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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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

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Question reference: S4W-05087

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 January 2012
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 27 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding has been allocated to developing local community energy schemes on Forestry Commission land in each year since 2007.

The following table lists Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES) funding to communities on the national forest estate. The CARES funding was a grant unless stated as a loan.

Project	Amount of Funding since 2007
Callander Development Trust	£9,733
Colintraive and Glendaruel Development Trust	£8,812
Gleneig and Arnisdale Community Trust	£15,000
Kilfinan	£8,340 + £146,000 Cares Loan
Lochgoilhead	£2,143
Mull and Iona Community Trust	£2,143
Mull and Iona Community Trust	£42,786 + Cares Loan £37,940
North West Mull Community Woodland Company	£26,089
Rumster	£99,777
Tarbert and Skipness	£21,553
Sunart Community	£18,000

Question reference: S4W-05089

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 January 2012
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 26 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been invested by local communities on Forestry Commission land in Forestry Commission Scotland renewables contracts.

At present there have been no investments by local communities in renewable projects on Forestry Commission land. However, in addition to current negotiations with communities about potential projects, the Forestry Commission Scotland website has details of opportunities for communities. These include the possibility of community developments on Forestry Commission land and the option of participating in joint ventures with Forestry Commission Scotland development partners.

Question reference: S4W-05088

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 January 2012
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 26 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated annual payment to local communities on Forestry Commission land will be from the Forestry Commission Scotland renewables contracts.

Question reference: S4W-05091

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 January 2012
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 26 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of income generated by Forestry Commission Scotland renewables contracts will be given directly to local communities.

Question reference: S4O-00646

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 January 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 February 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth last met COSLA and what issues were discussed.

Question reference: S4O-00615

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 January 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what the increase in number of children entering Gaelic medium education has been since the Gaelic Action Plan was published.

Question reference: S4O-00565

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 12 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Cities Strategy last met NHS Highland.

Question reference: S4O-00588

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 January 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken in 2012 to promote the cultural legacy of rural Scotland.

Question reference: S4W-04472

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 21 December 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what funding streams are available to (a) housing associations and (b) social landlords other than competitive tendering under the Innovation and Investment Fund.

The Innovation and Investment Fund introduced earlier this year has been the principal and largest element of the Scottish Government’s affordable housing supply programme in 2011. Open to all suppliers, bids to the fund were invited by 31 May 2011 with successful bids being announced during September 2011.

Approval of these bids will enable 3,462 new homes to be provided through the Innovation and Investment Fund (IIF), with a further 848 supported through the fund in Glasgow and Edinburgh. It is anticipated that total grant funding of almost £143 million will lever in around £350 million in additional investment.

We are now discussing with stakeholders how to deliver a forward programme of new housing supply which continues to achieve high rates of leverage but which allows councils and housing associations to plan ahead with confidence.

Question reference: S4W-04391

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 05 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 15 December 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will respond to Stirling Council’s rejection of Scottish Power’s proposals to mitigate the visual impact of the Beauly to Denny power line.

The Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism wrote to Stirling Council on Wednesday 7 December 2011 to inform them that he had announced his decision to the Scottish Parliament to accept Scottish Powers Transmission’s (SPT) proposals to mitigate the visual impact of the Beauly to Denny power line.

Mr Ewing advised Stirling Council that he has requested that SPT undertake further measures to mitigate the visual and landscape impact by:

Undergrounding the Fallin to Glenbervie 132kV line.

The development of the Central Scotland Green Networks initiative in the area of the line to provide compensatory mitigation in the way of landscape, civic amenity and biodiversity improvements.

The minister has also invited Stirling Council to meet with him over the coming weeks to discuss how these further measures can be taken forward.