- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 25 November 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 9 December 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive how much paper has been used by public sector bodies in each year since 2007.
Answer
Procurement Scotland, part of the Scottish Government''s Procurement Directorate, has in place a national agreement for paper accessible by all public sector bodies. Since the agreement commenced on 1 September 2008 some 8 million reams of paper have been purchased by 172 public bodies and 721 charities, housing associations and registered social landlords: 640,000 reams in 2008, 3.9 million reams in 2009 and 3.3 million reams to date in 2010. Prior to the introduction of the national contract this information was not collected centrally: equivalent data for 2007 is not therefore readily available.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 November 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 9 December 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-37516 by Roseanna Cunningham on 26 November 2010, by what mechanism the status and role of the Scottish Forestry Commissioners can be changed.
Answer
The Scottish Government may, by virtue of the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act, seek, by order, to amend, transfer or delegate the functions of the Forestry Commissioners as they relate to Scotland. A proposal to abolish the Forestry Commissioners would require legislation at Westminster, and a Legislative Consent Motion, and we would expect such a proposal to be discussed and agreed by Scottish, English and Welsh ministers.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 November 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 9 December 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-37516 by Roseanna Cunningham on 26 November 2010, how decisions will be made on the future of the Scottish Forestry Commissioners.
Answer
The Forestry Commission is a cross-border GB body that develops and delivers forestry policy on behalf of the Scottish, English and Welsh administrations. The statutory powers and duties of the commission are vested in the Forestry Commissioners. The future of the Forestry Commissioners will be a matter for discussion between Scottish, English and Welsh ministers.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 November 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 9 December 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-37516 by Roseanna Cunningham on 26 November 2010, whether it sees a continuing role for the Scottish Forestry Commissioners.
Answer
The Scottish Government has no plans to change the role of the Scottish Forestry Commissioners.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 November 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 25 November 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that it will meet its target of planting 100 million trees by 2015, given that the number of trees planted annually since 2007 is estimated at 6.7 million.
Answer
We are only part way through the first year of the Scottish Government pledge to plant 100 million trees by 2015 and we have already approved plans for over 25 million trees.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 November 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 25 November 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive, following the announcement of the draft budget for 2011-12, how the planting of extra hectares of trees required to meet the target of 100 million trees by 2015 will be financed.
Answer
Our woodland creation targets are mainly achieved through grant support under the Scotland Rural Development Programme and some direct planting undertaken by Forestry Commission Scotland. The 2011-12 Draft Budget provides sufficient funding to meet our targets and we have actually increased grants available for forestry by £8.9 million to £36 million.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 November 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 25 November 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will protect funding for new tree planting to meet its target of 7,500 hectares of new trees in the next 12 months, as referred to by the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment at the Forestry in the Low Carbon Economy conference on 2 June 2010.
Answer
Our woodland creation targets are mainly achieved through grant support under the Scotland Rural Development Programme and some direct planting undertaken by Forestry Commission Scotland. The 2011-12 Draft Budget provides sufficient funding to meet our targets and we have actually increased grants available for forestry by £8.9 million to £36 million.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 November 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 25 November 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to reach its target of planting 100 million trees by 2015, which is equivalent to planting 10,000 hectares of trees per year.
Answer
Our woodland creation targets are mainly achieved through grant support under the Scotland Rural Development Programme and some direct planting undertaken by Forestry Commission Scotland. The 2011-12 Draft Budget provides sufficient funding to meet our targets and we have actually increased grants available for forestry by £8.9 million to £36 million.
We are only part way through the first year of the Scottish Government pledge to plant 100 million trees by 2015 and we have already approved plans for 10,800 hectares of planting by the private sector which, when added to Forestry Commission Scotland''s plans, amount to over 25 million trees.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 08 November 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 22 November 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive how the target to reduce Scottish final energy consumption by 12% by 2020 from the average 2005 to 2007 consumption levels, as set out in Conserve and Save: A Consultation on the Energy Efficiency Action Plan for Scotland, relates to the EU target of reducing energy consumption by 20% against a business-as-usual scenario through increased efficiency by 2020.
Answer
The question compares two metrics which are not in fact comparable.
The EU target relates to a reduction of 20% of annual consumption of primary energy by 2020 (compared to the energy consumption forecasts for 2020). Those 2020 forecasts are actually based upon an estimated increase on the 2005 baseline, i.e. the absolute reduction in the EU target is significantly lower than 20%. The target is voluntary and not legally binding.
Primary energy consumption is defined as the consumption of energy used in the same form as in its naturally occurring state, for example crude oil, coal, natural gas, e.g. before it is converted into electricity.
The Scottish Government target relates to an absolute 12% reduction in annual total final energy consumption when compared with the 2005-07 baseline with annual decreasing maximum limits set down in statute.
Both metrics are equally valid with the difference between the two being that the process of converting primary energy into final energy in itself leads to the consumption of energy.
The Energy Efficiency Action Plan for Scotland sets the framework for the Scottish Government''s comprehensive approach to energy efficiency and microgeneration. The plan covers the areas of behaviour change; household, business and public sector energy efficiency; infrastructure; transport; skills; and international engagement.
In this situation, final energy consumption is a more appropriate metric.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 08 November 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 22 November 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive how it determined the target to reduce Scottish final energy consumption by 12% by 2020, as set out in Conserve and Save: A Consultation on the Energy Efficiency Action Plan for Scotland.
Answer
The responses to the
Conserve and Save consultation identified that a consumption based target was preferred to a target based upon both energy efficiency and consumption combined or a target based upon energy efficiency savings in isolation.
The challenging 12% target level is based upon our estimates of the impact of our comprehensive package of policies and proposals between now and 2020. The Report on Policies and Proposals, which was published on 17 November 2010, sets out those actions in fuller detail.