- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 09 June 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 18 June 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it believes that there are equity profits to be made under non-profit distributing schemes.
Answer
A key feature in the non-profit distributing model is the lack of equity capital as it has a 100% debt funded structure. This means that the returns to the private sector are capped and that any surpluses generated are retained and used for the benefit of the public interest.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 09 June 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 18 June 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects the replacement Forth crossing to open.
Answer
The Forth Replacement Crossing is expected to open in 2016.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 09 June 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 18 June 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether all “14 possible options for work to be carried out under the umbrella of the Scottish Futures Trust”, described by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth on 5 June 2008 in motion S3M-2057, are currently subject to further development.
Answer
The Scottish Futures Trust, which is to be set up this summer, will further develop the 14 delivery and funding concepts set out in Taking Forward the Scottish Futures Trust (Bib. number 45605).
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 09 June 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 18 June 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive which of the “14 possible options for work to be carried out under the umbrella of the Scottish Futures Trust”, described by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth on 5 June 2008 in motion S3M-2057, have been identified as suitable for financing the replacement Forth crossing.
Answer
As members have been informed previously, the procurement and financing options for the Forth replacement crossing will be brought to the Parliament in 2008.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 May 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 3 June 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made any representations to Her Majesty’s Government regarding the timetable for rolling out smart meters for domestic gas and electricity supplies in Scotland and, if so, what the details were of such representations.
Answer
The Scottish Government is supportive of measures which help to reduce energy demand and we recognise that smart meters and real time displays could play a role. We work closely with the UK Government in this policy area and are currently awaiting the results of a major UK-wide pilot to understand the costs and benefits of smart meters. This pilot includes Scottish consumers and it makes sense to await the results of the pilot before further considering the widespread roll-out of smart meters.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 May 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 3 June 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received any representations regarding the introduction of smart meters for domestic gas and electricity supplies and, if so, what the details were of such representations.
Answer
The Scottish Government has received representations from several organisations on the issue of smart meters for domestic gas and electricity supplies including the Energy Retail Association, energy supply companies, Energy Action Scotland, local authorities and Ofgem.
In particular, we received 15 representations on smart meters in response to the consultation on a draft energy efficiency and microgeneration strategy which issued in March 2007. Individual responses have already been published on the Scottish Government website. We will shortly be publishing an analysis of all the responses including the Scottish Government’s response to views expressed in the consultation.
In general, all of the representations we have received were supportive of smart meters as a means to reduce energy consumption.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 May 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 3 June 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made any assessment of the provision of fast broadband connections for businesses and residents in remote and island areas in Scotland compared with that in Scandinavian countries and, if not, whether it will consider making such an assessment.
Answer
No such assessment has been made and there are no current plans to undertake one. However, the Scottish Government continues to monitor the rollout of fast broadband speeds on a more general basis across all areas of Scotland as well as key developments elsewhere in Europe and across the world.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 May 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 3 June 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made any assessment of the benefits to consumers of the introduction of smart meters for domestic gas and electricity supplies and, if so, what the findings were.
Answer
The Scottish Government is supportive of measures which help to reduce energy demand and we recognise that smart meters and real time displays could play a role. The UK Government is already undertaking a major UK-wide pilot to gain a good understanding of the costs and benefits of smart meters. This pilot includes Scottish consumers and we await the results of the pilot with keen interest.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 May 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 3 June 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made any assessment of the mobile phone coverage available in remote and island areas in Scotland compared with that in Scandinavian countries and, if not, whether it will consider making such an assessment.
Answer
No such assessment has been carried out and the Scottish Government has no current plans to undertake one.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 May 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 29 May 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what the membership will be of each of the regional proposal assessment committees set up to assess applications to the Rural Development Contracts - Rural Priorities section of the Scottish Rural Development Plan.
Answer
The Regional Proposal Assessment Committees (RPACs) are made up of a range of local public officials selected on the basis of the relevant expertise required to assess the types of applications being submitted via the Rural Development Contracts “ Rural Priorities element of the Scotland Rural Development Plan.
The core membership is made up of local staff from Scottish Government Rural Payments and Inspections Directorate (SGRPID), Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and the Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS) as the three main funders of the Programme, along with the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) as a key regulator of the sector. Enterprise or business expertise is contributed by economic development staff from local authorities or from the Enterprise network.
Other public officials may be asked to attend or contribute to RPAC meetings in relation to specific applications which require more specialist expertise.
