- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 May 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 25 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether Scottish-domiciled students attending English universities will be required to pay top-up fees if they are introduced and, if so, whether these will have to be paid up front.
Answer
Legislation which will allowEnglish universities to charge fees of up to £3,000 is currently being consideredat Westminster. The fees will apply to students who commence coursesat English universities from 2006, regardless of where in the UK they are ordinarilyresident.
The support to be provided toScottish-domiciled students studying in England from 2006 is currently being considered and an announcementwill be made in early summer.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 May 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 19 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is in respect of the assessment of the Royal Academy of Engineering that wind power generation, with the necessary back-up, is two and a half times more expensive than the cheapest conventional alternative.
Answer
Research conducted by OXERA forthe DTI Renewables Innovation Review, published in March this year, cites currentprices for onshore wind of 3.1 pence per unit (per KiloWatt hour), dropping to 2.7pence per unit (per KiloWatt hour) by 2010.
Our policy is that Scotland’s futureenergy needs should be met by a balance of technologies, including less intermittent renewablestechnologies such as biomass and marine energy.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 29 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 17 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive when the Deputy First Minister will reply to my letter of 26 February 2004 in connection with MW Stephens Ltd and Art Enterprises Ltd.
Answer
I replied to your letter on 13 May 2004 and regretthe delay in responding.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 26 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 11 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive how many consents for hydro schemes under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 it has granted to (a) public limited companies and (b) private companies and other bodies since 1999.
Answer
Five such projects have beengranted consent. All these applications were made by public limited companies.
The details are as follows:
| Cuileig | SSE |
| Garrogie | Innogy |
| Kingairloch | SSE |
| Braevallich | Innogy |
| Fasnakyle Extension | SSE |
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 26 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 11 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications for consent under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 have been made to it for hydro schemes from (a) public limited companies and (b) private companies and other bodies since 1999.
Answer
Fourteen applications for consentunder Section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 have been received since 1999 in respectof hydro schemes. Of these, 11 were made by public limited companies and three byprivate companies.
The following applications havebeen made since 1999:
(a) Public Limited Companies
| Cuileig | SSE |
| Garrogie | Innogy |
| Kingairloch | SSE |
| Braevallich | Innogy |
| River E | Innogy |
| Stronelairg | Innogy |
| Glen Doe | SSE |
| Douglas Water | Innogy |
| Fasnakyle Extension | SSE |
| Tummell Refurbishment | SSE |
| Alt Hallater | Innogy |
(b) Private companies and others
| Ben Glas | Ambient Hydro Ltd |
| Alt Fionn | Ambient Hydro Ltd |
| Shieldaig/Slattadale | Highland Light and Power Ltd |
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 26 March 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 5 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive when a copy of the A9 junctions safety review of Keir and Inveralmond roundabouts will be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.
Answer
BEAR Scotland Ltd has completedtheir review of all of the junctions on the A9 between Keir Roundabout, Dunblaneand Broxden Roundabout, Perth and their strategy report is currently being finalised.A summary of the recommendations contained in the report will be placed in the Parliament’sReference Centre in May 2004.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 March 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 29 March 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what types of business premise and installation are assessed for non-domestic rates on the same basis as England.
Answer
The valuation of non domesticsubjects in Scotland is the responsibility of the Scottish assessors. the Scottish Assessors liaise with their counterparts in England and Wales, theValuation Office Agency, to ensure, where practical, harmonisation of valuationtreatment north and south of the border.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 04 March 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 18 March 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-5577 by Ms Margaret Curran on 27 February 2004, what sources of funding are available for the urgent repair of places of worship where, for religious reasons, congregations or denominational bodies have reservations about applying for lottery funding.
Answer
The Repair Grants for Placesof Worship Grant Scheme is run in partnership by Historic Scotland and theHeritage Lottery Fund. However, grants are offered by the two organisationsseparately. Accordingly, congregations and denominational bodies can choose toseek assistance from Historic Scotland only.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 February 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 9 March 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider a variation to the rules governing PFI/PPP contracts for the construction of public buildings to encourage the use of bioenergy heating systems.
Answer
EC public procurementdirectives apply to most purchasing contracts let by the public sector wherethe value exceeds certain thresholds. The EC public procurement directivesprovide scope for reflecting environmental considerations in procurement, whereit is relevant to the subject matter of the contract or based uponenvironmental objectives of the public body concerned. Given that PublicPrivate Partnerships procurements can involve a substantial amount of newbuild, the opportunity exists to deliver public services in a moreenvironmentally friendly way.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 February 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 9 March 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to include heating systems powered by bioenergy as eligible to benefit from renewable obligation certificates.
Answer
We have no such plans. Thereare no legislative powers available which would allow heating systems poweredby bioenergy to benefit from renewable obligation certificates. Our ScottishCommunity and Householder Renewables Initiative has supported a number of smallheating scheme using biomass, solar or geothermal heating.
