- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 18 November 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 6 December 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the resources to implement its public engagement strategy, as required under Section 91 of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009, have been allocated in the draft budget for 2011-12.
Answer
The public engagement strategy, as required under section 91 of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009, will be published in December 2010.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 18 November 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 2 December 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the draft budget for 2011-12 will allow projects that were previously supported by the Climate Challenge Fund to reapply for funding.
Answer
It is intended to allow existing projects to reapply for funding. All applications from previously supported communities will be carefully assessed, including on their achievements to date and on the robustness of their plans going forward.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 18 November 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 2 December 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, to enable projects to apply for continuation funding, applications to the 2011-12 Climate Challenge Fund will be accepted in advance.
Answer
Yes. It is intended to establish an existing project extension and development application process in sufficient time to ensure that those who are successful in that process will be able to continue projects at 1 April 2011.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 18 November 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 30 November 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether changes are planned in the administration or objectives of the Climate Challenge Fund in 2011-12.
Answer
It is intended that Keep Scotland Beautiful will provide the administration services to support the Climate Challenge Fund in 2011-12.
No changes to the objectives of the fund are planned and they remain as below.
The community must be at the heart of the decision making process of the project;
The funded activity should lead to significant CO2 reductions, and
The funded activity should result in a positive legacy for each community.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 18 November 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 30 November 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will allow national voluntary organisations to access the 2011-12 Climate Challenge Fund and, if so, whether it considers that the resources allocated to the fund in the 2011-12 draft budget are adequate to meet any subsequent increased demand.
Answer
There are no plans to allow national voluntary organisations access to the 2011-12 Climate Challenge Fund.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 18 November 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 30 November 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied with the balance between large and small grants awarded to date by the Climate Challenge Fund.
Answer
The balance between smaller or larger grants has been driven by the applicant communities that come forward and the assessment of their applications by the independent panel. We will continue to evaluate performance of the fund and the efficiency and effectiveness of outcomes against criteria, as well as the scale of projects.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 18 November 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 30 November 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the application process for the Climate Challenge Fund is straightforward for small community groups.
Answer
The Climate Challenge Fund has successfully supported applications from a very substantial number of smaller and newly established community groups. However, we plan to review the application process of the extension to the Climate Challenge Fund to ensure it is as simple as possible to access for all communities, while supporting diversity and targeting resources to those projects that comply with the criteria of the fund.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 11 October 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 3 November 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it remains its intention to publish the final identity management and privacy principles in October 2010, as stated in a letter dated July 2010 from the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth, and whether a date has been set.
Answer
The analysis report was published on 30 September 2010 and comments were requested by 15 October 2010, with the aim of publishing the final version of the principles before the end of October 2010. On 12 October 2010, Scottish Government officials presented the analysis report to the Scottish Privacy Forum, which is run by the Information Commissioner''s Office (ICO). The report was well received at that meeting and informal comments from the Assistant Commissioner (Scotland) were favourable.
Following that meeting we have decided to delay publication until December 2010, by which time we expect to have received formal feedback from the ICO. That will ensure the greatest level of expert input and give us the opportunity to ensure our principles complement, as far as possible, the UK statutory code of practice on the sharing of personal data, on which the ICO launched its consultation on 8 October. This will mean our principles have the strongest possible support from the ICO.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 September 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 6 October 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has researched the risk exposure to the economy of an EU or UK-wide moratorium being agreed on offshore drilling.
Answer
The Scottish Government has consistent data, collected by Oil and Gas UK, which estimate that 33,800 people are directly employed by the sector with 73% of those in Scotland. Clearly, this suggests that any moratorium could impact significantly in Scotland.
The UK Energy and Climate Change Committee are conducting a short inquiry into UK deepwater drilling to find out about the safety and environmental regulations of oil and gas operations on the UK continental shelf and the potential positive and negative impacts of a moratorium on deepwater drilling. We will be monitoring the committee''s deliberations closely.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 24 September 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 6 October 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has researched the risk exposure to the economy of an oil spill resulting from deepwater drilling.
Answer
The Scottish Government recognises the potential seriousness of any such incident in both environmental and economic terms. Because of such concerns the First Minister wrote to the Prime Minister suggesting that a major oil spill exercise be held as soon as possible in order to both identify and learn from the lessons arising. This exercise will now be held in the spring and the Scottish Government will be participating to its full extent.
We continue to monitor the situation and welcome the setting up of the Oil Spill Prevention and Response Advisory Group (OSPRAG) and the UK Government''s moves to increase its inspection of drilling rigs and monitoring of offshore compliance through the recruitment of additional inspectors.
The Scottish Government will host a seminar on the lessons that the UK can learn from oil spills at Victoria Quay on 5 October 2010. This event will bring together then UK Spill Association, the Emergency Planning Society, the UK Government and Scottish Government.
