- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 March 2014
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 4 April 2014
To ask the Scottish Governmentwhat its position is on the statement in the Committee on Climate Change report, Reducing emissions in Scotland: 2014 progress report, that “going forward, the achievement of both annual emission targets and sectoral targets remains very challenging.”
Answer
Scotland’s climate change targets are challenging, as they should be given the global impact of climate change. The Scottish Government welcome that the Committee on Climate Change recognise the nature of the challenge, but also that they praise Scotland’s progress and in a number of ‘key emitting sectors’ namely electricity and energy efficiency, where progress is ahead of that of the UK.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 March 2014
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 3 April 2014
To ask the Scottish Governmentwhether, in light of the Committee on Climate Change report, Reducing emissions in Scotland: 2014 progress report, it considers that it will meet its 2012 target for lowering emissions.
Answer
<>I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-20065 on 19 March 2014. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 March 2014
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 3 April 2014
To ask the Scottish Governmentwhat its position is on the statement in the Committee on Climate Change report, Reducing emissions in Scotland: 2014 progress report, that achieving the current legislated targets will be “difficult”; what its position is on the report’s view that the Scottish Government's options are to “adjust targets” or find “additional opportunities to reduce emissions that go beyond current and proposed policies"; whether it remains its position that the Second Report on Proposals and Policies will reduce greenhouse gas emissions to meet yearly targets, and whether it will bring forward further policies and proposals due to failures to meet legislated targets.
Answer
The Scottish Government notes the Committee's advice regarding the impact of revisions to the Scottish greenhouse gas inventory data for 2011 and subsequent years, and will closely examine both options identified to address the challenge this has created. We note, in respect of 2011, that the Committee stressed (p12) that:
“It is important to note that the difference between estimated emissions and the target is less than the impact of the inventory revision. It can therefore be argued that the target was missed mainly because of the inventory revision.”
The Second Report on Proposals and Policies sets out how Scotland can deliver its statutory annual targets for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. The longer term trend shows that emissions in Scotland are reducing and we remain confident Scotland is on a trajectory to achieve the ambitious 2020 target of a 42 per cent emissions reduction. In accordance with section 36 of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009, the Second Report on Proposals and Policies sets out how the Scottish Government plans to compensate for missing both the 2010 and 2011 emissions target.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 March 2014
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Current Status:
Answered by Derek Mackay on 2 April 2014
To ask the Scottish Governmenthow the green deal supports the expansion of low carbon options in homes.
Answer
The green deal and green deal finance enables householders to implement energy efficiency measures within their homes with little or no upfront cost. It facilitates the payment of those measures through energy bills and is therefore attached to the home and not the individual.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 27 February 2014
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 13 March 2014
To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to ensure theintegrityof fishprocessedand sold in Scotland.
Answer
In August 2013, I wrote to all the key organisations that support businesses in the supply and processing of fishery products, to re-iterate that their labelling practises must be clear and accurate, in order to maintain consumer confidence and to protect the reputation of the industry as a whole.
Since then, the recently published Scottish Seafood Partnership action plan includes an action to develop measures to ensure that product authenticity and traceability can be verified throughout the supply chain. This will be one of the issues discussed when the Food Standards Agency Scotland shortly meets, at my request, representatives of the sea fish industry to discuss what further measures should be taken to ensure that consumers can be confident of the authenticity of the fish that they purchase.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 27 February 2014
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 13 March 2014
To ask the Scottish Government what excludes fish processingcompaniesfrom being eligible for state aid; on what criteria a business is categorised as eligible for state aid, and how such a categorisation can be changed.
Answer
The European Commission’s guidance on state aid stipulates that companies of any size can benefit from de minimis aid of up to 30,000 euros over a three year period.
Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) can benefit from state aid under the block exemption. SMEs are categorised as independent companies that have fewer than 250 employees, and an annual turnover not exceeding 50 million euros, or an annual balance sheet not exceeding 43 million euros.
The Scottish Government is lobbying the European Commission to change the categorisation, through the current consultation on state aid.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 March 2014
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 20 March 2014
To ask the Scottish Government when it last met NHS Fife and what issues were discussed.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 20 March 2014
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 January 2014
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 27 February 2014
To ask the Scottish Government what training it provides to Agriculture, Food and Rural Communities area office staff with regard to the Environmental Impact Assessment (Agriculture) (Scotland) Regulations 2006.
Answer
Agriculture, Food and Rural Communities area office staff have access to detailed guidance on assessing land operations under the Environmental Impact Assessment (Agriculture) (Scotland) Regulations 2006. Area office local training ensures staff are aware of the obligations the Environmental Impact Assessment (Agriculture) (Scotland) Regulations 2006 places on farmers and land managers.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 January 2014
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 27 February 2014
To ask the Scottish Government how much land is deemed (a) uncultivated and (b) semi-natural for the purposes of implementing the Environmental Impact Assessment (Agriculture) (Scotland) Regulations 2006; whether Agriculture, Food and Rural Communities area office staff have access to maps of the land and, if so, whether it will publish the maps.
Answer
The Scottish Government holds a range of land based information, primarily gathered and used to administer support schemes, including the Single Farm Payment scheme.
The Environmental Impact Assessment (Agriculture) (Scotland) Regulations 2006 apply to all land managers, rather than just support scheme claimants. This, along with the fact that support schemes use general land definitions means that, for the purpose of implementing The Environmental Impact Assessment (Agriculture) (Scotland) Regulations 2006, the Scottish Government does not hold information, including maps, of how much land is deemed (a) uncultivated and (b) semi natural.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 January 2014
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 27 February 2014
To ask the Scottish Government how many applications for activities that require to be screened in accordance with the Environmental Impact Assessment (Agriculture) (Scotland) Regulations 2006 have been (a) received and (b) approved by each Agriculture, Food and Rural Communities area office in each year since 2007.
Answer
The Environmental Impact Assessment (Agriculture)(Scotland) Regulations 2006 came into force in Scotland on 1 January 2007, and constrain operations to carry out intensive agricultural operations on uncultivated or semi-natural land, or large scale restructuring projects on agricultural land, where the result would have a significant impact on the environment.
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) screening decisions are taken by Rural Payments and Inspections Division Area Offices. Where activities are within the scope of the regulation, they proceed to a formal screening, which is recorded on the Scottish Government EIA register. The screening decision may require an Environmental Statement (full EIA) to be carried out.
The following tables show:
a) The number of Screening Applications received, and
b) The number of these Screening Applications which then required a full EIA to be carried out, i.e. the applicant is asked to submit an environmental statement before the operation is approved or rejected.
| AFRC Area Office | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
| Screening applications: | Screening applic. received | Full EIA required | Screening applic. received | Full EIA required | Screening applic. received | Full EIA required | Screening applic. received | Full EIA required |
| Ayr | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Benbecula | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dumfries | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Elgin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Galashiels | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Golspie | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hamilton | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Inverness | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Inverurie | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kirkwall | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lerwick | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Oban | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Perth | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Portree | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Stornaway | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Thurso | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AFRC Area Office | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 |
| Screening applications: | Screening applic. received | Full EIA required | Screening applic. received | Full EIA required | Screening applic. received | Full EIA required |
| Ayr | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Benbecula | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dumfries | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Elgin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Galashiels | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Golspie | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hamilton | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Inverness | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Inverurie | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kirkwall | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 |
| Lerwick | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | _ | _ |
| Oban | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Perth | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | _ | _ |
| Portree | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Stornaway | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Thurso | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
