Seòmar agus comataidhean

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-38778 on 26 January 2011. 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/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

In 2010, discussions were held between the Scottish Government''s SEA Gateway and Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise regarding the need for environmental assessment of the National Renewables Infrastructure Plan (N-RIP).

A strategic environmental assessment (SEA) was undertaken of the short-term and medium-term sites (20 in total) included in the N-RIP. The environmental report and the Stage 2 N-RIP report were published for public consultation in September 2010, for a period of 10 weeks.

A Habitats Regulations Appraisal (HRA) of the N-RIP is currently underway and is due to report in January 2011.

All Scottish Government expenditure is being closely monitored and managed so that there will be a very small underspend by the end of the financial year, in line with recent performance. HM Treasury has advised that it has abolished the existing end year flexibility arrangements which means that we will not be allowed to carry forward any underspend from 2010-11 to a future financial year.

The very small underspend anticipated will be after our budget for 2010-11 has been reduced for the sum we are planning to carry forward to 2011-12 to support the capital programme in that year.

Funding for flooding projects, including that allocated to the City of Edinburgh Council, has been rolled up in the local government finance settlement since 2008-09. As such, it is a matter for individual councils to decide how they allocate the total funding at its disposal to meet its own local needs and priorities, including those for flooding schemes.

For its part, the Scottish Government has agreed with COSLA that in allocating the available capital grant it provides amongst councils, it has also maintained funding for specific elements within the total. The Scottish Government has therefore protected the funding allocations for flood prevention schemes, including the Water of Leith Scheme that was approved earlier.

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.

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.

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.

The Scottish Government has no plans to change the role of the Scottish Forestry Commissioners.

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.

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.