- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 31 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Johann Lamont on 26 April 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, under the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, the energy performance of a building will be expressed in CO2 emissions and, if so, whether any other indicators will also be used.
Answer
I have asked Dr. Paul Stollard,Chief Executive of the Scottish Building Standards Agency (SBSA), to answer. Hisresponse is as follows:
It is proposed that the principalindicator of energy performance of buildings will be expressed in terms of CO2in order to promote the influence that this gas has with regard to climate changeand global warming.
Options for other indicatorswill appear in the forthcoming public consultation on Articles 7, 8 and 9. Thisconsultation is proposed for May 2006, will have a duration of 12 weeks and willbe accessible from the SBSA website www.sbsa.gov.uk.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 31 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Johann Lamont on 26 April 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has obtained any legal advice as to whether a property owner completing an information sheet about that property could be described as an “independent expert” under the terms of article 10 of the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive and, if so, what that legal advice is.
Answer
I have asked Dr. Paul Stollard,Chief Executive of the Scottish Building Standards Agency (SBSA), to answer. Hisresponse is as follows:
The SBSA works closely with theOffice of the Solicitor to the Scottish Executive (OSSE) on all matters concerningScottish building legislation.
A property owner (unless suitablyqualified) could not be described as an independent expert in terms of Article 10of the Directive. Any part of the certification process that does have input froman unqualified or non-accredited individual, will be subject to the scrutiny ofa verifier or local authority, acting as the independent accredited experts.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 31 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Johann Lamont on 26 April 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, in implementing the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, what the advantages will be of using Reduced Data Standard Assessment Procedure as an alternative methodology to the Scottish Energy Rating Tool.
Answer
I have asked Dr. Paul Stollard,Chief Executive of the Scottish Building Standards Agency (SBSA), to answer. Hisresponse is as follows:
The work on the Scottish EnergyRating Tool (SERT) is currently in progress. If the research work is successfulthen SERT could provide a cost-effective solution to energy performance certificationof dwellings, particularly in the private rental sector. It is anticipated thatwork on rdSAP will be completed before SERT and that rdSAP will be better suitedto the data collection procedures which are associated with the proposed singlesurvey.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 31 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Johann Lamont on 26 April 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will consult the public on its plans for implementation of the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive.
Answer
I have asked Dr. Paul Stollard,Chief Executive of the Scottish Building Standards Agency (SBSA), to answer. Hisresponse is as follows:
Articles 3, 4, 5 and 6 of theDirective have been implemented using existing Scottish building legislation andalso guidance. The SBSA are currently out to public consultation on proposals thatwill build-on the implementation of these articles. This consultation commencedon 1 March 2006, has a duration of 12 weeks and is accessible from theSBSA website www.sbsa.gov.uk.
For implementation of Articles7, 8 and 9, there is a public consultation proposed for May 2006, which will havea duration of 12 weeks and will be accessible from the SBSA website.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 31 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Johann Lamont on 26 April 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive why, in implementing the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, it is considering using the Reduced Data Standard Assessment Procedure as an alternative methodology to the Scottish Energy Rating Tool.
Answer
I have asked Dr. Paul Stollard,Chief Executive of the Scottish Building Standards Agency (SBSA), to answer. Hisresponse is as follows:
The work on the Scottish EnergyRating Tool (SERT) is currently in progress. If the research work is successfulthen SERT could provide a cost-effective solution to energy performance certificationof dwellings, particularly in the private rental sector. It is anticipated thatwork on rdSAP will be completed before SERT and that rdSAP will be better suitedto the data collection procedures which are associated with the proposed SingleSurvey.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 31 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Johann Lamont on 26 April 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will interpret Article 7.3 of the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive in respect of the definition of a public building.
Answer
I have asked Dr. Paul Stollard,Chief Executive of the Scottish Building Standards Agency (SBSA), to answer. Hisresponse is as follows:Proposals for the descriptionand characterisation of “public building” will appear in the forthcoming publicconsultation on Articles 7, 8 and 9. This consultation is proposed for May 2006,will have a duration of 12 weeks and will be accessible from the SBSA website
www.sbsa.gov.uk.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 31 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Johann Lamont on 26 April 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the energy performance certificate for Scottish buildings, as required by Article 7 of the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, will refer to an asset rating or an operational rating, or both.
Answer
I have asked Dr. PaulStollard, Chief Executive of the Scottish Building Standards Agency (SBSA), toanswer. His response is as follows:
It is proposed that assetratings are adopted for the purpose of implementing Article 7.
To rely solely on the use ofoperational ratings would make it very difficult to compare the energyperformance of the “built form” of different buildings. To allow the option ofeither an asset or an operational rating would again make it very difficult tocompare the energy performance of the “built form” of different buildings.Neither of these two approaches would be useful to prospective owners and tenants,nor visitors to buildings.
To require both asset andoperational ratings would be considered as over-implementation of theDirective.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 31 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Johann Lamont on 26 April 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has obtained legal advice into the definition of a public building under Article 7.3 of the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive.
Answer
I have asked Dr. Paul Stollard,Chief Executive of the Scottish Building Standards Agency (SBSA), to answer. Hisresponse is as follows:
The SBSA works closely with theOffice of the Solicitor to the Scottish Executive (OSSE) on all matters concerningScottish building legislation.
Proposals for the descriptionand characterisation of “public building” will appear in the forthcoming publicconsultation on Articles 7, 8 and 9. This consultation is proposed for May 2006,will have a duration of 12 weeks and will be accessible from the SBSA website
www.sbsa.gov.uk.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 26 April 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the farms which have been affected by emergency prohibition orders related to the Chernobyl incident in each year since 1995.
Answer
I am advised by the Food StandardsAgency that the following table indicates the number of farms in Scotland whichhave been subject to restrictions as a result of the Chernobyl accidentin each year since 1995.
| Date | Number of Farms Subject to Restrictions |
| 1995 | 41 |
| 1996 | 36 |
| 1997 | 28 |
| 1998 | 23 |
| 1999 | 20 |
| 2000 | 19 |
| 2001 | 18 |
| 2002 | 18 |
| 2003 | 16 |
| 2004 | 14 |
| 2005 | 11 |
| 2006 | 10 |
Farm numbers are approximate since part-farms may have restrictionsremoved; also farms and part-farms may be split and/or amalgamated. Accordingly,restrictions are defined in The Food Protection (Emergency Prohibitions) (Radioactivityin Sheep) Order 1991 No. 20 (as amended) in consistent terms of defined boundariesrather than as individual farms. The remaining farms are located in the East Ayrshireand Stirling Council areas, although established policy is not to identify individualholdings without the consent of the farm owner.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 April 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 25 April 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the funding of Scottish post offices after 2008.
Answer
Officials meet regularly todiscuss the future of the post office network. I have recently metrepresentatives from Royal Mail Group and Post Office Ltd, on 14 February 2006,to hear about their trials of innovative methods for postal service provision:and Barry Gardiner MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Departmentof Trade and Industry, on 6 March 2006 to discuss a range of issues relating topost offices. No decision has yet been reached across Government on thefuture of the post office network.
