Chamber and committees

Historic Scotland state in the Scottish Historic Environment Policy (October 2008) (paragraph 2.34f) which supports the legislative remit for listing, that buildings less than 30-years-old will normally only be considered for listing if found to be of outstanding merit and/or facing immediate threat. The ability to consider buildings built after 1978 accordingly already exists for buildings under threat and no change is required to the legislation.

The Scottish Government has a range of measures available to protect key modern buildings from unsympathetic development proposals through the provisions of the planning system. The main vehicle for this is the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 and the controls that flow from this. In addition the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act of 1997 provides the means by which buildings of special architectural or historic interest are given a measure of protection.

Once a building is listed, planning authorities are required to have regard to the protection of the building and its setting as part of their development management duties. Similarly buildings within conservation areas are afforded a level of protection because consent is required from the planning authority for their demolition. The planning authority also has powers to require planning permission for alterations in such areas through the use of Article 4 directions.

Applications for conservation area consent and listed building consent are determined by local authorities, but in certain circumstances the Scottish Government and Historic Scotland will become involved. Scottish ministers'' policy on listed buildings is contained in the recently published SHEP.

The Scottish Government works with a range of intermediaries, including housing associations, to encourage and support vulnerable individuals to claim the financial assistance to which they are entitled. Housing associations are well placed to make an important contribution and they are encouraged by the availability of the Wider Role Fund for Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) to take an active role in the regeneration of their local communities. One of the priority themes for the wider role fund is to make early interventions to tackle poverty and many RSLs have developed projects supported by wider role funding aimed at income maximisation and increasing the take up of welfare benefits.

In addition, the Tackling Poverty Framework is due to be published soon and a major strand of the framework will be to maximise income. Thereafter, the Scottish Government will work with a wide range of intermediaries to encourage and support vulnerable individuals to claim the financial assistance to which they are entitled.

We are jointly funding a pilot with DWP through Age Concern Scotland to encourage older people to maximise the benefits to which they are entitled in the East End of Glasgow and the area around Macduff in Aberdeenshire. Free benefit checks are given through the Warm Deal Programme. The Tackling Poverty Framework is due to be published soon and a major strand of that will be to maximise income. Thereafter, we intend to work with a range of intermediaries, such as local authorities, to encourage and support vulnerable individuals to claim the financial assistance to which they are entitled.

This is a reserved issue and a matter for the Ministry of Defence. There are no routine arrangements in place to notify the Scottish Government of minor on-site incidents at naval sites. The Scottish Government is opposed to the use or holding of nuclear weapons on Scottish soil, and has established a Working Group tasked with reviewing the adequacy of the current licensing and regulatory framework that exists in relation to HM Naval Base Clyde and its impact on environmental, planning and transport issues.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the presence of asbestos in public or other buildings. The presence of asbestos in buildings does not of itself present a risk to health. The risk arises if fibres are released and inhaled. The Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2006 place a duty on those who have the responsibility for building maintenance and repair to manage the risk from asbestos. It also includes the requirement to prepare a plan setting out in detail how the risks from these materials will be managed; take the necessary steps to put the plan into action; periodically review and monitor it and the arrangements for acting on it so that the plan remains relevant and up-to-date, and provide information on the location and condition of the materials to anyone who is liable to work on or disturb them.

We have made no representations to the UK Government on this matter. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Air Travel Organisers'' Licensing Scheme is a well established scheme for the protection of package holiday-makers if their tour operator or airline becomes insolvent. Other holiday-makers who pay through credit cards have some protection, while some travel insurance policies also provide airline insolvency protection. We acknowledge the efforts by the CAA to repatriate those XL passengers who were stranded as a result of the company''s insolvency.

The administrators of XL Leisure Group plc have a duty to consider the conduct of its directors. However, notwithstanding this, if any information were presented to us then we would pass this to the Companies Investigation Branch at the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform to consider.

The following percentages of minority ethnic staff were employed by Scottish Government directorates at 1 September 2008.

Directorates	% of Minority Ethnic Staff
Economy	0.99
Education	1.02
Environment	0.64
Finance and Corporate Services	1.35
Health	0.44
Justice	1.39
Permanent Secretary	0.00
Total	0.99

 

Responsibility for employing staff or promoting staff in local authorities is a matter for the local authorities themselves. Local authorities are required to take such action as is necessary to meet their obligations under existing equal opportunities legislation.