- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 July 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 20 August 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what level of (a) carbon emissions and (b) sulphur and other pollutants ministers would regard as acceptable for coal-fired power stations to be considered as clean coal stations.
Answer
Levels of carbon emissions, sulphur and other pollutants from coal-fired power stations are strictly regulated by EU emissions and air quality legislation. The European Union is currently negotiating its Climate and Energy package, which includes new and revised directives on Carbon Capture and Storage, the Emissions Trading Scheme and industrial emissions.
These new directives will set the framework for what levels of emissions will be considered acceptable from coal-fired power stations in future to meet the EU''s agreed target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by 2020.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 July 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 20 August 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what the impact would be on carbon emissions if coal-fired generation capacity were replaced by equivalent renewable capacity.
Answer
It is likely that thermal baseload, utilising carbon reducing technology, will be required into the future to help meet security of supply objectives.
If fitted with carbon capture and storage equipment, estimates from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change are that emissions from coal-fired generation would fall by up to 90%.
Where renewable energy replaces thermal generation without carbon capture and storage, a significant reduction in carbon emissions may also be expected.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 July 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 20 August 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive when ministers expect carbon capture and storage technologies to be ready for use in Scotland.
Answer
The current Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) competition being run by the UK Government sets a deadline of 2014 for the chosen project to be operational on a commercial scale. We are hopeful that a Scottish based project will win that competition.
We are also playing an enabling role to assist the development of CCS more generally such as funding research into identifying future carbon stores and participating in the UK Energy Bill''s provisions on carbon storage.
We believe that all of this work will ensure that CCS technologies will be ready for deployment in Scotland at the earliest possible opportunity.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 July 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 14 August 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what records it maintains of public buildings, including schools, that were constructed with the use of asbestos and if this information (a) has been or (b) will be made available to the public.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold information on the incidence of asbestos in schools or other public buildings. The Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2006 place a duty on those with responsibilities for buildings to manage the risk from asbestos. In the case of schools that would be the local authority.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 July 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Fergus Ewing on 30 July 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to implement the recommendations in the Scottish Law Commission鈥檚 Report on Conversion of Long Leases, published in 2006.
Answer
Officials in Constitution, Law and Courts Directorate are considering the Scottish Law Commission鈥檚 Report on Conversion of Long Leases (Scot Law Com 204) and the Scottish Government will take a view in due course about the timing of any bill.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 July 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 29 July 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that existing common good assets should remain held in the common good in perpetuity.
Answer
It is the responsibility of each Local Authority to manage its common good assets and funds in accordance with all current statutory requirements and non-statutory guidance.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 July 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 29 July 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure common good assets are protected and retained for community ownership in any future legislation regarding the conversion of long leases.
Answer
The protection of common good assets and their retention for community ownership will be given careful consideration in any future legislative proposals on the conversion of long leases.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 July 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 29 July 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that implementing the recommendations in the Scottish Law Commission鈥檚 Report on Conversion of Long Leases could result in common good assets that are let on a long lease being transferred into private ownership.
Answer
Officials in Constitution, Law and Courts Directorate are currently giving consideration to the Scottish Law Commission鈥檚 report and the Scottish Government will take a view in due course about a response to its recommendations and the timing of any bill.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 July 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 29 July 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider introducing legislation to protect the status of existing common good assets in perpetuity.
Answer
There is already legal protection for common good assets held in perpetuity. The question of whether the existing legislation is sufficient is being considered by my officials in consultation with local government.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 June 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 29 July 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will consult on measures to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions from the existing building stock and whether the results of the consultation will be analysed and published before the commencement of parliamentary scrutiny of the Climate Change Bill.
Answer
A two-stage process of consultation on measures to improve the energy performance of existing buildings is proposed. The first consultation will focus on non-domestic buildings and is expected to be launched within the next few weeks. We will endeavour to provide an analysis of this consultation prior to parliamentary scrutiny of the Climate Change Bill. The second consultation will cover measures related to existing housing and it is planned to issue this later in the year.
