- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 06 September 2013
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Current Status:
Answered by Derek Mackay on 17 September 2013
To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to include the need to meet air quality objectives in the Scottish Planning Policy.
Answer
The Scottish Government works closely with local authorities, Transport Scotland, SEPA and other partners to ensure that air quality objectives are achieved. The planning system has a key role to play in this process.
The Scottish Government is currently reviewing the Local Air Quality Management system – a consultation concluded on 6 September 2013:
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Draft Scottish Planning Policy (SPP), which was published for consultation from 30 April to 23 July 2013, highlights the important role of the planning system in encouraging and approving development which protects and enhances natural resources including air. SPP will be finalised by June 2014.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 06 September 2013
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Burgess on 17 September 2013
To ask the Scottish Government what the average household income has been in Fife in each year since 2007, broken down by parliamentary constituency, and how this compares with the rest of the country.
Answer
In 2012, the median gross weekly earnings for full time employees living in Fife was £499.30, compared with £498.30 for Scotland. Median gross weekly earnings (before deductions for Tax & National Insurance) of full-time employees on adult rates, is obtained from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE). This is an Office of National Statistics (ONS) publication which replaces the New Earnings Survey (NES). It includes full time employed adults from whose pay for the survey period was not affected by absence. The self-employed are excluded from this study.
Data is not available at parliamentary constituency level.
Median gross weekly earnings for full-time employees (residence based):
| Local Authority | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 |
| Fife | 439.0 | 465.8 | 465.2 | 477.7 | 468.8 | 499.3 |
| Scotland | 440.9 | 462.9 | 471.2 | 486.6 | 487.2 | 498.3 |
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 06 September 2013
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Burgess on 17 September 2013
To ask the Scottish Government how many children in Fife have been classified as living in poverty in each year since 2007, broken down by parliamentary constituency, and how this compares with the rest of the country.
Answer
The national poverty figures from the households below average Income datasets cannot be broken down to local authority level in Scotland, meaning poverty figures for local authorities are not available.
Tax credit and benefit claimant data from HM Revenue and Customs can be used as proxy data for child poverty at a local authority level. This is defined as the "percentage of children in each local authority that live in families in receipt of out of work benefits or tax credits where their reported income is less than 60% of median income".
In 2009, 19.9% of children in Fife were classified as in poverty (compared with 19.0% for Scotland). In 2010, 19.4% of children were classified as living in poverty (compared with 18.6% for Scotland). Breakdowns into parliamentary constituency are not available. Data for earlier years is not available for Scotland.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 06 September 2013
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Burgess on 17 September 2013
To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken in Fife to reduce child poverty since 2007.
Answer
The Scottish Government takes a national approach to tackling child poverty, with action at a local level being the responsibility of the local authority. We are working with local authorities, the NHS and others through the collective investment of £272 million in the Early Years Change Fund and over £125 million across government and our agencies to support young people towards and into work across Scotland.
Individual examples of nationally funded projects in Fife include the Communities and Families Fund project with the Ceres Nursery Trust, a group which delivers a nursery lunch club linking the morning and afternoon sessions; and Open Secret which provides art, play and talking therapy activities to children up to the age of eight and their families who have experienced a period of trauma including abuse. The Scottish Government continues to support the STV Appeal which has helped a number of charities throughout Scotland including specific projects in Fife such as the Save the Children Families and Schools Together initiative.
However, only with access to our own resources and the ability to join up policy across devolved and reserved areas, can we make the substantial difference we need to and tackle child poverty for good.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 06 September 2013
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 12 September 2013
To ask the Scottish Government how many responses it received to its recent consultation on local air quality management and how many called for a Scottish air quality action plan.
Answer
The three month consultation period was due to finish on 6 September 2013 but has been extended to 20 September 2013, following requests from stakeholders for further time. An analysis of responses will be undertaken and published on the Scottish Government website in due course.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 August 2013
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 12 September 2013
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is regarding the use of electronic shock collars on (a) dogs and (b) other animals.
Answer
The Scottish Government is aware of concerns about the use of electronic shock collars on dogs and other animals and will work with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the industry to produce improved guidance on the proper use of these training aids. The misuse of shock collars or any other training aids in a way that causes unnecessary suffering would be an offence under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 August 2013
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 11 September 2013
To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish its annual report on wildlife crime for 2012.
Answer
Scotland’s first Wildlife Crime Annual Report will be published shortly.?
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 August 2013
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 10 September 2013
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-15500 by Richard Lochhead on 14 June 2013, in light of figures from the National Fallen Stock Company suggesting that, in the last year, there has been a 50% increase in fallen stock recorded on farms in Scotland, what additional measures and resources it will deploy.
Answer
This year’s severe winter weather resulted in a significant number of livestock deaths across Scotland. The Scottish Government has made £6.5 million compensation available to farmers, with more than £730,000 going directly to over 4,000 farmers for fallen stock collection costs.
The Scottish Government continues to ensure that the welfare needs of livestock in Scotland are met and continues to encourage pro-active farm health planning and best practice.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 September 2013
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 12 September 2013
To ask the Scottish Government when it is meeting Cluff Natural Resources and what matters will be discussed.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 12 September 2013
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 July 2013
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 9 August 2013
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to ban the commercial extraction of peat by 2020.
Answer
The commercial extraction of peat is permitted only where planning permission has been granted. There are no current plans to put in place an absolute ban on commercial extraction of peat, but we are aware of calls by Scottish Environment LINK to do so. Local development plans should protect areas of peatland and permit extraction only in areas which have been significantly damaged by human activity and where the ecological impact is low.
The main target of Scottish Government policy is to reduce the demand for peat, e.g. by developing and promoting alternatives as growing media. This should ultimately reduce the number of extraction sites.
The current Scottish Planning Policy states:
“230. Commercial peat cutting raises particular environmental concerns, and will only be acceptable in areas of degraded peatland which has been significantly damaged by human activity and where the conservation value is low and restoration is not possible. All areas of peatland that retain a high level of natural heritage conservation interest, archaeological interest or are of value as carbon stores should be protected through development plans and development management decisions”. The Scottish Government will continue to monitor the health of Scotland’s peatland and has announced proposals to restore up to 21,000 hectares of peatland per annum over the period up to 2027. This action will be supported by development of the peatland plan in partnership with stakeholders.
