Chamber and committees

Transport Scotland is currently undertaking an options assessment of the dualling over the River Spey. Options are being assessed across a range of engineering and environmental criteria to determine the best overall solution for this section of the dualling.

Across the A9 dualling programme Transport Scotland is working with Scottish Natural Heritage, Scottish Environmental Protection Agency, Historic Environment Scotland and the Cairngorms National Park Authority to ensure that the full range of environmental effects of the programme, not just ecology and nature conservation, are properly addressed and adequately considered as part of all decision making processes.

Where Scottish Natural Heritage has indicated that the proposed development may adversely affect a site of Special Scientific Interest or a Special Protection Area and has advised against granting planning permission, or has recommended conditions which the planning authority does not propose to attach to the planning permission, the application would be notified to Ministers, under the Town and Country Planning (Notification of Applications)(Scotland) Direction 2009, should Highland Council be minded to approve the planning application. This would allow Ministers the opportunity to decide whether, based on genuine national issues at stake, to call in the application for their own determination.

An official from the Scottish Government made contact with The Highland Council, in September 2016, following submission of your previous Parliamentary Questions to ascertain the status of the proposal at that particular time. As it is, primarily, a matter for The Highland Council to fully consider any submitted proposal and the views of Scottish Natural Heritage, the Scottish Government has no plans to enter into discussions with either party at this time.

It is not for Ministers to offer comment or pre-empt decisions to be taken by a planning authority. The Highland Council will be required to consult with the appropriate key agencies, in line with existing planning legislation, and to consider those consultees views fully during their own deliberations.

The Scottish Government Unacceptable Actions Policy is in line with current guidance made available by the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman, however, a review is currently in progress as part of a process of continuous improvement.

The Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform met the Chair of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority on 25 October 2016. The discussion covered NDA’s corporate plans and activities, especially in relation to its sites in Scotland.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that members receive prompt, accurate response to their questions. The guidance on answering Scottish Parliamentary Questions has recently been updated and a copy has been placed in SPICe (Bib. number 58488).

The Scottish Government are not aware of any complaints arising from application of the Unacceptable Actions Policy being escalated to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman.

The Unacceptable Actions Policy was introduced by the Scottish Government in 2013 and is in line with guidance available from the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman. The Policy is used to address three main areas, aggressive or threatening behaviour, unreasonable demands and unreasonable persistence. It offers guidance, support and clarity to people coming in to contact with the Scottish Government and Scottish Government staff themselves on the appropriate way to handle unacceptable behaviour. There is no requirement to record when it has been adopted other than when it has been decided to restrict contact with the person. In these instances the record is retained only the minimum period required. These records are not centrally collated.