- Asked by: Keith Brown, MSP for Ochil, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 18 April 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 1 May 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what powers it has in respect of the post office network in Scotland.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-12084 on 1 May 2008. 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/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Keith Brown, MSP for Ochil, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 18 April 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 1 May 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what the total annual value is of any commercial business it currently has with Post Office Ltd and whether it will provide a breakdown of such business.
Answer
The commercial business that we have with the Post Office Ltd, as distinct from the Royal Mail, is minimal.
- Asked by: Keith Brown, MSP for Ochil, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 18 April 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 1 May 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, given the restrictions placed on it by Schedule 5 to the Scotland Act 1998, it can provide funding to the post office network in Scotland.
Answer
Post offices are reserved under Schedule 5 (Section C11) of the Scotland Act 1998. The Scottish Government''s position on this issue was set out in my letter dated 29 January 2008 to the Public Petitions Committee of the Parliament:
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/s3/committees/petitions/petitionsubmissions/sub-08/08-PE1102D.pdf.
- Asked by: Keith Brown, MSP for Ochil, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 April 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 23 April 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it believes that an application for local authority planning permission on a building or site of potential historical interest constitutes a valid reason to defer the process of its historical listing.
Answer
Current policy for statutory listing states that it will not normally be advanced in the face of a live planning application or appeal. This provides a reasonable application of the legislation within the current planning framework, particularly as unlike England the listed building legislation in Scotland has no provision for certificates of immunity, which can provide developers and owners with certainty that their building will not be listed for a five year period.
- Asked by: Keith Brown, MSP for Ochil, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 14 April 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 15 April 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-6444 by John Swinney on 22 November 2007, when it will publish the delivery plans for the new Efficient Government Programme for 2008 to 2011.
Answer
We have today published the first iteration of the Efficiency Delivery Plans. The Delivery Plans provide more information on the projects and how the efficiencies will be measured, monitored and delivered. Copies of the notes have been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 45314) and they are also available on the Scottish Government website:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/03/EDPMarch2008 .
- Asked by: Keith Brown, MSP for Ochil, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 March 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Linda Fabiani on 26 March 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-9499 by Linda Fabiani on 3 March 2008, whether it will provide details of the planning applications referred to and the grounds on which Historic Scotland objected to or recommended call-in in each case.
Answer
on 3 March 2008, whether it will provide details of the planning applications referred to and the grounds on which Historic Scotland objected to or recommended call-in in each case.
(S3W-10907)
Linda Fabiani The information requested is set out in the following table. If any further details are required about any of the cases listed, the member might wish to contact Historic Scotland directly. | Name | Local Authority | Type | Application Summary | Reason for Objection/ Call in | Outcome | Date |
| Deveron Terrace | Aberdeen-shire | NID/PA | Erection of a large sports centre | HS considered that the development would have a negative impact on the historic designed setting of the Duff House, an A-listed Property in the Care of Scottish Ministers. | PP Granted | 25/06/07 |
| Little Law Wind Turbines | Perth and Kinross | PA | Erection of 14 wind turbines at Little Law, Auchterarder. | HS considered that the location of 7 of the turbines would have a significant adverse impact on the setting of St John''s Hill, enclosure, a prehistoric earthwork which is scheduled as being a monument of national importance. | PP Refused | 08/08/07 |
| Merranblo Wind Turbines | Orkney Islands | PA | Erection of three wind turbines on Merranblo Hill, Orkney. | HS considered that the erection of the wind turbines would have a detrimental impact on the setting of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site, an internationally important grouping of neolithic monuments, including the Ring of Brodgar, the Stones of Stenness and Maes Howe, all scheduled monuments in the care of Scottish Ministers. | Pending | - |
| 14 Kilgraston Rd, Edinburgh | City of Edinburgh | LBC Call-in | Retrospective application for consent to carry out major works of alteration to a B-listed house of the 1930s designed by Robert Matthew, an important 20th Century architect. | HS considered that the works seriously affected the character of the building and called into question its continued status as a listed building. | LBC Refused | 03/07/07 |
| The Fleece Inn, Selkirk | Scottish Borders | LBC Call-in | Proposal to alter a window to form a door at a B-listed 19th Century hotel in the centre of Selkirk. | HS considered the works would have compromised the character of this prominent building within the Conservation Area. | LBC Refused | 20/12/05 |
| 58-60 Kingston Street, Glasgow | Glasgow City | LBC Call-in | Proposed demolition of a B-listed warehouse still in use to build new flats as part of a wider regeneration masterplan for Tradeston. | HS considered that demolition was not justified and would have resulted in the loss of a very distinctive listed building. | LBC Refused | 08/02/07 |
| 7-15 Albert Street | Aberdeen City | LBC Call-in | Application for a large addition to the rear of the B-listed terraced properties in a conservation area. | HS considered that the visual impact of the addition would fail to preserve the listed terrace or its setting, or the character and appearance of the conservation area. | LBC Refused | 21/12/07 |
- Asked by: Keith Brown, MSP for Ochil, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 03 March 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 13 March 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what potential it sees in using offshore energy transmission methods for (a) exporting energy generated in Scotland and (b) moving energy from point of generation to point of usage within Scotland.
Answer
The Scottish Government believes that to fully capitalise on our renewables resource we must explore the potential to export electricity using sub-sea cables.
In the shorter term, we are urgently seeking fairer charging and connection regimes for Scottish generators. However, we will consider all available evidence to inform discussions on grid development options with the Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and other stakeholders.
- Asked by: Keith Brown, MSP for Ochil, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 03 March 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Fergus Ewing on 12 March 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to (a) include in its review of antisocial behaviour and (b) legislate on the issue of high hedges as covered in the proposal for a Member’s Bill in the name of Scott Barrie MSP during Session 2 of the Parliament.
Answer
The Scottish Government is exploring options, including legislative ones, for supporting a means of last resort for resolving disputes about high hedges. This will be done in parallel to the national antisocial behaviour review. In doing so, we will bear in mind consultation on the issue by the previous administration, the provisions in place in England and Wales and Scott Barrie''s bill, which fell at dissolution of the last session of the Parliament.
- Asked by: Keith Brown, MSP for Ochil, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 03 March 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 12 March 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what total amounts were spent through the discretionary fund for higher education students, and its predecessor budgets, in each financial year since 1999-2000.
Answer
The total amounts spent through the higher education discretionary funds for each financial year since 1999-2000 are highlighted as follows:
| Financial Year | Amount Spent (£ Million) |
| 1999-2000 | 14.0 |
| 2000-01 | 14.0 |
| 2001-02 | 11.4 |
| 2002-03 | 11.4 |
| 2003-04 | 13.4 |
| 2004-05 | 13.6 |
| 2005-06 | 13.0 |
| 2006-07 | 13.5 |
Source: Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS).
Note: The years 1999-2000 and 2000-01 include monies paid to further education students studying courses of higher education at further education colleges. It has not been possible to disaggregate these sums further which is why a combined figure is given.
- Asked by: Keith Brown, MSP for Ochil, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 February 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 4 March 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied that the current regulations for ensuring that road users are kept informed of the likely completion dates of road maintenance projects offer those users adequate levels of information.
Answer
When carrying out road maintenance projects, road authorities throughout Scotland are expected to conform to the
Code of Practice for Maintenance Management “ Delivering Best Value in Highway Maintenance. This Code of Practice, was prepared and published by The Institution of Highways and Transportation and has been supported, endorsed and recommended by, among others, The Scottish Government and COSLA as well as the Department for Transport and the other devolved administrations.
It contains guidance on information and publicity of road works and advocates the use of information boards, which can include a likely completion date, on site both prior to and during road maintenance projects.
The Scottish Government is not aware of instances where this guidance is not being adhered to and there are no plans at present to introduce legislation making it a requirement for maintenance companies to display more prominently information boards displaying an expected completion date of a road maintenance project.
