- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 30 July 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 1 September 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive how many times the publication of its Energy Efficiency Action Plan for Scotland has been delayed and what the reasons were for each delay.
Answer
The Scottish Government originally intended to publish an Energy Efficiency Action Plan (EEAP) for Scotland in 2008. However, a mandatory commitment to publish an EEAP, and set and report on energy efficiency targets, was subsequently included in the Climate Change (Scotland) Bill in late 2008, with the intention that the EEAP would be developed once the bill was enacted. This provided the statutory reporting framework which we believe energy efficiency requires.
Due to the requirement to undertake a full and active consultation on the plan, and subsequently analyse responses, it was not possible to meet a further intended publication date of 2009 after the Climate Change (Scotland) Act came into force.
It was anticipated that the final plan would be published in late spring 2010 and a draft document was developed accordingly. However, in light of the establishment of the Short Life Working Group on Annual Emissions Targets, and given the role which energy efficiency will play in meeting these targets, it was considered inappropriate to publish the plan until new targets have been agreed.
In the meantime, several actions within the draft document are already being taken forward.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 30 July 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 1 September 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to prepare and inform relevant stakeholders ahead of the publication of the Energy Efficiency Action Plan for Scotland
Answer
We will continue to engage with key stakeholders across all sectors prior to the publication of the Energy Efficiency Action Plan (EEAP) for Scotland. This has been our approach throughout the process of developing the Conserve and Save consultation and the draft EEAP itself.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 29 July 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 24 August 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, when assessing fish stocks and preparing advice for future stock management, the Fisheries Research Services Marine Laboratory takes into account the Marine Climate Change Impacts Partnership’s research, which shows that climate change is causing the distribution of some fish species to move north, which suggests that all stock reductions cannot be attributed to fishing effort alone.
Answer
Marine Scotland Science (formerly Fisheries Research Services) is fully aware of the work of the Marine Climate Change Impact Partnership (MCCIP) research and contributes to this research. Stock assessment methodologies are designed to be robust and can accommodate small changes in fish stock distributions. The impacts of climate change are considered when advice is formulated.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 29 July 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 24 August 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it ensures that the European Commission (EC) is kept fully aware of the results of the Marine Climate Change Impacts Partnership’s research, which shows that climate change is causing the distribution of some fish species to move north, so that, when the EC makes recommendations for fish quotas, quotas in the northern parts of a fish species’ distribution are not cut because of climate change-induced reductions in its southern parts.
Answer
The Marine Climate Change Impact Partnership (MCCIP) is responsible for the publication and dissemination of its results. Marine Scotland Science scientists highlight these results at meetings of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) and of the European Commission''s Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF) when appropriate.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 29 July 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 24 August 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive, given the Marine Climate Change Impacts Partnership’s research, which shows that climate change is causing the distribution of some fish species to move north and which may make the collection of thorough comparative fish stock data more difficult, whether the Fisheries Research Services Marine Laboratory will increase its use of data collected by fishing boats so that it makes use of all available fish stock data.
Answer
Marine Scotland Science (formerly Fisheries Research Services) is fully aware of the work of the Marine Climate Change Impact Partnership (MCCIP) research and contributes to this research. Stock assessment methodologies, including survey design and sampling strategies, are designed to be robust and can accommodate small changes in fish stock distributions. However, Marine Scotland Science continues to work with the fishing industry to collect relevant accurate data on the health and status of Scottish fish stocks.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 28 June 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 23 July 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive how many hectares of native woodland were lost due to (a) restoration of open ground habitats, (b) clearance for wind farms, (c) loss to development, and (d) loss of hedgerow trees in each of the last five years.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-32887 on 28 January 2010 which set out the total amount of woodland felling in each of the past five years. A breakdown of these figures into the various categories now requested is not readily available at present. Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS) records show that the total amount of private sector woodland approved for felling over the past five years without a replanting condition was 678 hectares. However, certain categories of felling (including felling associated with planning permission) are exempt from felling licence requirements, and no central records are held on exempt felling.
Current work on improving the National Forest Inventory and implementing the policy on the Control of Woodland Removal will provide additional information on woodland loss. In addition, the Native Woodland Survey being carried out by FCS will provide maps and estimates of recent losses of native and ancient woodland related to development and other causes.
All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 28 June 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 23 July 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive how many hectares of native trees, including Scots pine, were planted in each of the last five years, broken down by (a) public land, (b) private land and (c) Forestry Commission conservancy area.
Answer
The areas of new native woodland planted on private land over the last five years, broken down by Forestry Commission Scotland Conservancy, are shown below. Details of new planting on the national forest estate are not kept by conservancy, but the total amount of new native woodland planted over the same five year period is around 230 hectares.
Areas in Hectares (ha) of New Native Woodlands
| Conservancy | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | Total |
| Central | 100 | 208 | 583 | 24 | 85 | 1,000 |
| Grampian | 217 | 614 | 251 | 78 | 57 | 1,217 |
| Highland and Islands | 1,886 | 957 | 857 | 337 | 775 | 4,812 |
| Perth and Argyll | 342 | 791 | 412 | 256 | 137 | 1,938 |
| South Scotland | 184 | 689 | 312 | 243 | 210 | 1,638 |
| Total Scotland | 2,729 | 3,259 | 2,415 | 938 | 1,264 | 10,605 |
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 28 June 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 23 July 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive how many hectares of native trees have been approved for planting in the next planting season through the Scotland Rural Development Programme.
Answer
There are 4,430 hectares of native woodland approved for new planting in the next planting season through the Scotland Rural Development Programme.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 28 June 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 23 July 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive how much ancient woodland was lost in each of the last five years.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-32887 on 28 April 2010 which set out the total amount of woodland felling in each of the past five years. A breakdown of these figures into the various categories now requested is not readily available at present. Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS) records show that the total amount of private sector woodland approved for felling over the past five years without a replanting condition was 678 hectares. However, certain categories of felling (including felling associated with planning permission) are exempt from felling licence requirements, and no central records are held on exempt felling.
Current work on improving the National Forest Inventory and implementing the policy on the Control of Woodland Removal will provide additional information on woodland loss. In addition, the Native Woodland Survey being carried out by FCS will provide maps and estimates of recent losses of native and ancient woodland related to development and other causes.
All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at:
www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 28 June 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 23 July 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive how many hectares of woodland were lost due to (a) restoration of open ground habitats, (b) clearance for wind farms, (c) loss to development and (d) loss of hedgerow trees in each of the last five years.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-32887 on 28 April 2010 which set out the total amount of woodland felling in each of the past five years. A breakdown of these figures into the various categories now requested is not readily available at present. Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS) records show that the total amount of private sector woodland approved for felling over the past five years without a replanting condition was 678 hectares. However, certain categories of felling (including felling associated with planning permission) are exempt from felling licence requirements, and no central records are held on exempt felling.
Current work on improving the National Forest Inventory and implementing the policy on the Control of Woodland Removal will provide additional information on woodland loss. In addition, the Native Woodland Survey being carried out by FCS will provide maps and estimates of recent losses of native and ancient woodland related to development and other causes.
All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.
