- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 16 May 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 31 May 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware that, at the current level of subsidy available, Orkney Housing Association Ltd does not plan to start building new houses in 2011-12 and whether it will take steps to address this situation.
Answer
We have not been advised by Orkney Housing Association Ltd whether they will submit a bid to the Innovation and Investment Fund (2011-12) which is making £50 million available across Scotland.
We said in our Strategy and Action Plan Homes Fit for the 21st Century that we would make a decisive change in the way we support new developments, using government funding to lever in the maximum possible investment from other sources. Developments will also need to tie in with local authority local housing strategies. While all projects will be assessed against this benchmark (and we will encourage proposals requiring less grant), we will retain flexibility to consider higher subsidy, e.g. in remote rural areas or where projects require additional features to meet particular needs.
As a result of project approvals from the Affordable Housing Investment Programme in 2010-11 Orkney Housing Association Ltd will have 32 properties start on site in 2011-12 and there will be 120 properties complete during the financial year.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 16 May 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 31 May 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to review the Housing Association Grant benchmark of £40,000 per house for new properties.
Answer
The £50 million Innovation and Investment Fund is a one year programme planned for 2011-12. Funds will be allocated in due course on the basis of bids from potential housing providers which are due to be submitted by 31 May 2011. Once all bids have been assessed and funds allocated, we will review the way in which the fund has helped the Scottish Government support new developments and lever in the maximum possible investment from other sources.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 16 May 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 31 May 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive how may new housing association properties it expects to be built in each year of the current parliamentary session, broken down by region.
Answer
We said in our Strategy and Action Plan Homes Fit for the 21st Century that we aim to deliver 18,000 new affordable homes over the next three years through housing associations, councils and other developers. The breakdown by year and by region will be decided in the light of the proposals we receive.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 16 May 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 31 May 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the Housing Association Grant benchmark of £40,000 for new properties will allow housing associations in all regions to build new houses.
Answer
We said in our Strategy and Action Plan Homes Fit for the 21st Century that we would make a decisive change in the way we support new developments, using Government funding to lever in the maximum investment from other sources. Developments will also need to tie in with local authority local housing strategies. While all projects will be assessed against this benchmark (and we will encourage proposals requiring less grant), we will retain flexibility to consider higher subsidy, e.g. in remote rural areas or where projects require additional features to meet particular needs.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 February 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 10 March 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive under what circumstances (a) environmental impact and (b) habitats regulations assessments will be required before legal agreements associated with planning consents can be amended or revoked under the new provisions introduced on 1 February 2011.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-39655 on 10 March 2011. 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/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 February 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 10 March 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that the environmental effect of retaining, amending or revoking legal agreements associated with planning consents will be taken into account under the new provisions introduced on 1 February 2011.
Answer
There is no change to existing criteria against which the need for any subsequent obligation would be assessed.
The requirement for a) environmental impact assessment and b) habitats regulations appraisal, is provided by The Environmental Impact Assessment (Scotland) Regulations 1999 (as amended), and The Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994 (as amended) respectively. Where an environmental impact assessment or habitats regulations appraisal is required, that assessment or appraisal must be undertaken prior to the grant of planning consent and must consider all significant effects likely to arise from the proposed development.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 February 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 10 March 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that interested parties, including statutory bodies, local communities and interest groups, will be (a) made aware of and (b) given an opportunity to comment on applications to amend or revoke legal agreements associated with planning consents.
Answer
Where an application is made to a planning authority for the modification or discharge of a planning obligation, the authority is required to notify any person (other than the applicant) against whom the obligation is enforceable and provide them with details of the application, including how to make any representations. The planning authority must set a date by which representations are to be made which must be a minimum of 21 days from the date notification of the application is served.
There is no requirement to notify any individuals or organisations not party to the obligation.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 February 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 4 March 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive how many beavers have been captured in Tayside by Scottish Natural Heritage and where each is kept
Answer
One beaver has been captured in Tayside by Scottish Natural Heritage and is currently being kept at Edinburgh Zoo by the Royal Zoological Society for Scotland.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 February 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 4 March 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive where the replacement beavers for the Knapdale trial originated.
Answer
The replacement beavers were brought from the Telemark area of Norway.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 February 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 4 March 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive what the criteria are for beavers to be permitted to become established in the wild
Answer
The licence application by Scottish Wildlife Trust/Royal Zoological Society of Scotland for the Knapdale Trial contains criteria for the success or failure of the beaver trial. If the Knapdale trial is judged successful these criteria could be used to inform the development of wider criteria relating to the possible establishment of beavers in the wild.
Scottish ministers will not only assess the results of the Knapdale Trial, but also take into account other relevant information such as experience from Europe and North America and information from the Beaver-Salmonid Working Group which reports to the National Species Reintroduction Forum.
