Elaine Murray

15 Sep 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are in place to prevent land managers from destroying species-rich grassland.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: Land managers who are in receipt of subsidy must adhere to Cross Compliance rules. Under these rules, Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC) measures 12, 13 and 14 are in place to protect ‘pasture of high environmental value’ and ‘semi natural a…

15 Sep 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what incentives are available under the Scotland Rural Development Programme for land managers to enhance areas of species-rich grassland.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: There are two options within the rural priorities element of the Scotland Rural Development Programme which provide support for the creation and/or management of species-rich grassland. Uptake figures for these options are provided below. Option Application…

15 Sep 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much species-rich grassland was lost between 1983 and 2005 and has been lost since.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: We do not hold this information.

12 Sep 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many prosecutions there have been under the Children (Performances) Regulations 1968 in each of the last five years.

Answer · Angela Constance: The information requested is not held centrally.

12 Sep 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many licences have been issued under the Children (Performances) Regulations 1968 in each of the last five years.

Answer · Angela Constance: The information requested is not held centrally.

12 Sep 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to review the criteria for charities’ exemption from water rates.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-02647 on 21 September 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/parliamentar…

12 Sep 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason charities created after 1999 cannot receive a water rates exemption.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The Water Services Charges Exemption Scheme was set up as a temporary measure in 2002 to help small organisations that had received relief from water charges on 31 March 1999 make the transition to paying for them. The scheme was subsequently extended and is …

8 Sep 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it monitors compliance with The Environmental Protection (Restriction on Use of Lead Shot) (Scotland) (No. 2) Regulations 2004.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Enforcement of the restrictions on the use of lead shot in Scotland is a matter for the police.

8 Sep 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what guidelines there are to assist police forces in enforcing The Environmental Protection (Restriction on Use of Lead Shot) (Scotland) (No. 2) Regulations 2004.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Guidelines on these controls are set out in Protecting Waterfowl from Lead in Wetlands – A Practical Guide to the Lead Shot Regulations in Scotland published jointly by the then Scottish Executive, Scottish Natural Heritage and the British Association of Shoo…

8 Sep 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the Food and Environment Research Agency’s recent report, Review of evidence concerning the contamination of wildlife and the environment arising from the use of lead ammunition, suggesting that there is a threat to terrestrial wildlife from the use of lead ammunit…

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The Food and Environment Research Agency’s recent report, Review of evidence concerning the contamination of wildlife and the environment arising from the use of lead ammunition, looks at the position in England where the ban on the use of lead shot in wildfo…

8 Sep 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to review the effectiveness of legislation intended to ensure that Scotland complies with its international obligations under the Afro-Eurasian Waterfowl Agreement.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: There are no current plans to review the effectiveness of legislation in relation to the Afro-Eurasian Waterfowl Agreement.

8 Sep 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many convictions there have been under regulation 5 of The Environmental Protection (Restriction on Use of Lead Shot) (Scotland) (No. 2) Regulations 2004.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: There have been no convictions under regulation 5 of The Environmental Protection (Restriction on Use of Lead Shot) (Scotland) (No. 2) Regulations 2004.

7 Sep 2011 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will review the eligibility criteria for exemptions from the payment of water rates.

1 Sep 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether local authorities can access the Cycling, Walking and Safer Streets fund in order to fund 20 mph speed limits around schools.

Answer · Keith Brown: The Cycling, Walking and Safer Streets fund is allocated to local authorities for projects that promote active, sustainable and safe travel, which would include the implementation of 20 mph speed limits around schools.

31 Aug 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-02057 by Angela Constance on 30 August 2011, what the timescale is for engaging with local authorities and other relevant organisations to explore what action might be necessary to refine the suite of safeguards currently in place for children partic…

Answer · Angela Constance: Officials are scheduled to meet with colleagues in the UK Government’s Department for Education to discuss the issue of child performance in October of this year. It is the intention that this discussion will be followed by engagement with local authorities a…

18 Aug 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to introduce legislation to increase protection for owners of park homes.

Answer · Keith Brown: In order to improve the rights and security of park home residents in Scotland the Scottish Government is currently working towards the introduction of secondary legislation to update the terms in written agreements between the owners of park homes and the si…

2 Aug 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding its recent guidance to local authorities and amateur groups regarding the use of Body of Persons Approvals under the Children and Young Persons Act 1963 and the Children (Performances) Regulations 1968.

Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government is in regular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of issues, including the UK Government’s recent guidance on the use of “body of persons” approvals.

2 Aug 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to issue new guidance to local authorities and amateur groups regarding the use of Body of Persons Approvals under the Children and Young Persons Act 1963 and the Children (Performances) Regulations 1968.

Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government intends to engage with local authorities and other relevant organisations in order to explore what action might be necessary to refine the suite of safeguards currently in place for children participating in performances. Recent develo…

2 Aug 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance does it issue to local authorities and amateur groups regarding the conditions whereby, under section 37(3) of the Children and Young Persons Act 1963, a licence is not required for a child to take part in a performance and when this was last updated.

Answer · Angela Constance: No such guidance has been issued to local authorities or amateur groups.

2 Aug 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether section 37(3) of the Children and Young Persons Act 1963 applies in Scotland.

Answer · Angela Constance: Section 37(3) of the Children and Young Persons Act 1963 extends to Scotland.

1 Aug 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which local authorities provide financial support to kinship carers of children who are not looked after but have needs comparable to those of children who are.

Answer · Angela Constance: This information is not collected centrally.

1 Aug 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the recommendation in the report, Relative Value: The experiences of kinship carers using the Scottish CAB service, that “local authorities and the Scottish Government need to recognise that the needs, including the need for financial support, of kinship carers of …

Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government recognises that many kinship carers care for children who are not looked after but who also need additional financial and non-financial help. That is why we believe kinship carers should be supported financially by the tax and benefit …

1 Aug 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to regulate the provision of (a) foster and (b) kinship care allowances.

Answer · Angela Constance: No. Local authorities are best placed to make decisions about the level of allowances – what is needed to support a particular child with a particular carer taking account of the carers’ overall financial circumstances.

1 Aug 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason guaranteed pension credit is not included in the qualifying criteria for free school meals.

Answer · Angela Constance: Guaranteed pension credit is not included as a qualifying criteria for free school meals. In Scotland, our approach is to use other qualifying criteria, such as maximum child tax credit and maximum working tax credit. Over the past two years, as a result of t…

1 Aug 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how the allocation of funding to local authorities for the provision of kinship care allowances is determined.

Answer · Angela Constance: The block grant which the Scottish Government provides to Scotland’s local authorities includes funding for kinship care. The block grant is allocated to individual local authorities using a formula based on the relative need of each local authority. This for…

1 Aug 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is considering making changes to the process for allocating funding to local authorities for the provision of kinship care allowances.

Answer · Angela Constance: No. The Scottish Government is stepping back from ring fencing, giving councils more freedom and flexibility in allocating their resources as they best see fit.

1 Aug 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what funding allocation for the provision of kinship care allowances it made to each local authority in 2010-11.

Answer · Angela Constance: The vast majority of the funding provided to local government by the Scottish Government, including the funding for kinship care allowances, is provided by means of a block grant. It is the responsibility of each local authority to allocate the total financia…

1 Aug 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the effect of the payment of kinship care allowances on the benefits that kinship carers are eligible to receive.

Answer · Angela Constance: Scottish Government officials have met and discussed the issue of benefit eligibility and the impact of kinship care allowances on this on a number of occasions since the policy was introduced. Further discussions will be undertaken as part of the wider welfa…

1 Aug 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it will provide to Citizens Advice Scotland after September 2011 for the provision of support and advice to kinship carers.

Answer · Angela Constance: Financial and non-financial support to kinship carers is provided by a number of organisations already. The need for further specific support is being reviewed and a decision on this will be made in due course.

1 Aug 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to make changes to the qualifying criteria for free school meals.

Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government has no plans to change the qualifying criteria for free school meals at this time. However, the Scottish Government will consider making changes to the qualifying criteria for free school meals in light of the commencement of the UK We…