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Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S4W-19493

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 January 2014
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 27 February 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how many applications for activities that require to be screened in accordance with the Environmental Impact Assessment (Agriculture) (Scotland) Regulations 2006 have been (a) received and (b) approved by each Agriculture, Food and Rural Communities area office in each year since 2007.

The Environmental Impact Assessment (Agriculture)(Scotland) Regulations 2006 came into force in Scotland on 1 January 2007, and constrain operations to carry out intensive agricultural operations on uncultivated or semi-natural land, or large scale restructuring projects on agricultural land, where the result would have a significant impact on the environment.

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) screening decisions are taken by Rural Payments and Inspections Division Area Offices. Where activities are within the scope of the regulation, they proceed to a formal screening, which is recorded on the Scottish Government EIA register. The screening decision may require an Environmental Statement (full EIA) to be carried out.

The following tables show:

a) The number of Screening Applications received, and

b) The number of these Screening Applications which then required a full EIA to be carried out, i.e. the applicant is asked to submit an environmental statement before the operation is approved or rejected.

AFRC

Area Office

2007

2008

2009

2010

Screening applications:	Screening applic. received	Full EIA required	Screening applic. received	Full EIA required	Screening applic. received	Full EIA required	Screening applic. received	Full EIA required
Ayr	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Benbecula	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Dumfries	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Elgin	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Galashiels	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0
Golspie	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0
Hamilton	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Inverness	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Inverurie	3	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
Kirkwall	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Lerwick	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
Oban	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Perth	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Portree	1	0	2	0	1	0	0	0
Stornaway	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Thurso	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

AFRC

Area Office

2011

2012

2013

Screening applications:	Screening applic. received	Full EIA required	Screening applic. received	Full EIA required	Screening applic. received	Full EIA required
Ayr	0	0	0	0	1	1
Benbecula	0	0	1	0	0	0
Dumfries	0	0	0	0	0	0
Elgin	0	0	0	0	0	0
Galashiels	0	0	0	0	0	0
Golspie	0	0	0	0	0	0
Hamilton	0	0	0	0	0	0
Inverness	5	0	0	0	0	0
Inverurie	0	0	0	0	0	0
Kirkwall	0	0	1	1	4	3
Lerwick	4	2	0	0	_	_
Oban	0	0	1	0	2	0
Perth	0	0	0	0	_	_
Portree	0	0	0	0	0	0
Stornaway	0	0	0	0	0	0
Thurso	0	0	0	0	0	0

Question reference: S4O-02949

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 February 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 February 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is taking to ensure the highest standards of inspections in care homes.

Question reference: S4O-02923

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 February 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 February 2014

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met Transport Scotland and what issues were discussed.

Question reference: S4T-00582

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 27 January 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 January 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the air pollution monitoring results for 2013.

Question reference: S4O-02723

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 December 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 December 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what support is available to touring exhibitions.

Question reference: S4O-02688

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 December 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 December 2013

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met the Royal College of Nursing Scotland and what issues were discussed.

Question reference: S4W-18417

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 15 November 2013
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 27 November 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to refresh its food strategy and, if so, when and will it be subject to a public consultation.

The aims and vision of Scotland's National Food and Drink Policy, as detailed in Recipe for Success, remain as valid today as they were when the document was published in 2009. Since that date we have achieved much through partnership working across the public and private sectors, engaging with dedicated individuals and groups throughout the country. However, I am aware that more needs to be done to change Scotland's food culture, and the Scottish Government is currently looking at what further action we can now take to move the food and drink policy to the next stage.

Question reference: S4W-18389

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 15 November 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 27 November 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that the dietary goal of increasing potato consumption by 25%, as set out in Preventing Overweight and Obesity in Scotland: A Route Map Towards Healthy Weight, is met, and whether it is on course to achieve this.

The Preventing Overweight and Obesity in Scotland: A Route Map towards Healthy Weight recommended that the Scottish dietary goals outlined in the National Food and Drink Policy while not directed towards tackling obesity was an appropriate target at a population level for achieving nutritional balance and protecting health across a broad range of risk factors in the long term.

Subsequent to the route map’s publication the Food Standards Agency in Scotland reviewed the goals and, on its recommendation, the Scottish Government published revised dietary goals. In which the specific target for increased potato consumption has been removed on the basis that there is no evidence base regarding the health benefit of consuming potatoes specifically, in the same way that there is for oily fish and for fruit and vegetables. However, increasing consumption of potatoes without added fat or salt is recommended within the context of supporting the achievement of the dietary goal for increasing starchy carbohydrates.

Question reference: S4W-18390

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 15 November 2013
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 27 November 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides to the potato sector to help with variety development.

The Scottish Government supports potato breeding and variety development activities in Scotland by funding underpinning strategic research into relevant areas such as potato genomics, pests and diseases and agronomy. The total planned investment by the Scottish Government into potato focused research over the next three years is more than £8 million.

Specifically this research includes the development of genetic markers for marker-assisted breeding. However, Scottish Government support also covers the maintenance of important germplasm collections, including the Commonwealth Potato Collection, as well as potato variety trials.

Question reference: S4W-18391

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 15 November 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 27 November 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what information it collects on levels of potato consumption.