- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 01 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 10 December 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish the business case on which proposals are based for the leasing out of management and cutting rights over the national forest estate.
Answer
Offering management leases and cutting rights is a potential option for releasing capital from the national forest estate which could be used to fund woodland creation projects to help mitigate climate change. This option is included in a public consultation currently being carried out on
Climate Change and the National Forest Estate at:
http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/INFD-7KUMVM.
The consultation closes on 27 January 2009. All responses will be carefully considered and will be taken into account as part of a wider options review being carried out by Forestry Commission Scotland.
The options review will be published after we have had the opportunity to consider it.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 01 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 10 December 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive which areas of the national forest estate have been considered for leasing out or transfer to a public trust.
Answer
Offering management leases and cutting rights, and transferring the proceeds to a not-for-profit trust for investment in woodland creation, are potential options for releasing capital from the national forest estate which could be used to fund woodland creation projects to help mitigate climate change. These options are included in a public consultation currently being carried out on
Climate Change and the National Forest Estate http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/INFD-7KUMVM. The consultation closes on 27 January 2009. All responses will be carefully considered and will be taken into account as part of a wider options review being carried out by Forestry Commission Scotland.
It is therefore too early to say which geographical areas would be considered for leasing, but they are likely to be those parts of the national forest estate where timber production is the main objective, and where public benefits such as conservation, community engagement and recreation are relatively less significant.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 01 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 10 December 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has discounted the option of transferring assets and land in perpetuity to a not-for-profit trust, as set out on page six of the paper Climate Change and the National Forest Estate - Consultation on forestry provisions in the Scottish Climate Change Bill.
Answer
No.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 01 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 10 December 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is envisaged that under the option of transferring assets and land in perpetuity to a not-for-profit trust, as set out on page six of the paper Climate Change and the National Forest Estate - Consultation on forestry provisions in the Scottish Climate Change Bill, such a trust would be prevented from selling on any land that it was given to manage.
Answer
Under one option set out in the consultation paper, a not-for-profit trust could be given the task of holding in perpetuity the national forest estate land that had been leased. A trust could, however, also be given flexibility to sell any newly created woodland, which it had established using the proceeds of a lease, in order to generate funds to create more woodland. However no decision on that or any other actions possible for a trust have been made.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 01 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 10 December 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what safeguards it envisages will be inserted into the leases for management and cutting rights over the national forest estate to safeguard biodiversity, access, leisure and recreation.
Answer
Offering management leases and cutting rights is a potential option for releasing capital from the national forest estate which could be used to fund woodland creation projects to help mitigate climate change. This option is included in a public consultation currently being carried out on
Climate Change and the National Forest Estate at
http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/INFD-7KUMVM.
The consultation closes on 27 January 2009. All responses will be carefully considered and will be taken into account as part of a wider options review being carried out by Forestry Commission Scotland.
The consultation exercise and options review will help inform Forestry Commission Scotland''s deliberations on the range and nature of the safeguards to be included in any leases.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 01 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 10 December 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the transfer of Forestry Commission assets and land in perpetuity to a not-for-profit trust is an option being considered by the Scottish Government, as set out on page six of the paper Climate Change and the National Forest Estate - Consultation on forestry provisions in the Scottish Climate Change Bill.
Answer
As the consultation document indicates, this is one of the options to be considered as part of the consultation exercise and the options review being carried out by Forestry Commission Scotland.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 01 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 10 December 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the impact of the current economic downturn has been factored into the financial assumptions behind the proposals for the leasing out of at least 25% of the national forest estate.
Answer
Offering management leases and cutting rights is a potential option for releasing capital from the national forest estate which could be used to fund woodland creation projects to help mitigate climate change. This option is included in a public consultation currently being carried out on
Climate Change and the National Forest Estate at:
http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/INFD-7KUMVM.
The consultation closes on 27 January 2009. All responses will be carefully considered and will be taken into account as part of a wider options review being carried out by Forestry Commission Scotland.
The impact of the current economic downturn is one of the many factors that will influence our decision on the leasing option.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 01 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 10 December 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what level of income is predicted to be raised through the proposal that management and cutting rights over parts of the national forest be leased out.
Answer
Offering management leases and cutting rights is a potential option for releasing capital from the national forest estate which could be used to fund woodland creation projects to help mitigate climate change. This option is included in a public consultation currently being carried out on
Climate Change and the National Forest Estate http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/INFD-7KUMVM. The consultation closes on 27 January 2009. All responses will be carefully considered and will be taken into account as part of a wider options review being carried out by Forestry Commission Scotland.
The income raised from a lease would depend upon a range of factors including the area that it covered and its terms. There may be good arguments for a lease of up to about 25% of the national forest estate, we have taken no decisions on this. The consultation exercise and options review will help inform deliberations on this issue.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 01 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 10 December 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what level of monitoring it will put in place to assess to what extent biodiversity, access, leisure and recreation are safeguarded if management and cutting rights over parts of the national forest estate are subject to leasing.
Answer
Offering management leases and cutting rights is a potential option for releasing capital from the national forest estate which could be used to fund woodland creation projects to help mitigate climate change. This option is included in a public consultation currently being carried out on
Climate Change and the National Forest Estate at
http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/INFD-7KUMVM.
The consultation closes on 27 January 2009. All responses will be carefully considered and will be taken into account as part of a wider options review being carried out by Forestry Commission Scotland.
The consultation exercise and options review will help inform Forestry Commission Scotland''s deliberations on the level of monitoring required to assess the extent to which biodiversity, access, leisure and recreation were safeguarded under a lease.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 01 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 10 December 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it envisages allowing foreign companies to bid for leases for management and cutting rights over the national forest estate.
Answer
Offering management leases and cutting rights is a potential option for releasing capital from the national forest estate which could be used to fund woodland creation projects to help mitigate climate change. This option is included in a public consultation currently being carried out on
Climate Change and the National Forest Estate at
http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/INFD-7KUMVM.
The consultation closes on 27 January 2009. All responses will be carefully considered and will be taken into account as part of a wider options review being carried out by Forestry Commission Scotland.
The bidding process for any lease would be subject to public procurement rules, which include compliance with international obligations. Therefore, foreign companies are free to bid.
