Parliamentary questions
Claudia Beamish
624 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
21 Dec 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many sites of special scientific interest are in an unfavourable condition due to damage caused by deer.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Natural Heritage Site Condition Monitoring programme is used to assess condition on designated sites, including Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). It records the impact of herbivores, including deer, sheep, cattle, hares and rabbits, b…
13 Dec 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will start reporting on the health of Scotland’s ecosystems using the suite of ecosystem health indicators developed by Scottish Natural Heritage.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: Scottish Natural Heritage already publishes a report on the Scottish Natural Capital Asset index annually. This is a good indicator of change in the quality and value of Scotland's ecosystems at a national level. The Scottish Government’s consultation paper …
13 Dec 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how the forthcoming National Planning Framework 3 and the revised Scottish Planning Policy will ensure that Scotland's ecosystems can continue to provide the services on which the economy depends.
Answer · Derek Mackay: The National Planning Framework (NPF) and Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) play key roles in delivering economic growth in a balanced and sustainable way. We are currently considering responses to the engagement on potential revisions to both documents. The fi…
13 Dec 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that its implementation of the reformed common agricultural policy delivers healthy, resilient agricultural ecosystems in addition to food production.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Government’s Land Use Strategy sets out the importance of applying an ecosystems approach to policy making and we aim to do that as we develop future CAP Pillar 1 and Pillar 2 systems. We support the principle of greening the CAP and we are activ…
13 Dec 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what funding is available to ensure that Scotland’s ecosystems are resilient to the effects of future perturbations, such as climate change.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Government and partners undertake a wide range of actions help to ensure that Scotland's ecosystems are resilient, including reducing other pressures on ecosystems, such as pollution and invasive non-native species; Making space for natural pro…
13 Dec 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what strategies are in place to ensure that Scotland’s ecosystems are resilient to attacks by novel pathogens.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The two principle strategies in place to ensure that Scotland’s ecosystems are resilient to attacks by novel pathogens are:- The Invasive Non-Native Species Framework Strategy for Great Britain, which is carried forward in Scotland by a Scottish Working Grou…
28 Nov 2012 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what support it is giving to the development of employment across all ages in rural areas.
27 Nov 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it factors commercial vehicle emissions into its carbon emissions targets.
Answer · Keith Brown: The Climate Change (Scotland) Act requires the Net Scottish Emissions Account to include emissions and sinks from all existing anthropogenic activity in Scotland, (together with a “Scottish share” of greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping and in…
27 Nov 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it promote alternatives to road transport for commercial goods, to help reduce carbon emissions.
Answer · Keith Brown: The Scottish Government works in partnership with freight stakeholders through the Scottish Freight and Logistics Advisory Group to address a range of issues, including carbon reduction. This includes subgroups considering climate change; and the movement of …
27 Nov 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to reduce carbon emissions caused by commercial vehicles.
Answer · Keith Brown: A wide range of Scottish Government transport policy initiatives are currently underway in line with the objectives set out in the Report on Proposals and Policies. The first report, published in March 2011, sets out the strategic approach to reaching the Sco…
12 Nov 2012 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it will take to improve cycling infrastructure.
15 Oct 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how the National Marine Plan will help deliver the ministerial duty to protect and, where appropriate, enhance the health of the marine area.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: The National Marine Plan will contain marine ecosystem objectives including Good Environmental Status descriptors, and environmental and conservation policies, which will ensure that consideration of the health of the marine area is integrated into marine pla…
15 Oct 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how renewables sectoral plans will incorporate the marine ecosystem objectives that are a requirement of the National Marine Plan.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: The spatial output of marine renewable sectoral plans will be integrated into the National Marine Plan. This will give the outputs of the sectoral plans statutory weight and also ensure that the wider set of marine objectives clearly apply to this and all oth…
15 Oct 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it will sustainably manage the demands of marine activities ahead of publishing the National Marine Plan.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: The publication of the pre-consultation draft national marine plan demonstrates the government’s current approach to managing the demands of marine activities. Until the National Marine Plan is adopted, decisions regarding marine activities and developments w…
15 Oct 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how the National Marine Plan will direct and guide sectoral plans that are published before it.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: The revised timetable for the National Marine Plan will enable the marine renewable sectoral plans and the proposals for marine protected areas to be fully integrated into the National Marine Plan. The revised timetable will also allow the consultation on the…
15 Oct 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of its resources Marine Scotland has allocated to completing the National Marine Plan.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: Expertise used in the development of the National Maine Plan is drawn from a wide range of Government departments including Marine Scotland Science and policy divisions both within Marine Scotland and the wider Government. Marine Scotland therefore has not sp…
15 Oct 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what level of priority it attaches to marine planning.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: Marine planning is an essential component of the sustainable management of Scotland’s seas. The Scottish Government attaches a high level of priority to marine planning.
15 Oct 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that the sustainable development of the marine environment will be a plan-led rather than development-led process under the revised timetable for the National Marine Plan.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: The publication of the pre-consultation draft national marine plan demonstrates the government’s commitment to a plan-led process. In addition, the sectoral planning process already underway for offshore wind, wave and tidal energy developments further repres…
15 Oct 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) procedural or (b) resource reasons are for the changes to the timetable for the National Marine Plan.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: The revised timetable for the National Marine Plan will enable the marine renewable sectoral plans and the proposals for marine protected areas to be fully integrated into the National Marine Plan. The revised timetable will allow the consultation on the Draf…
15 Oct 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how the National Marine Plan will manage the use of marine resources and the potential impacts on the health of the marine environment.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: The National Marine Plan will adopt objectives and policies which respond to the economic assessment and summary of pressures and human impacts identified in Scotland’s Marine Atlas: Information for the National Marine Plan. The National Marine Plan will set …
15 Oct 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-07280 by Richard Lochhead on 31 May 2012, whether the cabinet secretary will make a statement on the publication of the National Marine Plan.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: As set out in the revised Statement of Public Participation, it’s expected that the National Marine Plan will be adopted towards the end of 2014. We will formally consult on a draft Plan next Summer - this timing allows for an integrated consultation with mar…
7 Sep 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much marine ecotourism has contributed to the economy in each year since 2006.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: The term ecotourism can cover a very wide spectrum of tourism activities related to the appreciation of Scotland’s environment. At one end of that spectrum are carefully planned visits to view our superb flora and fauna. Many more visitors come to enjoy our b…
7 Sep 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it promotes marine ecotourism (a) to other parts of the United Kingdom and (b) abroad.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: Scotland’s marine and inland waters (and the activities they support such as sailing, fishing and water sports) together with the associated biodiversity are valuable niche markets within the tourism industry in Scotland. The industry-led tourism strategy “To…
7 Sep 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has noted the effects of marine protected areas (MPA) on ecotourism in countries where an MPA network exists.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: Tourism operators recently wrote to me to highlight the potential benefits of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to marine tourism and my officials are aware of estimates of the benefits of MPAs to tourism in other countries. The focus of the current work to iden…
7 Sep 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the effects of marine protected areas on ecotourism.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: In 2010, a Scottish Government study, The Economic Impact of Wildlife Tourism in Scotland Research Findings No. 1/2010 (http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2010/05/12150843/3) estimated coastal and marine wildlife tourism have a respective net economic im…
16 Aug 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has put in place an early warning system regarding the Schmallenberg virus.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: Infection by the Schmallenberg virus is not a notifiable animal disease. However, given that the Schmallenberg virus has been recently discovered and knowledge about its characteristics and impact is still developing, the Scottish Government has put in place …
16 Aug 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the strategic management board to oversee veterinary surveillance has discussed the Schmallenberg virus and, if so, what recommendations the board has made.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Strategic Management Board for veterinary surveillance has met three times, and has mostly been engaged in structural and strategic discussions, especially on the recommendations from the Review of Veterinary Surveillance published last year. The board d…
16 Aug 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4F-00492 by Alex Salmond on 1 March 2012 (Official Report, c. 6832), what meetings have been held since the conference of 20 January 2012 and the follow-up meeting of 27 January 2012.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: Updates on the impact of the Schmallenberg virus were given at the quarterly meetings of the Animal Health and Welfare Stakeholder Group on 30 April 2012 and 21 August 2012. A meeting to specifically discuss the Schmallenberg virus was held with the National …
16 Aug 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what conditions are attached to license consents given by Marine Scotland, in order to ensure the conditions of the habitats directive are met in relation to cetaceans.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: All cetaceans are listed as European Protected Species (EPS) and are protected under the Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994 (as amended), which prohibits the deliberate and reckless capture, injury, killing and disturbance of cetaceans. Wh…
16 Aug 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it takes account of the habitats directive in its licensing decisions.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: All licensing decisions undertaken by the Scottish Government are considered in accordance with the Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994 (as amended) which transpose the requirements of Council Directive 92/43/EEC (the Habitats Directive).