- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 30 May 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 6 June 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive how many, and what percentage of, companies engaged in renewable energy are (a) partly and (b) wholly Scottish-owned.
Answer
The information requested isnot available centrally.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 30 May 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 6 June 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive how many companies are engaged in the renewable energy sector.
Answer
The information requested isnot available centrally.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 30 May 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 6 June 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what the current level of employment is in the renewable energy sector.
Answer
The official source for employmentestimates by industry group is the Labour Force Survey (LFS). However, data arenot available on employment in the renewable energy sector from the LFS. Industrygroups are constructed using Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes, whichdo not define the renewable energy sector specifically.
Astudy into the renewable energy sector supply chain by Mott MacDonald, publishedin 2004, estimated that there were around 2,0001 jobs in Scotland associatedwith the renewable energy sector.
Source:Renewables Supply Chain, Gap Analysis.
Notes:
1. The jobs estimate is expressedin full-time equivalents and includes induced jobs. Induced jobs are defined asjobs outside the renewable energy industryand its associated supply chain that are created because of activity in the renewableenergy industry; e.g. additional jobs in retail arising from the increased economicactivity.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 May 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 3 June 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps have been taken to encourage business start-ups in the renewable energy sector.
Answer
The provision of advice and support for business start-ups and growing businesses in Scotland, including renewable energy businesses, is primarily an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise.
Measures introduced in the Scottish Enterprise area include Business Gateway – a first stop access to support and advice to business start-ups and growing businesses.
In the Highlands and Islands area, access to business support is through Highlands and Islands Enterprise's network of ten Local Enterprise Companies (LECs) located throughout the area who are the first stop for information and advice.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 May 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 31 May 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the statement made by its spokesperson in Scotland on Sunday on 27 March 2005, when referring to the head of office and First Secretary for Scottish Affairs in Washington DC that she "has been in the post for four years. That is the standard length for a post of this nature. There is nothing unusual in the way that this has been handled".
Answer
The post was advertised as lasting two years with the possibility of an extension taking it to four years in total. The assignment offer was made to the present post holder on that basis. The extension was invoked and the officer will leave the post at the end of the four year assignment on 31 October 2005.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 16 May 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 31 May 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list all studies into (a) housing design, (b) sustainable building techniques and (c) innovative housing that it funded in each of the last five years, showing the cost of each study.
Answer
Research studies on these topics have been commissioned by Communities Scotland as follows:
| Year Commissioned | Project Title | Project Cost |
| 2000-01 | Lessons From Innovation in Design and Procurement | £21,463.08 |
| 2000-01 | Evaluation of the Building Aspects of the Slateford Green (Millennium) Project | £7,000 |
| 2002-03 with a further update evaluation commissioned in 2004-05 | Evaluation of Kincardine O’Neil innovative rural housing design project: Canmore Place | £10,000 |
| 2002-03 | Future Options for Mixed Tenure and RSL Property in Edinburgh’s Pre-1919 Tenements | Total Contract £31,960, Communities Scotland contribution £19,975 |
| 2004-05 | Research in phase 1 of the Devanah bulk procurement initiative | £20,678 |
| 2004-05 | Options for the Provision of Social Rented Housing in Rural Tayside Designed to Meet Changing Household Needs | £4,995.75 |
| 2004-05 | Smart Technology – Preferred Design Guide | £7,343.75 |
| 2004-05 | Designing Urban Housing | Total Contract Cost £29,369.13, Communities Scotland contribution £18,369.12 |
| 2004-05 | The Unplugged House: Identifying the Issues and a Methodology for their Investigation | £1,000 |
| 2005-06 | Evaluation of tenants experiences of living in innovative Dutch style housing in Ballater | £31,079 |
In addition the following work has been commissioned by the Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department:
| Year Commissioned | Project Title | Project Cost |
| 2000 | Scottish House: New Build Home/Works Units | £5,150 |
| 2000 | Scottish House: A review of recent experience in building individual and small groups of houses with a view to sustainability, the use of traditional and new materials and innovative design | £6,084 |
| 2001 | Timber Cladding in Scotland: Historical Precedents and Innovative Future Use | £6,000 |
| 2000-2001 | Building with earth in Scotland: Innovative Design and Sustainability | £5,960 |
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 May 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 31 May 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive to what extent the provisions of the Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Bill will apply to the building of new nuclear power stations and associated facilities.
Answer
Individual consideration must be given to each plan, programme or strategy before the Responsible Authority can determine whether the bill will apply to it. Whilst emphasising that case by case approach I can make the following general points:
Plans, programmes and strategies which relate solely to the whole or any part of Scotland and deal with nuclear power stations and associated facilities are not exempted.
Qualifying plans, programmes and strategies which could (depending on the outcome of the screening procedure) fall within the provisions of the bill, include those prepared for energy which set the framework for future development consent of nuclear power stations and other installations referred to in paragraphs 2(2) and 3 of schedule 1 to the bill.
Any qualifying plan, programme or strategy which has been determined by a Responsible Authority, after screening, to be likely to have a significant environmental effect, will require to comply fully with part 2 (environmental reports and consultation) and part 3 (post –adoption procedures) of the bill.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 May 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 25 May 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what improvements have been made to the A96 in each of the last six years and what improvements are scheduled to be carried out in the future.
Answer
A significant number of projects have been undertaken to improve the A96 during the last six years and further improvements to the A96 are being prepared. These various improvements are listed in the following tables split between major construction works completed or under construction, road safety works completed, other construction works completed and future works planned.
Major Construction Works
| Location | Completion Date |
| Newtongarry Climbing Lane | 2004 |
| Coachford realignment – | Under construction. Completion programmed 2005 |
Future Major Construction Works
| Location | Planned Start of Works |
| Fochabers and Mosstodloch Bypass | 2006 |
| Threapland junction improvement | 2007 |
| Delnies road improvement | 2007 |
Road Safety Works
| Measure | Location |
| Anti-skid surfacing | Inveramasay, Oyne Fork, Ardgilzean, Keith School, Tesco, Keith, Auchmill Road Aberdeen |
| Accident Investigation and Prevention improvements | Binhill, Whinbrae and Dramlachs climbing lanes |
| Signing and lining improvements | Cullernie, Broomhill.Old Rayne and Oyne Fork. |
| Junction bollard and verge marker improvements | Numerous locations over the last 6 years |
| Safety fence improvements and installation | Numerous locations over the last 6 years |
Future Road Safety Works
| Measure | Planned Start of Works |
| Improvements arising from A96 Route Accident Reduction Plan | Route Accident Reduction Plan study to start shortly |
Other Construction Works
| Location | Completion Date |
| Dummuies junction stacking lane | 2000 |
| Bucksburn Landscaping Improvement | 2003 |
| Rumbuch to Bogbain embankment stabilisation | 2004 |
| New roundabout and road realignment by TESCO at Elgin | 2004 |
| New roundabout and road realignment as a result of development at Smithton, Inverness | 2004 |
| Footway construction at Mosstodloch | 2004 |
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 May 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 25 May 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what the length of time was of the service of the former head of its EU Office in Brussels, including the time in post to plan for, and set up, the office, until his early retirement.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-16656 answered 25 May 2005. 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: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 May 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 25 May 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the former head of its EU office in Brussels was asked to step down from this post after the standard four years of service for a post of this nature, in light of the statement by its spokesperson in Scotland on Sunday on 27 March 2005 that four years was the standard length for such a post.
Answer
The former Head of the EU Office in Brussels was in post from the establishment of the office on 1 May 1999 until his retirement on 31 October 2004. The nature and scope of the job changed considerably over that time. The timing of personnel changes is always a management decision based on the requirements of the post and of the Executive although four years is the norm for such posts.
