Questions and answers

Question reference: S4W-04476

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 14 December 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how many forests or woods have been successfully (a) conveyed and (b) leased to local community groups through the National Forest Land Scheme in each year since it was introduced.

Under the National Forest Land Scheme, communities or housing bodies can apply to buy or lease areas of land that are owned by Scottish Ministers and managed by Forestry Commission Scotland, even where such land has not been declared surplus or for sale. Since it was launched in 2005, 22 areas of land (totalling 2,809 hectares) have been sold under the scheme; 12 of these sales were to local community groups, nine were sales to housing bodies and one was a sale of surplus land to a non-governmental organisation.

The following table identifies the financial year in which the 12 sales to local community groups were completed:

Number of Sales to Communities

Year
2005-06	3
2007-08	1
2008-09	1
2009-10	3
2010-11	2
2011-12 (to October 2011)	2

Since the scheme was extended (in 2010) to allow communities to lease forest land for forest management purposes, three applications for community leases have been approved and details are currently being settled.

Question reference: S4W-04085

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 18 November 2011
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 8 December 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what risk assessment has been carried out on the impact of hydraulic fracturing for shale oil extraction on (a) groundwater and watercourses and (b) how local carbon impacts might be assessed.

As part of the local planning process hydraulic fracturing activities should be screened to determine if Environmental Impact Assessment, as per the Environmental Impact Assessment (Scotland) Regulations, is required. If such assessment is considered to be required, the planning authority would factor the environmental information provided into its decision on the subsequent planning application, this would normally include climatic factors.

SEPA carries out a risk assessment as part of its specific obligations to evaluate risks to the water environment when assessing applications for licences under the Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2011 (CAR). CAR licences are only issued when SEPA are satisfied that any risks to the water environment are negated or within manageable tolerances.

To date there have been no applications made to SEPA for hydraulic fracturing for the purposes of either shale gas or shale oil extraction in Scotland and SEPA is also not aware of any pre-application discussions under CAR regarding hydraulic fracturing for the purposes of shale gas or shale oil extraction.

However, there have been pre-application discussions and CAR applications for hydraulic fracturing for the purposes of coal bed methane extraction in the location of Canonbie, Dumfrieshire and the process above were followed.

Question reference: S4O-00484

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 December 2011
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 December 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish its response to the investigation by NHS Lothian of so-called hidden waiting lists.

Question reference: S4W-04089

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 6 December 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to issue guidance to local planning authorities on the issue of hydraulic fracturing for shale oil extraction.

There are no current plans to issue specific guidance to planning authorities on hydraulic fracturing. Scottish Planning Policy does already address the derivation of gas from shale reservoirs and identifies a range of environmental, social and economic factors that can be considered for wellheads and transmission infrastructure in areas covered by the UK Government Petroleum Exploration and Development Licences (PEDL). Scottish Planning Policy can be accessed from the Scottish Government's website https://www.gov.scot/

Question reference: S4W-04088

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 18 November 2011
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 6 December 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with local planning authorities on the issue of hydraulic fracturing for shale oil extraction.

A suite of licences, permits and permissions are required for operators to carry out hydraulic fracturing techniques in relation to shale or coalbed methane gas extraction activities.

Permissions for this type of activity are sought by application processes through the local planning authority (LPA). As with all local planning decisions Scottish ministers are not directly involved in the process though can become involved as decision makers in subsequent appeal processes and for this reason a professional distance is maintained.

Ministers are however, indirectly involved through SEPA’s status as a statutory consultee in the local planning permissions process. SEPA are in regular discussion with LPA’s involved in all manner of planning applications including applications which involve the use of hydraulic fracturing techniques.

I refer the member to my answer to question S4W-04084 on 6 December 2011, for specific details. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

Question reference: S4W-04086

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 18 November 2011
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 6 December 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Environment Protection Agency has been asked to carry out an assessment of (a) the impact of hydraulic fracturing for shale oil extraction on groundwater and watercourses, (b) how local carbon impacts might be assessed and (c) any other associated environmental impacts.

The regulatory processes for activities which involve the use of hydraulic fracture techniques in Scotland require an application to be made to SEPA under the Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2011 (CAR).

SEPA carries out a risk assessment as part of its specific obligations to evaluate risks to the water environment when assessing applications for licences under the Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2011. CAR licences are only issued when SEPA are satisfied that any risks to the water environment are negated or within manageable tolerances.

To date there have been no applications made to SEPA for hydraulic fracturing for the purposes of either shale gas or shale oil extraction in Scotland.

SEPA is also not aware of any pre-application discussions under CAR regarding hydraulic fracturing for the purposes of shale gas or shale oil extraction.

As part of the local planning process hydraulic fracturing activities should be screened to determine if Environmental Impact Assessment, as per the Environmental Impact Assessment (Scotland) Regulations, is required. If such assessment is considered to be required, the planning authority would factor the environmental information provided into its decision on the subsequent planning application.

Question reference: S4W-04084

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 18 November 2011
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 6 December 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what work has been done to evaluate the risks to the environment caused by hydraulic fracturing for shale oil extraction.

As part of the local planning process hydraulic fracturing activities should be screened to determine if Environmental Impact Assessment, as per the Environmental Impact Assessment (Scotland) Regulations, is required. If such assessment were considered to be required, the planning authority would factor the environmental information provided into its decision on the subsequent planning application.

SEPA carries out a risk assessment as part of its specific obligations to evaluate risks to the water environment when assessing applications for licences under the Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2011 (CAR). CAR licences are only issued when SEPA are satisfied that any risks to the water environment are negated or within manageable tolerances.

Question reference: S4W-04087

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 18 November 2011
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 6 December 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of any proposals under consideration for hydraulic fracturing for shale oil extraction in Scotland.

The regulatory process for activities which involve the use of hydraulic fracture techniques in Scotland require an application to be made to SEPA under the Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2011 (CAR).

To date there have been no applications made to SEPA for hydraulic fracturing for the purposes of either shale gas or shale oil extraction in Scotland.

SEPA is also not aware of any pre-application discussions under CAR regarding hydraulic fracturing for the purposes of shale gas or shale oil extraction.

However, there have been pre-application discussions and CAR applications for hydraulic fracturing for the purposes of coal bed methane extraction in the location of Canonbie, Dumfrieshire.

Question reference: S4O-00416

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 November 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 24 November 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made on the investigation of allegations of so-called hidden waiting lists in NHS Lothian.

Question reference: S4W-03963

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 November 2011
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 21 November 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-34691 by John Swinney on 30 June 2010, whether it will publish details of the energy efficiency discount schemes offered by each local authority under the Local Government Finance Act 1992.

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