- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 08 June 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 30 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what consultations have taken place with the Strategic Rail Authority with regard to funding the Borders Railway following the parliamentary debate on 1 June 2000 and what meetings have been arranged for the future.
Answer
Scottish Executive officials met officials from the Shadow Strategic Rail Authority on 12 June. A wide range of subjects was discussed, including the Scottish Borders railway line. I met the Chief Executive of the SSRA on June 2000.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 12 June 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 26 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it intends to take to advise businesses which are likely to be exempt from the Climate Change Levy to apply for licences.
Answer
There are no proposals for a system of licences to enable organisations to gain exemption from the Climate Change Levy. To obtain exemption, they will simply need to contract with their suppliers to purchase electricity from qualifying renewable sources, or invest in good quality combined heat and power generation. Larger energy-intensive companies may also enter into sectoral energy efficiency agreements to obtain discounts on their levy payments. Information on these opportunities is being disseminated to Scottish businesses by the Scottish Energy Efficiency Office.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 12 June 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 26 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is invited to attend meetings between the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions and the Gas Forum in order to ensure that the interests of Scottish business and the Scottish consumer are protected and, if so, whether it will report the progress of any such meetings to the Parliament.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has no function in respect to gas production and gas safety. These are reserved matters. However, the Scottish Utilities Forum was formed earlier this year to provide a means for the Executive and the Scottish Parliament to maintain and develop contact with the utility companies in Scotland, including the gas industry.
The interests of Scottish gas consumers will be protected by a new Gas and Electricity Consumer Council, which is expected to set up an office in Scotland.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 12 June 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 26 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has been consulted on the costs of implementation of the proposed Climate Change Levy to Scotland and whether it will publish these costs.
Answer
As a UK taxation measure, the Climate Change Levy is a reserved matter. The UK Government is not able to say with precision what the effects of the levy will be in specific areas, sectors or firms since this will depend upon many factors including take up of various incentives to improve energy efficiency.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 08 June 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 22 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what provision it has made for grant assistance to businesses to enable them to make the capital investment required to enable them to meet the energy saving targets that must be set to qualify for an 80% rebate of the climate change levy.
Answer
As a UK taxation measure the climate change levy is a reserved matter. There are no plans to introduce a grant scheme. DETR is currently negotiating a series of agreements with various business sectoral organisations under which an 80% rebate on the levy will be available in exchange for the sector as a whole agreeing to meet stringent energy efficiency targets. Businesses will also benefit from other incentives including tax allowances against investment in energy efficient technology, reductions in National Insurance contributions and the availability of free advice on improving energy efficiency.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 08 June 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 22 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the climate change levy will have a negative effect on the Borders economy because of its impact on agriculture, textiles and electronics.
Answer
As a UK taxation measure the climate change levy is a reserved matter. Taking the levy package as a whole, the UK Government expects the manufacturing sector to recover in reductions in National Insurance contributions, tax allowances and additional support for energy efficiency measures broadly as much as it will pay in climate change levy.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 08 June 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 22 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what action has been taken to alert businesses to the rise in fuel costs which will result from the introduction of the climate change levy on 1 April 2001 and enable them to adjust their budgets accordingly.
Answer
The climate change levy is a UK taxation measure, and the principal sources of information are DETR and HM Treasury, which have publicised it through a consultation document and communications with UK trade associations.
In Scotland, information has been made available to businesses over the Internet, including the website of our Scottish Energy Efficiency Office (SEEO). In addition, the SEEO is currently engaged in a series of regional and sectoral events to explain to businesses how the levy will affect them and what they can do to mitigate its impact; several such presentations have already been made.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 08 June 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 22 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to Her Majesty's Government asking why the climate change levy is being imposed on businesses in regions such as the south of Scotland, given the lack of any emissions problem in that area and that the UK is meeting its greenhouse gas emissions target under the Kyoto principles.
Answer
As a UK taxation measure, the climate change levy is a reserved matter. The UK Government has sought to design the levy in a way that maximises its environmental effectiveness whilst protecting the competitiveness of UK firms.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 08 June 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 22 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how the proposed climate change levy will affect tomato growers in the Clyde Valley and whether it will make representations to Her Majesty's Government pressing for affected growers to receive 100% relief from this tax in line with their main European competitors in the Netherlands.
Answer
As a UK taxation measure the climate change levy is a reserved matter. The UK Government is not able to say with precision what the effects of the levy on individual sectors will be since this will depend on many factors, including take-up of incentives to improve energy efficiency. The Government intends to offer a temporary 50% discount to the horticulture industry as well as include thermal screens, which are used in glasshouses, in the list of technologies eligible for enhanced capital allowances.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 08 June 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 22 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to Her Majesty's Government pressing for an exemption for the hydro-electric industry in Scotland in relation to the climate change levy in line with other renewable forms of power like wind-power.
Answer
Businesses will be able to claim exemption from climate change levy in respect of consumption of electricity from qualifying renewable sources. There have been discussions with Her Majesty's Government about a range of issues including the treatment of electricity from large hydro electricity stations (those rated at more than 10MW) and these are continuing.
