- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 February 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Johann Lamont on 22 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whom it is consulting on its review of the current national planning guidance for the siting of onshore wind farms.
Answer
An Environmental Advisory Forum For Renewable Energy has been established to assist with the review. The forum includes representatives from Scottish Natural Heritage, Scottish Environmental Link, VisitScotland, Historic Scotland, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, the Association of Scottish Community Councils, Highland and Island Enterprise, Scottish Renewables Forum, Scottish Power, Scottish and Southern Energy and the Royal Town Planning Institute.
Full public consultation will take place on draft revised policies in due course.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 February 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Johann Lamont on 22 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how it is conducting its review of the current national planning guidance for the siting of onshore wind farms.
Answer
The Executive is considering, with the Environmental Advisory Forum for Renewable Energy, the appropriateness of a number of options for inclusion in consultative draft revised guidance. Each option is being assessed through the strategic environmental assessment process. Progress on this work can be followed on the Executive’s website at:
www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Planning-Building/Planning/15243/9609.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 February 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Johann Lamont on 22 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will complete its review of the current national planning guidance for the siting of onshore wind farms.
Answer
The intention is to consult on revised draft policies in the spring and to have finalised guidance in place by the end of the year.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 February 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 21 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it would give its endorsement to an official bid by Perth and Kinross Council for Perth to gain legal city status.
Answer
City status is a reserved matter for the UK Government. Should there be a further city status competition, the Scottish Executive would be given the opportunity to comment on any applications submitted by local authorities in Scotland. It would be premature to speculate on what future applications might be submitted, or their respective merits, in advance of any such future competition.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 February 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 21 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what impact a seventh Scottish city with legal status would have on its (a) current Cities Growth Fund, (b) Building a Better Scotland programme and (c) future planning for the Building a Better Scotland and City Region programmes.
Answer
The monies assigned to the Cities Growth Fund 2003-08 have been fully allocated to Scotland’s six cities. Decisions on funding allocations after 2007-08 will be taken in due course following the next spending review.
Building a Better Scotland is not a city specific programme; rather it is a spending strategy which sets out how the devolved administration in Scotland will allocate resources to meet its objectives of: growing the economy for the benefit of all in Scotland; delivering excellent public services for all; supporting stronger safer communities, and developing a confident, democratic Scotland.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 February 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 21 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it would welcome having seven legal Scottish cities with legal status instead of the current six cities.
Answer
Whilst cities provide a focal point, they must also interact with their surrounding areas. Scotland’s economic strength depends not only on the economic success of its cities but also on the wider city-regions. This is reflected in a number of policy statements such as the:
National Planning Framework for Scotland1, Framework for Economic Development in Scotland2, the revised
Smart Successful Scotland3, and the
Infrastructure Investment Plan4. It is also reflected in Scottish Enterprise’s Operating Plan 2005-08. All of these take an explicitly spatial approach to economic development.
Links:
1. http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/planning/npf04-00.asp.
2. http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/government/feds-00.asp.
3 http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/enterprise/sssen.pd.f
4 http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/finance/iipifs-00.asp.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 16 January 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 30 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Her Majesty’s Government in relation to the impact that the Racial and Religious Hatred Bill may have on Scottish publishers, writers and broadcasters.
Answer
Scottish Executive officials discussed the Racial and Religious Hatred Bill with Home Office counterparts during its preparatory stages. The subject matter of the bill falls within the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament. The issues raised in the bill had already been examined by the Cross Party Working Group on Religious Hatred. In light of their recommendations and the existing provisions in the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2003, it was decided that there was no need to extend this bill to Scotland.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 20 January 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Robert Brown on 27 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it was aware that the charity Independent Special Education Advice obtained funding from Comic Relief to monitor the implementation of the Additional Support for Learning (Scotland) Act 2004 in every local authority area before the Executive commissioned the National Autistic Society to fulfil the same role.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has not commissioned the National Autistic Society to monitor the implementation of the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004. The implementation of the act is being monitored by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 16 January 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 25 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what impact it considers that the Racial and Religious Hatred Bill for England and Wales will have on Scottish publishers, writers and broadcasters.
Answer
The Racial and Religious Hatred Bill will not apply to material published and distributed in Scotland. The bill will, however, apply to material published or distributed in England and Wales by Scottish publishers, writers and broadcasters.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 January 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Johann Lamont on 24 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for a review of the Futurebuilders Scotland strategy and whether any such review would be overseen by the proposed Social Economy Advisory Board.
Answer
In December 2005 we published our policy statement A Vision for the Voluntary Sector – The Next Phase of Our Relationship, a copy of which is available on the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 38445) which noted that we will consider the next stages of Futurebuilders Scotland. The Social Economy Advisory Board will be asked to provide advice to ministers in relation to this.
