Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S1W-17625

Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 August 2001
Current Status: Answered by Rhona Brankin on 29 August 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what procedures were used by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency to appoint the Dounreay Particles Advisory Group and whether the Nolan Committee principles relevant to such appointments were applied.

Question reference: S1W-17627

Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 August 2001
Current Status: Answered by Rhona Brankin on 29 August 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide details of all the organisations from whom the members of the Dounreay Particles Advisory Group receive an income and the incomes that they receive.

Question reference: S1W-17487

Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 August 2001
Current Status: Answered by Rhona Brankin on 29 August 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive in respect of which sites and locations it has received advice from the Radioactive Waste Management Advisory Committee since May 1999.

The Radioactive Waste Management Advisory Committee (RWMAC) has issued a number of reports on a wide range of radioactive waste management issues containing advice to ministers. These can be found at: www.defra.gov.uk/rwmac/reports.htmIn addition, RWMAC responds to consultations carried out by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency on proposals by operators for the disposal of radioactive waste from nuclear licensed sites. The Scottish Executive is made aware of RWMAC's views in such cases.

Question reference: S1W-17488

Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 August 2001
Current Status: Answered by Rhona Brankin on 29 August 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what advice it has received from the Radioactive Waste Management Advisory Committee on the Rosyth and Dalgety Bay areas.

The Radioactive Waste Management Advisory Committee (RWMAC) submits advice to ministers on a wide range of radioactive waste management issues. The formal reports containing such advice can be found at:www.defra.gov.uk/rwmac/reports.htmThe recently published RWMAC Report on Ministry of Defence Radioactive Waste Practices contains RWMAC's comments on a number of sites including Rosyth. The Scottish ministers have received no advice from RWMAC about Dalgety Bay.

Question reference: S1W-17329

Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 July 2001
Current Status: Answered by Peter Peacock on 28 August 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive which local authorities have been given approval through their capital expenditure plans in each of the last three years to construct new waste incinerators.

Question reference: S1W-17305

Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 July 2001
Current Status: Answered by Rhona Brankin on 28 August 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail any research which it or any of its agencies or non-departmental public bodies have commissioned from AEA Technology on future energy use or carbon emission; when any such research will be completed, and whether it will publish any extracts, including statistics, from any completed research to assist in the identification of overall energy requirements in Scotland and past, current and future carbon production levels.

The Executive commissioned AEA Technology in October 2000 to disaggregate the DTI UK energy and carbon dioxide projections to Scotland. The Scottish Executive has received a final report of this study, entitled Climate Change: Projections of Energy and CO₂ Emissions for Scotland, and is currently considering an appropriate dissemination strategy for the work.With regard to the commissioning of research by other agencies or non-departmental public bodies, I refer the member to my answer to question S1W-17304.

Question reference: S1W-17304

Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 July 2001
Current Status: Answered by Rhona Brankin on 28 August 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail any research which it or any of its agencies or non-departmental public bodies have commissioned from AEA Technology and when any such research work will be completed and published.

The Scottish Executive has commissioned AEA Technology to undertake two studies:1. Analysis of the Costs and Benefits of a More Stringent AQS Objective for PM10 in Scotland. The Scottish Executive has received a draft final report for this study and will consider a dissemination strategy for this project on receipt of the final report.2. Climate Change: Projections of Energy and CO2 Emissions for Scotland. The Scottish Executive has received a final report for this study and is currently considering an appropriate dissemination strategy for the work.

No information is held centrally regarding the commissioning of research to particular contractors by other agencies or non-departmental public bodies, other than for projects to which Scottish Executive contributes to directly.However, in the case of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, it is our understanding, following contact with the agency, that it has not commissioned AEA Technology for any current research. To contact other agencies or non-departmental public bodies would incur disproportionate costs.

Question reference: S1W-17326

Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 July 2001
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 28 August 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive how many new waste incinerators are currently being planned or built by local authorities, specifying the location in each case.

Question reference: S1W-17328

Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 July 2001
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 28 August 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what consents local authorities are required to seek from it on the building of new waste incinerators.

Applications for planning permission for waste incinerators are a matter, in the first instance, for the local authority, as planning authority. Where the local authority is the developer or has an interest in the development, the Scottish ministers may become involved and may have to determine a planning application for such development, but this would depend on the circumstances of the case.If the incinerator is an energy from waste project, where the output would be 50MW or more, it would require the consent of the Executive under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989. These consents have deemed planning consent.

Question reference: S1W-17307

Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 July 2001
Current Status: Answered by Rhona Brankin on 28 August 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish detailed responses and action points in relation to any studies that it or any of its agencies or non-departmental public bodies have commissioned on energy use and carbon emission.