- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 February 2012
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 9 February 2012
To ask the Scottish Executive what its reasons are for placing independent custody visiting on a statutory footing as part of the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Bill.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 9 February 2012
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 January 2012
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 26 January 2012
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to prevent land and property transactions being used for the purpose of laundering money and other criminal activities.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 26 January 2012
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 December 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Derek Mackay on 18 January 2012
To ask the Scottish Executive whether planned or currently operating opencast coal mines impact or will impact on protected sites and, if so, what those impacts are.
Answer
Where planned or currently operating opencast coal mines could impact on protected sites, planning conditions will apply to ensure that impacts are avoided or mitigated, for example through habitat management plans. Such conditions are framed by planning authorities in consultation with SNH, SEPA and other organisations as appropriate with the aim of maintaining the integrity of the protected site.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 December 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Derek Mackay on 18 January 2012
To ask the Scottish Executive how the carbon impacts of peat removal for opencast coal mining are assessed.
Answer
Assessment is a matter for applicants, statutory consultees and decision-takers. While there is no obligation on opencast coal developers to assess the carbon impacts of peat removal, the methodology set out in Technical Note 2.0.1 supporting the Scottish Government carbon calculator for Wind Farms and Carbon Savings on Peatlands and the research behind it provide relevant background.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 December 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Derek Mackay on 18 January 2012
To ask the Scottish Executive how many hectares of (a) lowland raised and (b) upland blanket bog will be used for consented opencast coal mines.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-04759 on 19 January 2012. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:
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- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 December 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Derek Mackay on 18 January 2012
To ask the Scottish Executive how it ensures that (a) it and (b) other public bodies exercise their functions relating to activities such as opencast coal mining and peat extraction in accordance with the requirements of section 44 of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009.
Answer
Public bodies exercise their functions in accordance with section 44 of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 using guidance required by Part 4 of the Act published in February 2011.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 December 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Derek Mackay on 18 January 2012
To ask the Scottish Executive how many hectares of (a) lowland raised and (b) upland blanket bog will be used for opencast coal mines that are in the planning system.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-04759 on 18 January 2011. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:
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- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 December 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Derek Mackay on 18 January 2012
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it expects developers of (a) opencast coal mines on peatlands and (b) peat extraction sites to carry out a carbon emissions assessment and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not require developers to carry out carbon emissions assessments on opencast coal or peat extraction sites. The Scottish Government has supported the development of a carbon calculator for use in establishing the carbon savings from wind farm developments on peatlands. The question of “carbon payback” does not apply in the same way to the extraction of coal and peat. Consideration is being given to what further guidance may be required on the assessment of emissions associated with development on deep peat.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 December 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Derek Mackay on 18 January 2012
To ask the Scottish Executive how many hectares of (a) lowland raised and (b) upland blanket bog have been used for opencast coal mines in each year since 2001.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold the information requested.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 December 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Derek Mackay on 18 January 2012
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the carbon balance of opencast coal mining, including any carbon losses associated with peatland impacts, are a material consideration when determining planning applications for opencast coal mining and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.
Answer
It is for decision-makers to decide if a consideration such as carbon balance is material and to assess the weight to be attached to each material consideration. Guidance on material considerations is given in Annex A of Circular 4/2009 – Development Management Procedures.