Elaine Murray

24 Jun 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many licensing applications it anticipates will require processing annually for the killing of seals under the provisions of the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The new seal licence system to be introduced under the provisions of the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 is based on applications received from fisheries or fish farms. Such applications may be submitted either by individual fisheries or fish farms or by a group. …

24 Jun 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many prosecutions for poaching have (a) been brought and (b) resulted in a conviction in each of the last five years for which information is available.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The available information is given in the following table.</p> <p >Persons Prosecuted in Scottish Courts for Poaching¹ by Result, 2004-05 to 2008-09</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width=625 > <thead> <tr > <td width=215 n…

24 Jun 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what legislation would require to be amended to provide wild hares with full conservation status.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government presently does not consider that there is a conservation case for full protection of brown hares. However, the option remains available in the future, to add the brown hare to the species protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Ac…

24 Jun 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what legislation would require to be amended to enable people suspected of illegally poisoning birds of prey to be prosecuted on the evidence of a single witness.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The requirement for corroboration is a basic principle of Scots law. An amendment setting aside the requirement for corroboration in relation to an offence or offences would normally be made to the legislation containing the relevant offence(s). Offences rela…

14 Jun 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-33328 by Richard Lochhead on 5 May 2010, which stages of the production process for Scottish farmed salmon must take place in (a) Scotland and (b) the protected geographical indication-designated area in order for the product to be classified as Scot…

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government acknowledges that there are discrepancies between the single document and the specification, but European law makes clear that it is the specification that defines the terms of the PGI. It was always the intention of the applicant grou…

14 Jun 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-33328 by Richard Lochhead on 5 May 2010, whether the unamended Scottish farmed salmon protected geographical indication describing stages of the production process that must take place within the designated area is no longer valid or whether the Scot…

Answer · Richard Lochhead: I refer the member to answer to question S3W-34477 on 24 June 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Busin…

14 Jun 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-33328 by Richard Lochhead on 5 May 2010, whether it considers that the 2008 amendment to the Scottish farmed salmon protected geographical indication describing the stages of the production process required to take place within the designated area is…

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The amended PGI, as approved by Commission Regulation (EC) No 1195/2008, is valid and applies to both organic and non-organic salmon.</p>

14 Jun 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish its guidance to local authorities on the implementation of the Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act 2010.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: We plan to engage with all key stakeholders later this year ahead of publishing guidance to assist with implementation of the act ahead of the enactment of the Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act 2010, which comes into force on 26 February 2011.</p>

14 Jun 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act 2010 will be fully enacted.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Section 18(2) of the Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act 2010 specifies that the provisions of the Act will come into force at the end of the period of 9 months beginning with the date of Royal Assent. With Royal Assent having been received on 26 May 2010, this me…

14 Jun 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-33993 by Roseanna Cunningham on 9 June 2010, how each of the organisations listed was consulted and how often discussions were held with each.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Meetings with representatives of the stakeholders listed in S3W-33993 were held on 26 October 2009 and 29 April 2010. Additionally, drafts of the guidance document <i >Licensing The Control Of Predatory Birds To Protect Livestock (Game Birds) “ Guidance for A…

14 Jun 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-33993 by Roseanna Cunningham on 9 June 2010, how the responses to its consultation on the contents of guidance on applications for licences to control birds of prey were taken into account and how many of each organisation’s suggested amendments to t…

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The content of the guidance has been discussed in meetings and through written correspondence over a period of more than eight months. The drafting of the guidance seeks to combine and integrate comments from different stakeholders.</p>

10 Jun 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to promote the Code of Practice for the Welfare of Dogs, the Code of Practice for the Welfare of Cats and the Code of Practice for the Welfare of Equidae to the public and relevant stakeholders.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Executive has no plans to produce publicity material to promote the production of the <i >Codes of Practice for the Welfare of Dogs, Cats and Equidae</i>; however, copies of the Codes were sent to relevant animal welfare organisations, including …

10 Jun 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many copies of the Code of Practice for the Welfare of Equidae were produced and at what cost.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government has to date produced 15,000 copies of the <i >Code of Practice for the Welfare of Equidae</i> at an approximate cost of £14,500.</p>

10 Jun 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many copies of the Code of Practice for the Welfare of Cats were produced and at what cost.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government has to date produced 10,000 copies of the <i >Code of Practice for the Welfare of Cats</i> at an approximate cost of £7,500.</p>

10 Jun 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many copies of the Code of Practice for the Welfare of Dogs were produced and at what cost.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government has to date produced 10,000 copies of the <i >Code of Practice for the Welfare of Dogs</i> at an approximate cost of £7,500.</p>

1 Jun 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what organisations it is consulting regarding the contents of its guidance on application for licences to control birds of prey.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government has discussed the operation of a licensing regime, and the accompanying guidance, with the following organisations:</p> <p >British Association for Shooting and Conservation, Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, RSPB Scotland, Scott…

1 Jun 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what organisations have been consulted regarding the issuing of licences to cull birds of prey.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-33993 on 9 June 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Bu…

1 Jun 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what evidence is required to be presented before a licence to cull birds of prey on shooting estates can be issued.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The licences are permitted under Section 16(1)(k) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. The act requires that licences are to prevent serious damage to livestock, and that there should be no other satisfactory solution. The Scottish Government would also …

1 Jun 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive under what conditions a licence would be granted to kill a common buzzard.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-33991 on 10 June 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/B…

1 Jun 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has issued licences under the provisions of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to cull birds of prey, as reported in the article “Licences granted to cull birds of prey” in The Sunday Times on 23 May 2010.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The article refers to licences which can be issued to allow the control of predatory birds to prevent serious damage to livestock, under Section 16(1)(k) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, the livestock in this case being game birds.</p> <p >The Scott…

27 May 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many of the breaches of the diffuse pollution regulations recorded by Scotland’s Environment and Rural Services (SEARS) 2009 have been remediated and what action is being taken for those that have not been.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: All 80 breaches in 2008-09, and all 56 breaches in 2009-10 were remediated or are in the process of being remediated.</p>

27 May 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many breaches of the diffuse pollution regulations were recorded by Scotland’s Environment and Rural Services (SEARS) in 2009 and which general binding rules those breaches related to.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: As part of the SEARS Programme, staff of the Scottish Government Rural Payments and Inspection Directorate (SGRPID) and Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) combine diffuse pollution compliance assessments, on behalf of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, …

20 May 2010 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what powers the Scottish Funding Council has to intervene when further education courses are withdrawn after they have commenced.

Answer · Keith Brown: The Scottish Funding Council expects colleges to offer courses which are viable in terms of student numbers; offer a high standard of teaching, and are relevant in terms of the future employability of the student and the needs of the local economy. Within tho…

13 May 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many acute occupied bed days in NHS Dumfries and Galloway were directly connected to a diagnosis of assault by sharp object in each of the last five years for which information is available.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The number of occupied bed days in NHS Dumfries and Galloway where a diagnosis of assault by sharp object is recorded is presented in the following table.</p> <p >Number of acute occupied bed days^1,2 in NHS Dumfries and Galloway connected with an …

10 May 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of any financial support available for students over the age of 25 who are resident in Scotland but studying in England.

Answer · Michael Russell: The types of financial support available to Scottish students studying in England can be found on the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) website: <a href="http://www.saas.gov.uk/">www.saas.gov.uk</a>.</p>

29 Apr 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many deer died as a result of the 2009-10 winter and how this compares with other European countries with red deer.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: It is not possible to say how many deer died as a result of the winter weather, although the Deer Commission for Scotland continues to monitor the situation and have requested further information from occupiers on winter mortality with this year''s cull retur…

29 Apr 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many deer management groups have delivered designated features in their areas into favourable condition, without the need for statutory intervention under section 7 of the Deer (Scotland) Act 1996.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: 90% of features which could be affected by deer are in favourable condition, or are recovering, with the necessary management measures in place, so that the land will, given time, reach favourable condition. For the remainder, relevant agencies, such as Deer …

29 Apr 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects that all deer management groups will have deer management plans in place.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Deer Commission for Scotland encourages all Deer Management Groups to develop a Deer Management Plan. However, participation in Deer Management Groups is voluntary and it is a matter for the members of the group to determine how to conduct their activitie…

29 Apr 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of deer management groups are considered by the Deer Commission for Scotland to be carrying out effective implementation of their deer management plans, including meeting agreed cull targets.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: I refer the member to the answer to question to S3W-33450 on 11 May 2010. The Deer Commission for Scotland review of collaborative deer management in 2005 found that just over 10% of deer management groups had a formalised process for setting and monitoring c…

29 Apr 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of deer management groups have produced a deer management plan up to 2010.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: There is no formal obligation for Deer Management Groups to report on their activities. However, in 2005 DCS reviewed the extent of collaborative deer management in all Deer Management Groups. This showed that just over half of Deer Management Groups either h…