- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 October 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 9 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-9053 by Lewis Macdonald on 28 June 2004, whether it has any plans to publish additional statistics in respect of energy usage and sources and, if so, what the most up-to-date figures are.
Answer
Statistics on energy usage and sources in Scotland are collected and published by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in its energy trends website. DTI has a programme of work to produce energy statistics at sub-national level wherever practical and where data provided in confidence are not disclosed. As additional statistics become available, the Scottish Executive will publish summary information on the Scottish Executive’s Environment statistics website. The latest gas and electricity data published by the DTI was in December 2003 and the latest renewables and combined heat power figures were published in September 2004.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 25 October 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 8 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what concordats have been amended since 1999, showing changes made in each case.
Answer
The following concordats have been the subject of minor updating since 1999:
| Department for Transport (formerly Concordat with Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions) | Originated in March 2004 | This concordat was substantially based on the original concordat with DTLR, updating with drafting amendments to reflect the split of responsibilities to the Department for Transport and Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. |
| Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (formerly Concordat with Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions) | Originated in March 2003 | This concordat was substantially based on the original concordat with DTLR, updating with drafting amendments to reflect the split of responsibilities to the Department for Transport and Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. |
| Department for Work and Pensions | Last Updated in June 2004 | This concordat was updated to reflect changes in titles of the names of the Scottish Executive teams together with minor drafting amendments. |
The nature of concordats is such that they should not require frequent or significant amendment. They are, however, expected to be reviewed from time to time.
All concordats including any previous versions are lodged with Parliaments Information Centre.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 25 October 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 8 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to establish targets for heat and fuel sourced by renewable energy.
Answer
We have no immediate plans to do so. The Executive will, however, work with UK colleagues in considering the contribution that biomass heat can make to the renewables agenda.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 25 October 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 8 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what the reasons are for delay in the Intermediary Technology Institutes becoming operational and what costs have been incurred for each institute.
Answer
This is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 25 October 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 8 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what its long-term strategy is to address fuel poverty.
Answer
The information requested is given in The Scottish Fuel Poverty Statement published by the Scottish Executive in 2002, a copy of which is available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 23335).
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 25 October 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 8 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what events, arranged as part of the United Kingdom’s EU presidency in 2005, are scheduled to take place in Scotland, differentiating between events that are finalised and those that are provisional, and what percentage this represents of all such events taking place within the UK.
Answer
Information was submitted to the European and External Relations Committee and discussed at their meeting on 26 October 2004. (See the Official Report at:
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/committees/europe/papers-04/eup04-17.pdf.Given that no definitive list of all such events taking place within the UK is currently available, it is not possible to provide a percentage figure.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 25 October 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 8 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the funding promised for each Intermediary Technology Institute has been allocated in each year since such funding was announced and whether such funding will be allocated for each of the next three years.
Answer
This is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 25 October 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 8 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any plans to increase or improve the level of teaching of Scottish history (a) in schools and (b) generally.
Answer
There are no specific plans to increase or improve the level of teaching of Scottish history (a) in schools or (b) generally.
On 1 November, I announced a programme of work which aims to create a single, coherent, Scottish curriculum 3-18. The intention is to ensure that young people achieve the broad outcomes we look for from school education, both through subject teaching and more cross-subject activity.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 25 October 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 8 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what concordats are currently being renegotiated with Her Majesty’s Government, giving details in each case.
Answer
We are currently reviewing the concordat with the Lord Chancellor’s Department to reflect the change of name from Lord Chancellor’s Department to Department for Constitutional Affairs and add a new annex setting out arrangements for dealing with freedom of information requests relating to UK public records which have been transferred to the Keeper of the Records of Scotland.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 25 October 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 8 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has undertaken any studies into the potential for biomass energy within Scotland and potential economic and environmental benefits that could be derived as a result of using biomass energy production.
Answer
The Forum for Renewable Energy Development in Scotland has been tasked with preparing proposals for the development of biomass energy in Scotland, with particular reference to the use of wood fuel. The Group is considering both the potential for the sector and the economic and environmental benefits that might accrue. I expect that its report will be published before the end of the year.
