- Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 June 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 27 June 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive how its outdoor learning policy will be delivered and what agencies will be responsible for taking it forward.
Answer
Education Scotland, the new agency bringing together the work of HM Inspectorate of Education and Learning and Teaching Scotland from 1 July 2011, is responsible for leading and supporting the implementation of Curriculum for Excellence. This includes support for the implementation of Curriculum for Excellence through outdoor learning. Education Scotland will work with partners to support the Outdoor Learning Implementation Group and the Outdoor Learning National Network which have been established to provide advice and support to local authorities and partners involved in outdoor learning.
- Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 June 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 24 June 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the level of proposed tuition fees in England being set at an approximate average of £8,500, whether it will revise its estimate of the funding gap facing universities in Scotland.
Answer
The work done by joint group set up by the Scottish Government and Universities Scotland which reported before the election indicated the size of any funding gap. The Scottish Government fully intends to meet the funding commitments we made to the sector in our manifesto. We will continue to work with universities to maintain and enhance the excellence of Scottish higher education ensuring the access remains free.
- Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 June 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 15 June 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive what the impact will be on the number of students attending universities in Scotland from the rest of the United Kingdom of its proposal to increase their tuition fees by up to 250%.
Answer
We are working on proposals for tuition fees for students from other parts of the United Kingdom and will announce them in due course.
- Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 17 March 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 17 March 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take following reports that cases of rickets in children and adults have increased since 2006.
Answer
The Chief Medical Officer wrote to health professionals across Scotland last year publicising current advice on supplementation to address vitamin D deficiency. This is being supported by a public information leaflet being distributed through health boards this spring.
- Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 March 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 14 March 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive what its best estimate is of the average carbon payback time for a wind farm development replacing forestry that has been clear felled.
Answer
The Scottish Government strongly encourages wind farm developers to use the guidance and calculator provided by the publication
Calculating carbon savings from wind farms on Scottish peat lands - A New Approach to estimate carbon payback time when submitting applications for developments on peat lands. Where the application is for over 50 MW the consent of the Scottish Ministers is required. This publication is available from the Scottish Government website at
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/06/25114657/0.
Improvements to the calculator are currently being carried out to factor in impacts on forestry, which will allow developers to estimate carbon payback time. The effects of clear felling on payback time will depend on a number of factors including the characteristics of the model of wind turbine and the surrounding forestry, and the nature and extent of any replanting of felled forestry which may be planned. It is anticipated that an improved calculator will be published in May.
Where woodland removal is proposed the Scottish Government''s second National Planning Framework (NPF2) and Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) state a presumption in favour of protecting woodland resources. The SPP states Woodland removal should only be allowed where it would achieve significant and clearly defined additional public benefits. In appropriate cases compensatory planting may form part of the balance. The criteria for determining the acceptability of woodland removal and further information on the implementation of the policy is explained in the Control of Woodland Removal Policy. This policy, and associated guidance, are publicly available from http://www.forestry.gov.uk/woodlandremoval.
- Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 March 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 14 March 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive what estimated minimum distance is needed between a standard wind turbine and surrounding forestry, taking into account turbulence and required wind speeds.
Answer
The separation between wind turbines and trees depends on many factors, including local topography; the ambient wind regime; the size and type of turbines, and the height and species of tree - as such there is no standard distance. It has been amply demonstrated that turbines can successfully be installed in Scottish forests with minimum disruption and with enhancement of habitats such as at Whitelee near Glasgow.
- Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 10 March 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 10 March 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive what cultural events it has planned to coincide with the 2014 Ryder Cup.
Answer
The hosting of the Ryder Cup in 2014 will deliver significant positive economic impact and a host of other benefits for Scotland. Through the staging of the Ryder Cup, the Commonwealth Games and the Edinburgh Festivals, Scotland will be centre stage in world terms in 2014 and that is why we have designated 2014 as our next Homecoming Year. Just as was the case in 2009, this will ensure Scotland has an inspirational programme of cultural events taking place the length and breadth of the country throughout the year.
- Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 17 February 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 4 March 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that Curriculum for Excellence through outdoor learning is helping to build the confidence and competence of teachers to make effective use of the outdoors to achieve Curriculum for Excellence outcomes.
Answer
Yes. We believe that the support we are providing through Learning and Teaching Scotland as noted in the answers to questions S3W-39689, S3W-39690 and S3W-39693 on 4 March 2011 is helping to build the confidence and competence of teachers to make effective use of the outdoors. This is reinforced through very positive feedback from the continuing professional development events.
All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at:
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.
- Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 14 February 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 4 March 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive how much each local authority has raised by selling playing fields in each year since 2007
Answer
The information requested is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 17 February 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 4 March 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers outdoor learning to be an effective means of delivering the outcomes of Curriculum for Excellence.
Answer
Yes. We believe that our children and young people''s learning experiences can be enhanced by maximising the potential of the outdoors. To help achieve this, we invested in the production and promotion of guidance in the form of curriculum for excellence through outdoor learning to support opportunities presented by the new school curriculum for learning in the outdoors. The guidance makes it clear that the outdoor environment offers motivating, exciting, different, relevant and easily accessible activities from pre-school years through to college. In addition, we have allocated more than £800,000 to support various initiatives to encourage the use of the outdoor environment to help deliver Curriculum for Excellence for all children and young people.
