Tuesday 13 March 2012 SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE Enterprise and Environment Tavish Scott (Shetland Islands) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Executive how many current Integrated Administration and Control System (IACS) 2011 plans are being investigated regarding measurement of land, broken down by Scottish Government Rural Payments and Inspections Directorate area office. (S4W-05600) Richard Lochhead: We have selected 1,116 cases under the 2011 Integrated Administration and Control System (IACS) for land-based inspections, which include measurement of land. Of these, there are a small number still to carry out. The breakdown by Area office is as follows: Inspection Still to be Undertaken Office Name Total Ayr 104 4 Benbecula 80 0 Dumfries 34 2 Elgin 29 2 Galashiels 103 0 Golspie 21 1 Hamilton 38 0 Inverness 85 4 Inverurie 158 2 Kirkwall 58 0 Lerwick 44 2 Oban 88 2 Perth 154 0 Portree 24 0 Stornoway 47 3 Thurso 49 0 Total 1,116 22 Tavish Scott (Shetland Islands) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Executive what pressure the European Commission is bringing to bear on the Scottish Government in relation to land measurement under the Integrated Administration and Control System (IACS) of croft and farm areas. (S4W-05601) Richard Lochhead: The European Commission requires all EU member states to maintain a Land Parcel Information System (LPIS) for all land parcels that are involved in a claim for subsidy under the Common Agricultural Policy. This is part of its Integrated Administration and Control System (IACS). All IACS elements, including LPIS, are subject to checks by both national and EC auditors. In addition, since 2010 all member state LPIS systems are subject to a statutory annual Quality Assessment based on a set of criteria defined by the European Commission Joint Research Centre. Tavish Scott (Shetland Islands) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Executive how many appeals relating to inaccurate Integrated Administration and Control System (IACS) land measurement fines there were at each of the (a) three stages of appeal procedure for each of the years from 2003 to 2008 and (b) two stages of appeal procedure for each of the years from 2009 to 2011. (S4W-05603) Richard Lochhead: The following table provides a breakdown of the requested figures by year. Please note that each appeal is only counted once i.e. if it proceeds to Stage 3 it is only recorded in that column. Scheme Year Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Total for (Land Court) the Year 2003 2 2 1 5 2004 11 1 0 12 2005 39 5 0 44 2006 20 3 1 24 2007 15 2 0 17 2008 12 4 1 17 2009 6 4 0 10 2010 5 1 (Land No stage 3 for post- 6 Court) Nov 2009 procedure 2011 13 2 (Land No stage 3 for post- 15 Court) Nov 2009 procedure Jamie Hepburn (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (Scottish National Party): To ask the Scottish Executive what the impact on the Scottish economy has been of the gas produced by the Rhum gas field and what the impact is expected to be over the forecast lifespan of the field. (S4W-05695) Fergus Ewing: The information requested is not held centrally. Hugh Henry (Renfrewshire South) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Executive what its plans are for a universal postal service if Scotland separates from the rest of the UK. (S4W-05942) Hugh Henry (Renfrewshire South) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Executive what its plans are for post offices if Scotland separates from the rest of the UK. (S4W-05943) Hugh Henry (Renfrewshire South) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to establish a Scottish post office service independent of the UK post office service if Scotland separates from the rest of the UK. (S4W-05944) Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government’s proposal for Scotland is for independence, with a new relationship of equality between Scotland and the other nations of these islands, and a voice in Europe and the wider world. We are currently consulting on plans to hold a referendum on independence in 2014. The Scottish Government has a clear commitment to post offices and postal services, to the maintenance of universal service obligations and to ensuring Post Office Ltd remains in public ownership. We will make clear our proposals for the smooth operation of postal services which fulfil the needs of Scotland's communities, business and organisations in the White Paper in 2013, following the completion of the UK Government’s actions to establish Post Office Ltd as a separate publicly owned company. Liz Smith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Executive what communities it has identified as being at risk from flooding. (S4W-06001) Stewart Stevenson: Scotland’s first National Flood Risk Assessment was published by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency on 22 December 2011. This National Flood Risk Assessment identified locations called Potentially Vulnerable Areas where potentially significant flood risk exists. This national picture of flood risk across Scotland is a key milestone in targeting efforts to plan and invest in reducing impacts in areas most vulnerable to flooding. This will help Scotland become more resilient to the potential impacts of flooding. The National Flood Risk Assessment can be found on the Scottish Environment Protection Agency’s website at http://www.sepa.org.uk/flooding/flooding_publications.aspx. Alison Johnstone (Lothian) (Scottish Green Party): To ask the Scottish Executive what the aggregate (a) tonnage and (b) engine power of the pelagic fishing fleet was in 2000-01. (S4W-06047) Richard Lochhead: The aggregate tonnage of the pelagic fishing fleet in 20011 was 43,339 tonnes and the aggregate power was 85,558 kWs. Note: 1. Figures as at 31 December. Finance Paul Martin (Glasgow Provan) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Executive how much it has spent on entertaining and hospitality since May 2011, broken down by purpose. Holding answer issued: 8 March 2012 (S4W-05899) John Swinney: Total Scottish Government expenditure on entertaining and hospitality for the period 1 May 2011 to 31 January 2012 (9 months) was £438,485. Information about specific purposes could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. Comparable figures for the three financial years 2008-09 to 2010-11 are: 2008-09 (April 2008 – March 2009, 12 months) £1,186,757 2009-10 (April 2009 – March 2010, 12 months) £1,174,119 2010-11 (April 2010 – March 2011, 12 months) £765,801. This expenditure is incurred in accordance with internal guidance on the provision of hospitality and includes the costs of events with external stakeholders. The guidance outlines the circumstances and range of official hospitality that justifies funding, subject to the appropriate authorisation being granted. hospitality for official visitors, including civil servants from other government departments and visitors from overseas; light refreshments for meetings; working lunches within and outwith the normal workplace; conference venues, and special occasions. Information on events hosted by ministers is available on the Scottish Government website at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/About/14944/Events-Engagements/hospitality. Hugh Henry (Renfrewshire South) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Executive what consultations took place ahead of the renewal of its service contract with TNT Post UK. (S4W-05935) Alex Neil: The framework agreement was advertised via the Official Journal of the European Union by Scottish Procurement on behalf of the Scottish Ministers and was awarded to both TNT Post and Royal Mail. This was achieved in line with rigorous stakeholder engagement with representatives from each of the Centres of Expertise endorsing the sourcing strategy. This stakeholder engagement also included dialogue with all the major suppliers of postal services, including Scottish indigenous suppliers. In addition to a number of individual meetings with postal suppliers, a Prior Information Notice was published on Public Contracts Scotland on 31 May 2011, inviting suppliers to attend a supplier event on 5 July 2011. In total, 29 individuals across 16 postal organisations attended this event. Hugh Henry (Renfrewshire South) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Executive what differences there are between its current contract with TNT Post UK and the previous contract. (S4W-05938) Alex Neil: The previous contract was a mini competition utilising the Buying Solutions Postal Services framework agreement and required Scottish public sector organisations to submit a “Notification of Interest” document prior to the competition being carried out to enable them to access the services following contract award. The contract included the collection and delivery of 2nd class mail via TNT Post. Royal Mail retained the collection and delivery of 1st class mail. The current framework agreement was advertised via the Official Journal of the European Union by Scottish Procurement on behalf of the Scottish Ministers and is available for all Scottish public sector organisations to utilise. The current framework agreement includes three additional services to 1st class mail via Royal Mail and 2nd class mail via TNT Post: Hybrid Mail – available under Lot 1 via TNT Post; Next day delivery (central belt only) – available under Lot 1 via TNT Post and; Planned Mail – available under Lot 2 via Royal Mail. Hugh Henry (Renfrewshire South) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) value, (b) duration and (c) end date is of its contract with TNT Post UK. (S4W-05939) Alex Neil: The Postal Services framework agreement was divided into two lots: Lot 1 – Ad-hoc and Hybrid Mail was awarded to TNT Post and Lot 2 – Planned Mail was awarded to Royal Mail. (a) The value of Lot 1 is £9 to £15 million per annum. (b) The duration of the framework agreement is three years, commencing on 1 March 2012, with an option to extend for a further 12 months.