Parliamentary questions
Mark Ruskell
1,773 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
11 Mar 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, with reference to the 2020 Marine Scotland-funded study, at what sound pressure level in decibels did bottlenose dolphins show startle responses to a low frequency simulated acoustic startle device signal; whether the magnitude of startle response increases exponentially with increasing…
Answer · Ben Macpherson: The Götz et al. (2020) study is available in the public domain, titled “The startle reflex in echolocating odontocetes: basic physiology and practical implications”, and the details requested can be found there. I refer to the response to S5W-36099 on 23 M…
11 Mar 2021 · Written Question
To ask Scottish Government what sound pressure level in decibels Marine Scotland has determined as the threshold for disturbance for small cetaceans and what the sound pressure level output is of each model of (a) acoustic deterrent device and (b) acoustic startle device manufactured by (i) Terecos, (ii) Genuswave, (i…
Answer · Ben Macpherson: The Government applies the threshold of 120 dB re 1 µPa (rms) for the onset of potential disturbance for non-impulsive sounds. The sound pressure levels of the different Acoustic Deterrent Devices and Acoustic Startle Devices are available from the device ma…
11 Mar 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the sound pressure level in decibels was at which Kok et al (2017) recorded avoidance by harbour porpoises; what the sound pressure level was at which Brandt et al (2012) recorded a 96% reduction in porpoise clicks at a station 7kms away from a single Lofitec acoustic deterrent devi…
Answer · Ben Macpherson: The papers cited in this question are both available in the public domain. The type of Acoustic Deterrent Device used in the Brandt et al. (2012) study (Lofitech) is only used in Scottish waters as a mitigation to move marine mammals out of areas where they m…
11 Mar 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will extend the Food for Life programme to support the delivery of free school meals.
Answer · John Swinney: We will be working with our local authority partners to expand provision of universal free school meals to all primary children. The amended Regulations governing the nutritional requirements for food and drink served in schools will come into force on 8 Apri…
9 Mar 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the data that was required to be submitted to NatureScot by 31 December 2020 regarding the annual returns for licences that were granted in 2019 and 2020 to land owners and other stakeholders for beaver mitigation measures.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: NatureScot published a summary of beaver management licences issued in 2019 in May 2020: https://www.nature.scot/naturescot-beaver-licensing-summary-1st-may-31st-december-2019 NatureScot will publish a further report covering the period 1 January to 31 Dec…
9 Mar 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many expressions of interest or requests have been received by (a) it and (b) NatureScot since 1 May 2020 from parties in England and Wales interested in acquiring beavers for translocation to assist with flood resilience and biodiversity enhancement projects, broken down by the date…
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government has not received any requests or expressions of interest from parties in England and Wales looking to acquire beavers. Requests for the supply of beavers to populate projects in England and Wales do not routinely come directly to Natu…
9 Mar 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many licences were issued by NatureScot in the calendar year 2020 for (a) beaver dam removal and (b) the (i) lethal and (ii) non-lethal control of beavers, also broken down by how many were subject to prior site inspection by the agency or contractors.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: A total of 24 licences were issued in 2020. Accounting for amendments, this equates to 21 separate licences broken down as follows:2 were for photography (site visit not applicable)1 was for mitigation and trapping for translocation (site visit not applicable…
9 Mar 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the 2021 NatureScot budget is for the (a) administration, (b) delivery and (c) monitoring of the Beaver Management Framework, and how much has been set aside for the (i) development and (ii) installation of non-lethal mitigation measures.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The 2021-22 total operating budget allocation for beaver advice and mitigation is £91,000. This excludes staff costs (currently one full-time member of staff at £35,000 but due to increase to two full-time staff members).
9 Mar 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many beaver lethal control licences were issued in the calendar year 2020 by NatureScot without a site visit being carried out by the agency or its agents in the six months prior to the issue to verify that each licence was required as a last resort.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: COVID restrictions have limited NatureScot’s ability to carry out site-based activities in 2020. NatureScot issued four licences that permitted the use of lethal control in 2020 without a site visit being undertaken. Of these one was subsequently revoked pen…
9 Mar 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much (a) it and (b) NatureScot has spent on legal costs since 2016 to defend the right to kill beavers.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government and NatureScot have not incurred any legal costs since 2016 defending ‘the right to kill beavers’. Since 1 May 2019, beavers have had European Protected Species status and, as such, there is no right to kill beavers in Scotland. The C…
9 Mar 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many beavers were killed under licenced lethal control measures in the calendar year 2020, also broken down by the (a) date of each incident, (b) number of family groups of beavers that were killed, including how many were in each group and (c) sex and age of the beavers, and how man…
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-35895 on 19 March 2021. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/2…
9 Mar 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many beavers were translocated from Tayside in the calendar year 2020.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W–35895 on 19 March 2021. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/…
9 Mar 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many beavers were translocated to (a) suitable habitats in existing beaver ranges in Scotland and (b) contained trial sites in England in the calendar year 2020.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-35895 on 19 March 2021. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/…
9 Mar 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many spot-checks of licensees for the lethal control of beavers were carried out in the calendar year, 2020, also broken down by how many (a) discrepancies were identified and (b) licences were revoked.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: COVID restrictions have limited some of NatureScot’s operational activities, including the ability to undertake site visits throughout 2020. NatureScot has not carried out spot-checks on beaver licence compliance in 2020, but maintains contact with those in …
9 Mar 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much NatureScot spent in the calendar year 2020 on the (a) development and (b) installation of non-lethal beaver mitigation measures.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: NatureScot operates a beaver advice and mitigation scheme for land managers experiencing significant detrimental impacts from beavers. The operating budget for this in the financial year 2020-21 was £91,000. However, due to the impact of the Covid pandemic t…
9 Mar 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many licences authorising the removal of beaver dams in response to concerns regarding activities that were restricting the passage of fish were issued by NatureScot to (a) riparian and (b) land managers in the calendar year 2020, and how many licences were refused.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: NatureScot did not issue or refuse any applications relating to the removal of beaver dams to prevent restriction of fish passage in 2020.
9 Mar 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what monitoring of beaver control is in place, and how many beavers are known to have been killed in the calendar year 2020.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: refer the member to the answer to question S5W-35895 on 19 March 2021 All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28…
9 Mar 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many flood mitigation trials deploying translocated beavers were established in the calendar year 2020.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: No flood mitigation trials have deployed beavers translocated under licence from NatureScot in Scotland in 2020.
9 Mar 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of experience gained from the second year of the management of beavers as a protected species, what plans NatureScot has to review the Beaver Management Framework to (a) reduce the requirement for the need for lethal control concerns and (b) facilitate an expansion of the popul…
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: NatureScot supports an adaptive management approach to wildlife management and, in consultation with stakeholders through the Scottish Beaver Forum, keeps the Beaver Management Framework under constant review through application of their processes and guidanc…
9 Mar 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that pheasants and other gamebirds due to be released in autumn 2021 are registered with the Animal and Plant Health Agency Poultry Register, and to improve avian influenza health checks of gamebirds in place prior to their release.
Answer · Ben Macpherson: There is no evidence that released gamebirds have been linked to onwards transmission of Avian Influenza. There is a legal requirement for all bird keepers with 50 or more birds to register their premises on the Great Britain Poultry Register. The voluntary…
9 Mar 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what research has been carried out into the role of released non-native gamebirds in the spread of Avian Influenza.
Answer · Ben Macpherson: The Scottish Government has not commissioned any research on the role of released gamebirds in the spread of Avian Influenza because there is no scientific evidence to suggest that any links exist. In addition to the active surveillance through the national …
9 Mar 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what measures are in place to ensure that the large numbers of non-native gamebirds released into the countryside do not act as vectors of Avian Influenza.
Answer · Ben Macpherson: There is no evidence that released gamebirds have been linked to onwards transmission of Avian Influenza. Gamebirds are considered captive birds until they are released and are subject to the restrictions set out in the Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ).…
3 Mar 2021 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it is protecting cetaceans from disturbance and injury caused by acoustic deterrent devices.
25 Feb 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether retail sellers of prams and other essential baby equipment are included in the list of essential retailers under its COVID-19 regulations, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Only essential retail is able to remain open in an area which is categorised as Level 4. Non-essential retail is open in Level 3 areas and below. An updated list of Essential retailers came into force on the 26 December in regulations that responded to the em…
24 Feb 2021 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the impact has been of widening the eligibility criteria for the Self-Isolation Support Grant.
19 Feb 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will revise its model for determining whether cetaceans can be restored to, or maintained at, Favourable Conservation Status, in light of any evidence that measurements from field studies found a much greater area of disturbance than the model predicts.
Answer · Ben Macpherson: Under Article 17 of the European Union (EU) Habitats Directive, the UK was required to assess and report on the conservation status of species listed in Annexes I, II, IV and V. The most recent report was submitted in 2019 and the UK assessments can be found …
19 Feb 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether double skinned anti-predator nets, as called for by the Scottish Parliament's Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform and Rural Economy and Connectivity committees, and/or single nets of stronger, more rigid materials than traditional single nets repre…
Answer · Ben Macpherson: A licence can only be granted provided that it meets three tests, including that there must be no satisfactory alternative. We will give due consideration to any European Protected Species licence applications that are submitted on the merits of each individu…
19 Feb 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in recognition of public concerns including the 30,000 signature petition against the use of acoustic deterrent devices, the lack of opportunity for public scrutiny of European Protected Species (EPS) licence applications and Marine Scotland’s scientific methodology, whether it belie…
Answer · Ben Macpherson: We will give due consideration to any European Protected Species licence applications that are submitted on the merits of each individual case and taking account of all relevant factors. It would be inappropriate to pre-determine any part of this process. Th…
19 Feb 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-30448 by Mairi Gougeon on 15 July 2020, whether Cooke Aquaculture Scotland salmon farms use stronger, more rigid nets to enclose its stock than the Scottish Salmon Company farms and, if such nets are in use, what its position is on whether there are…
Answer · Ben Macpherson: Aquaculture companies use a range of non-lethal management measures to protect their stock including robust netting material and anti-predator nets. Information detailing the relative use of anti-predator or Seal-Pro nets by Cooke Aquaculture Scotland and the…
19 Feb 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether increased cost or inconvenience could be considered a valid reason to claim that an alternative to the use of acoustic deterrent devises is not a "satisfactory alternative"; whether the separation distance between the nets on a double skinned anti-predator…
Answer · Ben Macpherson: Marine Scotland has published an information note and FAQs for operators of fish farms on the use of acoustic deterrent devices and the requirement for an EPS licence. This makes clear that reasons such as an increase in cost or inconvenience are not satisfac…