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Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S4T-00352

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 13 May 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that North Sea oil and gas production will continue for the rest of the century.

Question reference: S4W-14528

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 26 April 2013
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 3 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the March 2013 Oil and Gas Analytical Bulletin used the last two years’ oil price-per-barrel to forecast an average price of $113 per barrel over the next five years and whether it is aware of any other (a) governments, (b) agencies, (c) businesses and (d) independent organisations that (i) use the same methodology and (ii) have forecast the same average price and, if so, which.

The Scottish Government Oil and Gas Analytical bulletin summarises a range of forecasts for future oil prices, and provides projections of North Sea tax revenue under a number of different price assumptions. An oil price of $113 per barrel is used in scenarios 2-4 to model an outcome where recent price levels are maintained in future years but fall in real terms. As outlined in the bulletin, this value is consistent with the price forecasts produced by a range of external organisations such as; the US Energy Information Administration, the National Institute of Economic and Social Research the Economist Intelligence Unit and the Ernst and Young ITEM Club.

Question reference: S4W-14266

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 April 2013
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 30 April 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that those undertaking agricultural or forestry projects that may give rise to significant environmental effects are aware of the potential requirement to undertake an environmental impact assessment.

For Forestry, the potential requirement of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is central to the information we provide to those carrying out forestry projects. This information is available on the Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS) website and from local FCS offices. As part of the normal application process for forestry proposals FCS consider whether they need to be assessed under EIA (Forestry) regulations.

For agricultural projects, there is advice and guidance on the Scottish Government farming web pages which details the EIA requirements. However, due to a number of circumstances there are relatively few applications annually:

The principles of EIA are enshrined in Cross Compliance, which is the minimum standard of regulatory compliance all farmers must adhere to, in order to receive their basic subsidy payment;

Much of the land that would be considered appropriate to improve has been improved during the last century, often receiving support from agricultural grant;

The remaining land, which includes all semi-natural habitats (unimproved grass, heath, moorland, scrub and wetlands) and environmental designations is uneconomic to improve and the level of awareness of EIA requirements amongst farmers is considered to be high.

Generally, there are few opportunities for farmers to improve semi-natural habitats. Those that wish to do so apply through the formal process.

All of the Cross Compliance regulations and requirements, along with the specific EIA information, is also on the Scottish Government Website, and available from local agricultural area offices.

Question reference: S4W-14265

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 April 2013
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 29 April 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the environmental effects that arise from forestry and agricultural projects are adequately assessed.

Forestry projects are considered under the Environmental Impact Assessment (Forestry) (Scotland) Regulations 1999. The regulations provide a structured approach to evaluating environmental impacts to ensure that potential environmental impacts are adequately assessed. Forestry projects are also assessed to ensure they meet the requirements of the UK Forestry Standard.

The Environmental Impact Assessment (Agriculture) (Scotland) Regulations 2006 came into force in Scotland on 1 January 2007 and constrain operations to carry out “intensive” agricultural operations on uncultivated or semi-natural land, or large scale restructuring projects on agricultural land, where the result would have a “significant” impact on the environment.

Question reference: S4W-14269

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 April 2013
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 29 April 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that any significant environmental effects that might result from the construction of tracks for (a) agricultural, (b) forestry and (c) other purposes are considered before construction takes place.

Where new development is proposed, including the construction of tracks, this must be considered in light of statutory provisions on the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) which requires an assessment of the likely significant effects of certain projects on the environment, before development consent can be granted.

Tracks constructed for agricultural or forestry purposes benefit from permitted development rights, meaning that a planning application and specific consent are not required provided certain criteria, set out in legislation, are met. Tracks constructed for other purposes require planning consent to be obtained from the relevant planning authority.

Where a track intended for agriculture purposes requires an EIA, it no longer benefits from permitted development rights and a full planning application would need to be submitted to the planning authority and the environmental assessment taken fully into account.

Tracks for forestry purposes are subject to consideration by the Forestry Commission Scotland under specific provisions contained within the Environmental Impact Assessment (Forestry) (Scotland) Regulations 1999.

Question reference: S4W-14268

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 April 2013
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 29 April 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that consultation is carried out with the public affected or likely to be affected by agricultural or forestry projects for which environmental impact assessments are required.

For forestry projects, details are made available to the public through the public register of Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA). Once an Environmental Statement is received details of the application for consent are published in local newspapers inviting comments from the public. Details are also provided to Statutory Consultees such as relevant countryside bodies and local authorities. The public and Statutory Consultees have 28 days to submit comments on the project and Environmental Statement.

In terms of agricultural operations covered by the EIA regulations, when an application is received the statutory consultees must be consulted, on both the level of detail required for the full application (Environmental Statement) and the potential environmental impacts. Thereafter, the application is made available to the public via the public register.

Agricultural area office staff receives many informal requests regarding activity that may require an EIA during the course of their duties. In addition, it should also be noted that area staff carry out numerous land inspections under Cross Compliance.

Members of the public that are concerned about agricultural activity that is considered to damage the environment can report these operations to the local agricultural office and the issue will be investigated.

Question reference: S4W-14267

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 April 2013
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 29 April 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that the cumulative effect of projects are taken into account when considering the need for environmental impact assessment of agricultural and forestry projects.

In terms of Forestry projects, the potential cumulative effect of projects are accounted for in two ways, firstly by considering the cumulative effect of different types of environmental impacts associated with the project and secondly by including any other forestry projects that have been carried out on adjacent land (including that on land in different ownerships) to a proposed project.

For agricultural operations, there are national and local records kept on the number and location of applications. Given the stringent nature of the Cross Compliance implications, and the farming industry’s awareness of these regulations, there are only a small number of applications a year. Therefore it is considered unlikely that there should be any negative cumulative effects in relation to these specific applications and operations.

Question reference: S4W-14263

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 15 April 2013
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 25 April 2013

To ask the Scottish Government when the research it commissioned on the impact of removing road equivalent tariff for commercial vehicles on routes between the mainland and the Western Isles, Coll and Tiree was completed and on what date it will publish the findings.

Question reference: S4O-02016

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 April 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 April 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how it calculates future oil revenues.

Question reference: S4W-13770

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 March 2013
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 17 April 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how many and what percentage of 16 to 64-year-olds have received job-related training in each of the last (a) three months and (b) four years, broken down (i) gender and (ii) local authority.

The Annual Population Survey provides the official source of local area labour market information. Data on those receiving job related training in the last four years is not held centrally.

People aged 16-64 in employment receiving job-related training in the last 3 months by gender, Scotland, 2011

	Level	Rate
Female	333,200	30.6%
Male	311,700	25.9%
All	644,900	28.1%

Source: Annual Population Survey, Jan-Dec 2011, Office for National Statistics

Notes

1. Levels rounded to nearest hundred

2. Rates based on unrounded data

3. Excludes full time students

People aged 16-64 in employment receiving job-related training in the last 3 months by local authority area of residence, Scotland, 2011

	Level	Rate
Aberdeen City	33,300	31.6%
Aberdeenshire	34,000	27.8%
Angus	15,100	31.9%
Argyll and Bute	9,500	26.7%
Clackmannanshire	5,800	27.8%
Dumfries and Galloway	10,400	17.6%
Dundee City	17,200	29.5%
East Ayrshire	13,600	27.4%
East Dunbartonshire	12,700	27.6%
East Lothian	12,300	29.1%
East Renfrewshire	10,600	27.7%
Edinburgh, City of	77,100	33.2%
Eilean Siar	3,300	35.2%
Falkirk	13,800	20.3%
Fife	52,900	33.6%
Glasgow City	69,200	28.1%
Highland	28,100	26.7%
Inverclyde	8,800	26.6%
Midlothian	11,000	29.5%
Moray	15,700	37.6%
North Ayrshire	13,000	25.6%
North Lanarkshire	27,500	19.8%
Orkney Islands	3,400	35.3%
Perth and Kinross	14,000	21.0%
Renfrewshire	19,900	28.2%
Scottish Borders	13,300	27.2%
Shetland Islands	3,500	31.3%
South Ayrshire	11,900	27.5%
South Lanarkshire	44,900	32.0%
Stirling	9,200	24.1%
West Dunbartonshire	10,000	25.5%
West Lothian	20,000	25.6%

Source: Annual Population Survey, Jan-Dec 2011, Office for National Statistics

Notes

1. Levels rounded to nearest hundred

2. Rates based on unrounded data

3. Excludes full time students

Estimates for 2012 are scheduled for publication on 8 May 2013.