 2002 | 61,717 | 5,688 | 10.12.02 |
| 2001 | 58,589 | 5,504 | January 2001 (no specific date|) |
| 2000 | 58,452 | 5,861 | December 1999(no specific date|) |
| 1999 | 57,849 | 5,847 | - |
| 1998 | 56,312 | - | - |
Source: Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics (Department for Business Enterprise & Regulatory Reform).
Data covers the period ending March of the following year. For example, data for 2007 are for the year ending March 2008.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 27 November 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 27 November 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the measures announced in the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s pre-Budget report will have on the level of funding through the Scottish block grant in the current and future financial years.
Answer
The Scottish Government received an additional £11 million as a result of the Chancellor''s Pre-Budget Report announcement on 24 November. These additional resources will become part of the total funding available to us to meet the commitments and priorities set out in our spending plans in the
Draft Budget 2009-10 published last September. In addition, we have the opportunity to bring forward up to £260 million of capital expenditure in 2008-09 and 2009-10 to stimulate the economy. However, this funding will be offset by a corresponding reduction in expenditure in 2010-11.
Our 2010-11 allocation is also due to be cut by around £129 million as a consequence of changes to the UK Department of Health''s budget and we face a further cut based on our Barnett share of a £5 billion reduction in UK departmental spending in 2010-11 and 2011-12. Taken together there is therefore the potential for a £1 billion reduction in Scottish spending, of which £500 million is likely to fall in the current spending review period.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 November 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 13 November 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how many renewable energy projects Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) has objected to on environmental grounds, in particular in relation to the proposed height of turbines, and how many have been delayed as a result.
Answer
I refer Alex Neil to the answer which Jim Mather, Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism gave to his question on 11 September 2008 (S3O-4146) on Renewable Energy Planning Applications (Objections).
Delays in dealing with planning applications arise for a number of reasons. We have made clear our commitment to carrying forward a programme for modernising the planning system to reduce any unreasonable delays in decision processes.
SNH has a statutory responsibility to advise ministers and public bodies on issues relating to the sustainable management of the natural environment. The height of turbines within a development is likely to be only one consideration in assessing the overall impact of any particular proposal. There are therefore no records kept of the number of objections SNH makes on the specific basis of turbine height. However, what the records do indicate is that since 2006, SNH has commented on 1,184 applications for wind farm projects; but objected to less than 5% of these and made conditioned objections in only a further 4% of cases.
Of course, local authorities will and must decide any applications on its merits. It is the local authorities that makes the final decision, not SNH.
