Seòmar agus comataidhean

The number of Appeals dealt with by the Planning and Environmental Appeals Division (DPEA) of the Scottish Government is set out in the following table:

These figures include planning, enforcement, listed building, advertisement and other types of appeal dealt with by DPEA. The reduction in appeal numbers in 2010-11 was largely as a result of planning reform with the introduction of local review bodies who now deal with appeals in respect of smaller scale planning applications.

Planning reform also changed DPEA’s role in the new system for examining strategic and local development plans and ministers’ expectations that examinations will be completed within 6 to 9 months. This has resulted in a reduction in time from 18 months to 8 months. This improvement has been achieved by assigning teams of reporters to work on plans. The work involved in examining strategic and local development plans now accounts for around one half of DPEA’s workload.

In addition to appeals and development plan examinations, DPEA handles a wide range of casework including applications for consent for major infrastructure projects such as road schemes, ports and harbours, overhead power lines, renewable energy developments, and compulsory purchase orders supporting regeneration projects, the Forth Crossing, and the Commonwealth Games. DPEA also has responsibility for a wide range for environmental appeals and the recently introduced rights of appeal in relation to high hedges. Later this year DPEA will assume responsibility for appeals in relation to the listing of historic buildings and the scheduling of ancient monuments.

The Planning and Environmental Appeals Division (DPEA) of the Scottish Governments budget in the years 2007-2008 to date was as set out in the following table:

The budget allocations from 2009-10 onwards took account of DPEA’s role in the new system for examining strategic and local development plans and ministers’ expectations that examinations will be completed within 6 to 9 months. This has resulted in a reduction in time from 18 months to 8 months. This improvement has been achieved by assigning teams of reporters to work on plans. The work involved in examining strategic and local development plans now accounts for around one half of DPEA’s workload.

In addition to planning appeals DPEA handles a wide range of casework including applications for consent for major infrastructure projects such as road schemes, ports and harbours, overhead power lines, renewable energy developments, and compulsory purchase orders supporting regeneration projects, the Forth Crossing, and the Commonwealth Games. DPEA also has responsibility for a wide range for environmental appeals and the recently introduced rights of appeal in relation to high hedges. Later this year DPEA will assume responsibility for appeals in relation to the listing of historic buildings and the scheduling of ancient monuments.

The Scottish Government operates the Scottish Landrace Protection Scheme (SLPS). This scheme is designed to prevent the genetic loss of Scottish landraces by providing a safety net in the event of harvest failure or other loss of seed. The Scots Timothy Seed Growers Association has not yet entered Scots’ Timothy into the SLPS but has been encouraged to do so.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-24893 on 25 March 2015. 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/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

Responsibility for dealing with any complaints about noise and nuisance, including from onshore wind developments rests with local authorities, who have a duty to investigate such complaints under the provisions of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. In support of this the Scottish Government issued guidance on these provisions in January 2009:

http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2009/01/23142152/0. Further guidance specifically relating to noise from wind turbines – Wind Farm Noise Statutory Nuisance Complaint Methodology – and aimed at all of the UK was published in April 2011:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/69222/pb-13584-windfarm-noise-statutory-nuisance.pdf

The Institute of Acoustics published A Good Practice Guide to the Application of ETSU-R-97 for the Assessment and Rating of Wind Turbine Noise in May 2013. The Scottish Government recognised that the guidance represented industry good practice in correspondence with the Institute of Acoustics. The view of the Scottish Government is that the provisions currently in place in respect of planning and environmental health provide an appropriate and practical level of public protection from noise concerns arising from the development and operation of wind farms in Scotland. We are aware that some people in Scotland are concerned about possible health impacts from wind farms. In line with our approach to other public health issues, the Scottish Government receives evidence-based advice from Health Protection Scotland, our national health protection experts, and also from Public Health England. They have the expertise to assess the scientific literature available on this topic, and keep it under review. At the current time, there is not sufficient evidence to conclude that wind farms have negative health impacts. In this context the Scottish Government will study the Northern Ireland Assembly wind energy inquiry report for any lessons.

The Scottish Government has also commissioned research looking at whether the impacts predicted by developers prior to approval at 10 onshore wind farm developments were consistent with the impacts experienced with those wind farms now that they are operating. The study is looking specifically at visual, shadow flicker and noise impacts. Whilst the study results are not expected to be representative of the wind farm sector as a whole, as they relate only to 10 wind farms where there have been known complaints, it is expected to lead to further changes in planning advice and guidance to help manage the future impacts of wind farms.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-24893 on 25 March 2015. 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/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

Blood stock levels are provided in the following table for the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) processing sites and represent number of units stock and work in progress (units being processed), expressed as a ratio of average daily issues. The average stocks of the eight blood groups, classed by ABO and Rhesus typing, are as follows:

Please note that a similar amount of stock is normally held by NHS Scotland hospital blood banks. In June/July 2014 SNBTS stocks were increased in preparedness for the Commonwealth Games, so the average for the year is higher than normal. The average data by year is taken from June 2014 onwards as this is when the SNBTS automated system went live, so the year represents the average from 5 June 2014 to 28 February 2015.

There were 48 days in the last 12 months (March 2014 to February 2015) where O negative stock was below six days in the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service processing sites. However, it should be noted that normally a similar amount of stock is held by hospital blood banks across NHS Scotland.