Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the scientific evidence on rewetting peatland and other habitats and resilience to wildfire; and what her Department's strategy is for reducing wildfire risk in areas where rewetting is not a viable option.
Answered by Mary Creagh
As part of its delivery of the Third National Adaptation Programme, Defra has commissioned a wildfire and peatland study, which includes looking at the impact of peat restoration on building wildfire resilience into the landscape.
The Government recognises that nature-based solutions should be implemented alongside fuel and habitat management, particularly in the short and medium term. Defra is working with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, the lead department on wildfire, to improve cross-Government coordination across the full wildfire cycle, from risk assessment and prevention through to response and recovery.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to Great British Energy – Nuclear's Technical Advice on Potential Future Nuclear Power Plant Siting in Scotland report, what discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on supporting the potential development of new nuclear at Dounreay.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Ministers commissioned GBE N's study of Scotland's potential for new nuclear last autumn.
The study indicates that Scotland has land areas with high potential for future development. We remain open to discussions with the Scottish Government regarding opportunities for new nuclear in Scotland.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department plans to support further assessment of Dounreay as a site for future nuclear deployment following the publication of Great British Energy – Nuclear's Technical Advice on Potential Future Nuclear Power Plant Siting in Scotland report.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Great British Energy – Nuclear's assessment concluded that parts of Scotland, including areas around Dounreay, have technical potential for future new nuclear development. However, planning policy is devolved to the Scottish Government. Their current policy does not enable the building of new nuclear power stations in Scotland.
New nuclear projects can deliver billions of pounds of investment and thousands of high-quality jobs, and UK Ministers remain open to discussions with the Scottish Government regarding opportunities to deploy new nuclear technologies in Scotland.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to Great British Energy – Nuclear's Technical Advice on Potential Future Nuclear Power Plant Siting in Scotland report, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of new nuclear development at Dounreay on the economy of Caithness and the North Highlands.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
GBE N's study of Scotland's potential for new nuclear indicates that it has land areas with high potential for future development.
New nuclear projects can deliver billions of pounds of investment and thousands of high-quality jobs to a region.
While Scottish Government policy currently does not enable new nuclear power stations in Scotland, UK Ministers remain open to discussions regarding opportunities for new nuclear in Scotland.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact on local democratic engagement and accountability of reductions in dedicated regional news services in the north of Scotland.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
While the Government recognises STV’s operational independence, it is important that they continue to provide for all audiences in Northern and Central Scotland.
I have recently engaged with STV senior leadership to communicate my disappointment with this outcome and to emphasise the importance of audiences across STV’s licenced areas being able to see the new stories that matter to their local community reflected on screen.
Any changes to STV’s Channel 3 licences are a matter for Ofcom who determine and enforce these licences. As part of their statutory monitoring role, Ofcom has confirmed it plans to monitor the impact of their changes through STV’s annual Statement of Programme Policy and their overall assessment of the public service broadcasters’ delivery of their remit.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with Ofcom on ensuring that changes to regional broadcasting licences do not lead to a disproportionate concentration of news production in central urban areas.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
While the Government recognises STV’s operational independence, it is important that they continue to provide for all audiences in Northern and Central Scotland.
I have recently engaged with STV senior leadership to communicate my disappointment with this outcome and to emphasise the importance of audiences across STV’s licenced areas being able to see the new stories that matter to their local community reflected on screen.
Any changes to STV’s Channel 3 licences are a matter for Ofcom who determine and enforce these licences. As part of their statutory monitoring role, Ofcom has confirmed it plans to monitor the impact of their changes through STV’s annual Statement of Programme Policy and their overall assessment of the public service broadcasters’ delivery of their remit.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will review the public service broadcasting framework to increase protections for local and regional news provision.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
While the Government recognises STV’s operational independence, it is important that they continue to provide for all audiences in Northern and Central Scotland.
I have recently engaged with STV senior leadership to communicate my disappointment with this outcome and to emphasise the importance of audiences across STV’s licenced areas being able to see the new stories that matter to their local community reflected on screen.
Any changes to STV’s Channel 3 licences are a matter for Ofcom who determine and enforce these licences. As part of their statutory monitoring role, Ofcom has confirmed it plans to monitor the impact of their changes through STV’s annual Statement of Programme Policy and their overall assessment of the public service broadcasters’ delivery of their remit.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans her Department has to ensure that distinct local voices continue to be represented in public service broadcasting.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
While the Government recognises STV’s operational independence, it is important that they continue to provide for all audiences in Northern and Central Scotland.
I have recently engaged with STV senior leadership to communicate my disappointment with this outcome and to emphasise the importance of audiences across STV’s licenced areas being able to see the new stories that matter to their local community reflected on screen.
Any changes to STV’s Channel 3 licences are a matter for Ofcom who determine and enforce these licences. As part of their statutory monitoring role, Ofcom has confirmed it plans to monitor the impact of their changes through STV’s annual Statement of Programme Policy and their overall assessment of the public service broadcasters’ delivery of their remit.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of Ofcom's approval of changes to STV's regional news programming on access to locally relevant news for rural and remote communities.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
While the Government recognises STV’s operational independence, it is important that they continue to provide for all audiences in Northern and Central Scotland.
I have recently engaged with STV senior leadership to communicate my disappointment with this outcome and to emphasise the importance of audiences across STV’s licenced areas being able to see the new stories that matter to their local community reflected on screen.
Any changes to STV’s Channel 3 licences are a matter for Ofcom who determine and enforce these licences. As part of their statutory monitoring role, Ofcom has confirmed it plans to monitor the impact of their changes through STV’s annual Statement of Programme Policy and their overall assessment of the public service broadcasters’ delivery of their remit.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to ensure that viewers in areas such as the Highlands and Islands are not impacted by the centralisation of broadcast news production.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
While the Government recognises STV’s operational independence, it is important that they continue to provide for all audiences in Northern and Central Scotland.
I have recently engaged with STV senior leadership to communicate my disappointment with this outcome and to emphasise the importance of audiences across STV’s licenced areas being able to see the new stories that matter to their local community reflected on screen.
Any changes to STV’s Channel 3 licences are a matter for Ofcom who determine and enforce these licences. As part of their statutory monitoring role, Ofcom has confirmed it plans to monitor the impact of their changes through STV’s annual Statement of Programme Policy and their overall assessment of the public service broadcasters’ delivery of their remit.