Chamber and committees

We have made clear that we expect to exceed our commitment to deliver 30,000 affordable homes over the five-year term of this Parliament, but we have not specified a revised overall target.

<>I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-08789 on 13 August 2012. 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/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

Paragraph 133 of Scottish Planning Policy states “The disturbance of some soils, particularly peat, may lead to the release of stored carbon, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. Where peat and other carbon rich soils are present, applicants should assess the likely effects associated with any development work.”

Planning Advice Note 50 Controlling the Environmental Effects of Surface Mineral Workings refers in part to peat.

The policy and guidance can be found on the Scottish Government’s website:

www.scotland.gov.uk.

The Scottish Government has a dedicated web page to wind farms and carbon. The web page hosts a range of guidance, including a methodology and calculator for calculating the potential carbon losses and savings from wind farms on Scottish peatlands. The web page also includes information on site surveys for developments on peatland. The web page can be found at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Business-Industry/Energy/Energy-sources/19185/17852-1/CSavings.

No such guidance has been given.

The Scottish Planning Policy document states “The design of new development should address the causes of climate change by minimising the carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions and should include features that provide effective adaptation to the predicted effects of climate change” (paragraph 43). It is for planning authorities to apply Scottish Planning Policy to their development plans and development management decisions as appropriate.

The Scottish Government has provided guidance on calculating potential carbon losses and savings from wind farms on Scottish peatlands. The Scottish Government’s online renewables planning advice encourages developers to apply the carbon assessment tool, which forms part of the calculating carbon losses and savings guidance, to proposals for all wind farms on land with substantial quantities of peat. The advice can be found on the Scottish Government website, and the guidance at: “Calculating carbon savings from wind farms on Scottish peatlands –a new approach” (2008) http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/06/25114657/0.

No such guidance has been given.

The Scottish Government manages and monitors the performance of ScotRail operated services including its “intercity” known as interurban services. The current fares structure is a mixture of regulated and unregulated fares specified in the terms of the Franchise Agreement. In brief, regulated fares are those in the Strathclyde area, the Edinburgh area commuter basket and off-peak (or equivalent) and Season Tickets on all remaining journeys. All other rail fares are unregulated and are a commercial matter for ScotRail. ScotRail interurban services are:

Glasgow – Aberdeen

Glasgow Queen Street; Larbert; Stirling; Dunblane; Gleneagles; Invergowrie; Dundee; Broughty Ferry; Balmossie; Monifieth; Barry Links; Golf Street; Carnoustie; Arbroath; Montrose; Laurencekirk; Stonehaven; Portlethen; Aberdeen; Dyce

Edinburgh – Aberdeen

Edinburgh; Haymarket; Inverkeithing; Kirkcaldy; Markinch; Ladybank; Springfield; Cupar; Leuchars; Dundee; Broughty Ferry; Balmossie; Monifieth; Barry Links; Golf Street; Carnoustie; Arbroath; Montrose; Laurencekirk; Stonehaven; Portlethen; Aberdeen; Dyce; Inverurie

Aberdeen – Inverness

Aberdeen; Dyce; Inverurie; Insch; Huntly; Keith; Elgin; Forres; Nairn; Inverness

Glasgow Queen Street – Edinburgh (via Falkirk High)

Glasgow Queen Street; Bishopbriggs; Lenzie; Croy; Falkirk High; Polmont; Linlithgow; Haymarket; Edinburgh

Glasgow/Edinburgh – Inverness

Glasgow Queen Street; Stirling; Bridge of Allan; Dunblane Gleneagles; Edinburgh; Haymarket; Inverkeithing; Kirkcaldy; Markinch; Ladybank; Perth; Dunkeld; Pitlochry; Blair Atholl; Dalwhinnie; Newtonmore; Kingussie; Aviemore; Carrbridge; Inverness

Fares on these ScotRail services which are:

(i) Regulated by Scottish Ministers: Season Ticket; Off Peak Return; Anytime Day Return (where there is no Off Peak Return); Anytime Day Single (within Edinburgh basket and Strathclyde only), Off Peak Day Return (within Strathclyde only)

(ii) Regulated by Dft: None

(iii) Unregulated includes: First Class; Anytime Return; Super Off Peak Return; Anytime Day Return (where there is an Off Peak Return); Off-Peak Day Return (except within Strathclyde) Anytime Day Single (except within Edinburgh basket area); Advance

For clarity, fares which are regulated are:

All fares within Strathclyde

All Season Tickets

All Off Peak Returns

Anytime Day Returns on flows where there is no Off Peak Return

Anytime Day Singles within the Edinburgh basket area(area bounded by Falkirk High, Bathgate, Fauldhouse, Newcraighall, North Berwick and Kirkcaldy).

All other fares are unregulated.

<>Records of planning consents for peat extraction are not held centrally, but rest with the local authorities concerned. The Scottish Government follows Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) guidance in accounting for carbon loss from the quantity of peat extracted. Detailed guidance on how emissions resulting from peat extraction are calculated is provided in Annex A3 on pages 568-570 of the report UK Greenhouse Gas Inventory, 1990 to 2010: Annual Report for submission under the Framework Convention on Climate Change http://naei.defra.gov.uk/report_link.php?report_id=693.

On independence, welfare benefits and the state pension would continue to be paid as they are under the current devolution settlement. Pensions would be protected. On the basis of both revenue and share of GDP, Scotland is better able to afford the current levels of social protection than the rest of the UK.

Figures from Government Expenditure and Revenue in Scotland show that in 2010-11, a smaller percentage of government revenue was spent on social protection in Scotland than in the United Kingdom as a whole: spending on social protection accounted for 42% of total government revenue in the United Kingdom, but 40% in Scotland, including a geographic share of North Sea revenues.

In Scotland, we spent 15% of our GDP (including North Sea GDP) on social protection in 2010-11, while the UK spent 16%. As a share of GDP, social protection spend has been lower in Scotland than the UK for each of the last five years.

It would be for future Scottish administrations to deliver improvements to the welfare system, designed for Scottish needs. Independence would allow future Scottish administrations the full flexibility required to make these improvements, in particular by aligning the welfare system with Scottish health, social care, education, employability and skills services and by focusing on key principles such as eradication of poverty.

There is no statutory requirement for local authorities to inform the Scottish Government when they designate, amend or revoke a pressured area. The Scottish Government is aware of five local authorities who have made use of the provisions in the Housing (Scotland) Act 2010 to extend existing pressured area designations. These authorities are:

Dumfries and Galloway – June 2011

Highland – October 2011

Perth and Kinross – December 2011

Argyll and Bute - January 2012

Fife – March 2012..