- Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 July 2017
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 19 July 2017
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions ministers have had with the Planning and Environmental Appeals Division regarding the adoption and application of a consistent methodology in calculating housing and land supply in appeals processes.
Answer
Ministers have not had discussions with the Planning and Environmental Appeals Division on this issue. Scottish Government Planning and Architecture Division officials are having regular discussions with the DPEA and wider stakeholders as part of the ongoing review of the planning system in Scotland. We will to continue this collaborative approach as we move towards legislative change and subsequent reviews of policy and guidance.
- Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 July 2017
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 19 July 2017
To ask the Scottish Government whether it supports the consistent use of the five-year land supply methodology found in table 1 of the Scottish Government's Draft Planning Delivery Advice: Housing and Infrastructure throughout the planning and appeals processes.
Answer
The only Scottish Government published method to calculate a 5 year effective housing land supply is contained in the Draft Planning Delivery Advice: Housing and Infrastructure’ advice note of 2016. This document was published in order to allow for further discussion and comment from all those with an interest in housing and infrastructure. The draft planning delivery advice will not be finalised and adopted until the range of views offered have been fully considered and until it has been finalised Planning Advice Note 2/2010: Affordable Housing and Housing Land Audits remains in place.
- Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 15 June 2017
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 29 June 2017
To ask the Scottish Government who the members are of the Cabinet Subcommittee on Climate Change; how often the subcommittee meets; whether it will publish the (a) minutes and (b) action points of the subcommittee's meetings; what the subcommittee's priorities are for 2017-18, and how the subcommittee (i) has influenced and (ii) will influence the (A) Climate Change Plan and (B) Energy Strategy.
Answer
Current members of the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Climate Change are: Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform (Chair); Cabinet Secretary for the Rural Economy and Connectivity; Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Constitution; Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Jobs and Fair Work; Cabinet Secretary for Communities, Social Security and Justice; Minister for Transport and the Islands; Minister for Business, Innovation and Energy; and Minister for Local Government and Housing.
Meetings are held at the discretion of the Chair. In order to provide for the free and frank exchange of views between Ministers and also in line with the principle of collective responsibility, papers of the Cabinet Sub-Committee are not disclosed. The Cabinet Sub-Committee was involved in the development and production of the draft Climate Change Plan, which included consideration of the relationship between the draft Plan and Energy Strategy. Priorities for 2017-18 will be informed by the Cabinet Sub-Committee’s remit which includes agreeing the package of policies and proposals for inclusion in the final Climate Change Plan, and overseeing delivery.
- Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 08 June 2017
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 15 June 2017
To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it plans to increase the number of electric vehicle charging points.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 15 June 2017
- Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 24 March 2017
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Current Status:
Answered by Aileen Campbell on 11 May 2017
To ask the Scottish Government whether the provision of care to children under the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010 can consist of educational activities.
Answer
In considering the scope of the provision of care to children under the Public Services Reform Act (Scotland) 2010, it is necessary to consider the definition of “day care of children”, which is found in schedule 12. This definition is then restricted to services whose primary purpose is the provision of care to children by regulation 4 of the Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (Excepted Services) Regulations 2012.
It is of note that under the 2010 Act, “day care of children” must exceed two hours in any given day.
The quality of care by services providing “day care of children” is regulated and inspected by the Care Inspectorate.
- Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 April 2017
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 10 May 2017
To ask the Scottish Government how many charging points and bays under the ChargePlace Scotland scheme have been installed in each local authority area, also broken down by the average number installed each month.
Answer
564 charging points (usually 2 bays per charge point) have been installed in Scotland by all Scottish local authorities since 2011 with a further 250 installed by commercial businesses as part of the ChargePlace Scotland network. This total does not include charge points funded in financial year 2016-17 which are currently being commissioned.
We do not hold information on installs per month.
|
Local Authority
|
2010-11
|
2011-12
|
2012-13
|
2013-14
|
2014-15
|
2015-16
|
Total
|
|
Aberdeen City Council
|
|
11
|
7
|
3
|
9
|
3
|
33
|
|
Aberdeenshire Council
|
|
|
1
|
2
|
5
|
7
|
15
|
|
Angus Council
|
1
|
3
|
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
10
|
|
Argyll and Bute Council
|
|
6
|
|
|
7
|
2
|
15
|
|
Clackmannanshire Council
|
|
4
|
|
|
5
|
|
9
|
|
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar
|
|
5
|
|
|
7
|
|
12
|
|
Dumfries and Galloway Council
|
3
|
6
|
|
3
|
6
|
|
18
|
|
Dundee City Council
|
|
12
|
19
|
6
|
3
|
|
40
|
|
East Ayrshire Council
|
|
|
5
|
|
5
|
|
10
|
|
East Dunbartonshire
|
|
|
|
|
3
|
|
3
|
|
East Lothian Council
|
3
|
8
|
|
|
3
|
1
|
15
|
|
East Renfrewshire Council
|
|
|
|
|
5
|
|
5
|
|
Edinburgh City Council
|
1
|
10
|
11
|
3
|
4
|
3
|
32
|
|
Falkirk Council
|
|
7
|
|
2
|
2
|
3
|
14
|
|
Fife Council
|
|
1
|
|
36
|
6
|
|
43
|
|
Glasgow City Council
|
|
20
|
10
|
5
|
3
|
6
|
44
|
|
Highland Council
|
|
7
|
1
|
|
16
|
2
|
26
|
|
Inverclyde Council
|
|
|
|
|
6
|
|
6
|
|
Midlothian Council
|
|
8
|
|
|
4
|
|
12
|
|
Moray Council
|
|
5
|
1
|
3
|
3
|
|
12
|
|
North Ayrshire Council
|
|
|
1
|
|
8
|
|
9
|
|
North Lanarkshire Council
|
|
|
|
10
|
1
|
|
11
|
|
Orkney Islands Council
|
|
4
|
|
|
10
|
|
14
|
|
Perth and Kinross Council
|
|
|
13
|
2
|
3
|
3
|
21
|
|
Renfrewshire Council
|
|
6
|
|
2
|
3
|
2
|
13
|
|
Scottish Borders Council
|
10
|
6
|
|
3
|
1
|
3
|
23
|
|
Shetland Islands Council
|
|
4
|
|
|
6
|
|
10
|
|
South Ayrshire Council
|
|
2
|
7
|
|
3
|
|
12
|
|
South Lanarkshire Council
|
|
45
|
1
|
|
4
|
1
|
51
|
|
Stirling Council
|
|
8
|
|
|
6
|
3
|
17
|
|
West Dumbartonshire Council
|
|
|
|
1
|
4
|
|
5
|
|
West Lothian Council
|
|
|
|
3
|
1
|
|
4
|
|
Grand Total
|
18
|
188
|
77
|
87
|
154
|
40
|
564
|
- Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 April 2017
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 9 May 2017
To ask the Scottish Government how it promotes recycling to people from ethnic minorities.
Answer
The Scottish Government is committed to engaging and supporting ethnic minority groups as part of delivering Scotland’s ambitious recycling targets. Zero Waste Scotland provides guidance to local authorities on how to engage effectively with ethnic minority groups to promote recycling. There have been a number of successful local authority pilots to ensure effective communication of recycling benefits to ethnic minority groups and learning from these has been adopted into current practice. Zero Waste Scotland also leads on educational campaigns to reduce waste and uses visual images to reach people from different linguistic backgrounds.
- Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 April 2017
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 9 May 2017
To ask the Scottish Government how it encourages the higher education sector to promote sustainability across undergraduate courses.
Answer
Scotland’s universities are autonomous bodies, responsible for the provision and content of undergraduate courses. However, the Scottish Government supports the study and development of sustainability in higher education by funding activities through the Scottish Funding Council, the body responsible for funding universities in Scotland. Activities include enabling Topic Support Networks on Education for Sustainable Development, and the EAUC Green Gown Awards. It has also provided support to student associations, via the climate Change Fund, for various projects aiming at embedding sustainability into the student experience.
The Scottish Government established the Scottish Institute for Remanufacture (SIR) in 2015. SIR is jointly funded by the Scottish Funding Council and Zero Waste Scotland. Remanufacturing growth is a key ambition of the Scottish Government’s Circular Economy Strategy, and SIR is working to increase innovation and uptake of remanufacturing across Scottish businesses. One of only six centres of excellence for remanufacturing globally, SIR is based at the University of Strathclyde but works across all Scottish universities and with companies of all sizes and from various sectors.
- Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 April 2017
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Current Status:
Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 3 May 2017
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on Skills Development Scotland's progress towards establishing a zero waste skills academy.
Answer
Zero Waste Scotland and Skills Development Scotland are currently exploring the scope for a circular economy and resource management skills academy. A stakeholder workshop was held in March to explore the skills needed to support this transformation.
- Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 April 2017
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 28 April 2017
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to (a) review and (b) regulate speculative land purchasing practices to obtain planning permission on greenbelt and agricultural land.
Answer
The primary responsibility for the operation of the planning system lies with strategic planning authorities, and local and national park authorities. It is for these authorities, through their development plans, to set out a spatial strategy and policies that direct the right development to the right place, designating a green belt where appropriate, and to determine planning applications in accordance with the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise.
We have no current plans to review or regulate land purchasing. The Scottish planning system is currently under review and the recent consultation paper proposes creating stronger development plans based more strongly on place and prepared with the involvement of local people.
