- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 14 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive how many farmers and crofters have submitted statements of intent to make applications for funding under the Scotland Rural Development Programme in the last year and how many of the applications have received (a) red, (b) amber and (c) green light responses, broken down into (i) SGRPID office area and (ii) month.
Answer
Since the opening of the Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP) “ Regional Priorities (RP) in April 2008, we have received 4,447 statement of intent submissions by 31 December 2008. The monthly submission profile is detailed in the following table.
Month | SoI Submissions |
April | 255 |
May | 364 |
June | 613 |
July | 754 |
August | 609 |
September | 613 |
October | 632 |
November | 368 |
December | 239 |
Total | 4,447 |
When a SoI is assessed, a RED or AMBER rating is given based on Case Officer assessment. Rural Priorities is administered in a regional basis via Regional Project Assessment Committees (RPAC). The statistics currently available to The Scottish Government are based on this regional structure. The breakdown per RPAC region of SoI submission and assessment given is detailed in the following table.
RPAC Region | SoI Received | SoI Amber | SoI Red | SoI at Assessment |
Argyll | 447 | 295 | 119 | 33 |
Ayrshire | 251 | 143 | 53 | 55 |
Borders | 428 | 316 | 99 | 13 |
Clyde Valley | 168 | 98 | 35 | 35 |
Dumfries and Galloway | 443 | 276 | 130 | 37 |
Forth | 328 | 219 | 77 | 32 |
Grampian | 1052 | 706 | 257 | 89 |
Highland | 607 | 419 | 138 | 50 |
Northern Isles | 268 | 172 | 59 | 37 |
Out Hebrides | 95 | 57 | 21 | 17 |
Tayside | 360 | 223 | 96 | 41 |
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 8 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what the anticipated overspend or underspend is on the Rural Priorities element of the Scotland Rural Development Programme.
Answer
Spending on new projects under Rural Priorities could not begin until after the Scotland Rural Development Programme 2007-13 was approved by the European Commission earlier this year. The programme as approved fixes budgets by measure, for example those for supporting new entrants or for agri-environment payments and not by the delivery mechanism, such as Rural Priorities or Land Manager''s Options. The balance of expenditures between delivery mechanisms will be kept under review by the Scottish Government and the statutory Programme Monitoring Committee.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 8 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will bring forward plans to reform the agricultural subsidy appeals procedure and, if so, when.
Answer
I set up an independent review of the EU Agricultural Subsidy appeals procedure in November 2007. Following extensive consultation and assessment of the current process I received the Report
A review of the European Union Agricultural Subsidy Appeals Procedure in Scotland on 4 November which I have now carefully considered.
I have accepted sixteen of the seventeen recommendations made by the review team led by former NFU President John Kinnaird including the principle of an independent appeals procedure.
Work has now begun on implementing the recommendations we are able to accept. I have asked officials to explore how an independent appeals process can be best delivered and to examine the options including extending the remit of an existing organisation or by part of government.
I plan to introduce changes as soon as possible in 2009.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 8 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the recommendations of the independent review into the agricultural subsidy appeals procedure.
Answer
I received the Report
A review of the European Union Agricultural Subsidy Appeals Procedure in Scotland on 4 November which I have carefully considered.
I have accepted 16 of the 17 recommendations made by the review team led by former NFU President John Kinnaird including the principle of an independent appeals procedure.
Work has now begun on implementing the recommendations we are able to accept. I have asked officials to explore how an independent appeals process can be best delivered and to examine the options including extending the remit of an existing organisation or by part of government.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 08 January 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 8 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met representatives of NFU Scotland.
Answer
This PQ was answered in the Chamber. The answer can be viewed in the Official Report using the following link: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-09/sor0108-01.htm
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 5 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will make public its proposals arising from the Safeguarding Our Fishing Rights: The Future of Quota Management and Licensing in Scotland consultation, which was launched in May and closed in August 2008.
Answer
I wrote to stakeholders on 16 December providing an update on our plans for quota management and licensing in Scotland. This set out in broad terms our plans to have a phased implementation of quota and licensing arrangements in Scotland during 2009. A report summarising the views received to the consultation was also released at this time.
Due to the focus on the very important year end fisheries negotiations, I considered it sensible to delay final decisions until early in 2009. An interim outcome of consultation report setting out the Scottish Government initial response to the consultation will be issued in January. Following a short period of consultation, measures to be adopted under a Scottish quota and licensing system will then be set out in a final outcome report.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 27 November 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 12 December 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff the Scottish European Green Energy Centre will have.
Answer
The Scottish European Green Energy Centre business plan envisages a full staff complement of 10. A copy of the business plan has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 47164)
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 27 November 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 12 December 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what the Scottish European Green Energy Centre’s work programme is for the next 12 months.
Answer
The Scottish European Green Energy Centre''s work programme for the next 12 months is set out in its business plan (under the heading Three Year Plan). A copy of the business plan has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 47164).
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 27 November 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 12 December 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) set-up and (b) annual running costs will be of the Scottish European Green Energy Centre.
Answer
We anticipate that the set-up costs of the Scottish European Green Energy Centre, including the economic report establishing the business case for the centre and the official costs involved in the centre''s study visit to Norway, will be less than £50,000 in the current financial year.
Anticipated annual running costs are set out in the centre''s business plan, a copy of which has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 47164), and are budgeted at £800,000 for 2009-10; £1,000,000 for 2010-11, and £1,100,000 for 2011-12.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 27 November 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 12 December 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what research it conducted into the benefits of establishing the Scottish European Green Energy Centre.
Answer
The Scottish Government commissioned an independent economic appraisal of the Scottish European Green Energy Centre from EKOS Ltd, which set out the economic impact, strategic fit, and rationale for market intervention of the Centre.