Mark Ruskell

15 Jun 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making in addressing marine pollution issues caused by plastic microfibres.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The marine pollution issues caused by plastic microfibres are not yet clear. It is evident that plastic microfibres can be found throughout the marine ecosystem, however their long-term effects are not yet known. At this time, the Scottish Government's focus …

15 Jun 2018 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether the system used for the selection of members to ask portfolio questions is operating as planned.

Answer · Andy Wightman (on behalf of the SPCB): The randomised draw system that is used to allocate General and Portfolio questions is working as expected and in accordance with the Parliament's requirements.  The Chamber Desk routinely monitors each draw to ensure that there are no discrepancies or unusua…

8 Jun 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government which Scottish National Heritage sites have been delisted as national nature reserves in each of the last 10 years, and for what reason.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: ‘De-listed’ is not a formal event recorded by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH). Instead, the information in the following table is based on the dates of statutory de-declaration when SNH formally withdrew the National Nature Reserve accolade. Year Number of …

8 Jun 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government which national nature reserves that have invasive non-native species that are considered to be a risk to other species and habitats (a) have and (b) do not have a fully-resourced plan in place to eradicate or control these, and what criteria Scottish Natural Heritage uses to determine wh…

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: For each of its National Nature Reserves, Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) has a management plan that describes the site and its interests, the prevailing pressures including any Invasive Non-Native Species (INNS), and outlines SNH’s planned actions for a peri…

8 Jun 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government which national nature reserves are (a) owned and (b) managed by Scottish Natural Heritage, and how much area they cover.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Details of the National Nature Reserves owned by Scottish Natural Heritage and their area, with information on management responsibility and tenure, are provided in the following table.   NNR name     Documented NNR area (ha)     Management   (lead/…

8 Jun 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how Scottish Natural Heritage ensures that sites that have been delisted as national nature reserves, but remain designated as sites of special scientific interest, special protected areas or special areas of conservation, have management measures in place to conserve their qualifying bi…

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Prior to approving the de-declaration of a National Nature Reserve (NNR) following a recommendation by Scotland’s NNR Partnership and the approval of the Board of Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), SNH requires the assurance of the relevant Director (and ultima…

8 Jun 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government (a) how much and (b) what proportion of Scottish Natural Heritage's budget for national nature reserves has been spent on habitat management and species conservation, excluding for access and other infrastructure projects or promotional events, in each of the last five years.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Year Spend on habitat and species (£) Spend on habitats and species as a proportion of NNR spend (%) SNH NR (incl NNR) spend (from published Annual Reports (£M) 2017-18 Figures not available 1.612 2016-17 145,774 10 1.510 2015-16 145,635 9 1.6…

8 Jun 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-16040 by Roseanna Cunningham on 2 May 2018, how the loss of the six staff will impact on Scottish Natural Heritage's capacity to deliver biodiversity conservation on its national nature reserves.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: In its ‘Making Connections-Year 1’ business plan, Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) indicates a planned reduction across the organisation of 1,460 days for its Managing Nature Reserves Activity, which includes the management of its 30 nature reserves with the N…

8 Jun 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many Scottish Natural Heritage-owned national nature reserves have received less than £5,000 for habitat management and species conservation, excluding for access and other infrastructure projects and promotional events, in each of the last five years.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Year Number of SNH-owned NNRs receiving <£5k for habitat and species conservation 2017-18 Figures not available 2016-17 28 2015-16 26 2014-15 28 2013-14 24 Notes: NNR = National Nature Reserve. SNH = Scottish Natural Heritage. The figures exc…

8 Jun 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government (a) how much and (b) what proportion of Scottish Natural Heritage's budget for national nature reserves has come from (i) the Peatland Action Fund and (ii) other similar sources in each of the last five years.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Year SNH NNR budget from PAF (£) Proportion of SNH NNR funding from PAF (%) * SNH NNR budget from other similar sources (£) Proportion of SNH NNR funding from other similar sources (%) 2017-18 12,514 0.8 0 0 2016-17 0 0 0 0 2015-16 16,419 1…

5 Jun 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the obligation for ministers to do so, what its position is on all public authorities in Scotland having to adhere to environmental principles.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: As set out in the UK Withdrawal from the European Union (Legal Continuity) (Scotland) Bill, the Scottish Government will publish a consultation later this year on how regard is to be had to the guiding principles on the environment by Scottish Ministers in: (…

31 May 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will establish an environmental watchdog with legally-binding enforcement powers when the UK leaves the EU, similar to that proposed by the UK Government.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Building on the findings from the recent report by the Roundtable on Environment and Climate Change (published 1 June 2018), and in line with the UK Withdrawal from the European Union (Legal Continuity) (Scotland) Bill, the Scottish Government will consult la…

29 May 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it plans to take in relation to reviewing and renewing PEDL 162 licences that are due to expire on 30 June 2018.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Government welcomes the devolution of the powers to issue and manage onshore oil and gas licences to Scotland in February 2018. The powers transferred to Scotland through sections 47 to 49 of the Scotland Act 2016, and related subordinate legisl…

22 May 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to concerns that the number of open general licences that have been removed by Scottish Natural Heritage over the last four years is low, in light of the number of confirmed cases of raptor persecution across the same period.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government is satisfied that Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) is imposing restrictions on General Licences in accordance with the ‘Framework for Implementing Restrictions’ which was published in 2014. This Framework requires SNH to be satisfied th…

22 May 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many satellite-tagged birds of prey are required to go missing in circumstances described as "suspicious" for Scottish Natural Heritage to consider the removal of the right to use an open general licence.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) relies on evidence of offences in relation to wild birds being provided by Police Scotland. Where there is no evidence of an offence having been committed, the criteria within the existing framework for implementing General Lic…

22 May 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reported concerns that it does not offer a sufficient deterrent to the illegal killing of birds of prey, what its position is on whether the Partnership Against Wildlife Crime Scotland (PAWS) Executive Group should review Scottish Natural Heritage's system for open general l…

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The primary purpose of imposing restrictions on the use of General Licences is to more effectively regulate the activities of land managers where Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) has reason to have lost trust or confidence in the way those activities are carri…

9 May 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken since the publication of its Programme for Government to encourage a reduction in the use of takeaway cups.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: We have a range of activity aimed at reducing our consumption of disposable materials. A priority area for the newly established expert panel will be to consider how best to reduce uptake of single use cups ( https://beta.gov.scot/news/fight-against-throwawa…

9 May 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the advisory group to consider fiscal and other measures to reduce waste and boost the circular economy that was committed to in its Programme for Government will (a) be established and (b) first meet.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The expert panel has now been established, as was announced on 11 May ( https://beta.gov.scot/news/fight-against-throwaway-culture/ ). The panel will have its first meeting next month.

8 May 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much is spent promoting 20mph speed limits in towns and city centres.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Given the varied nature of Scotland's urban road network and the number of factors which need to be considered when setting appropriate speed limits, the Scottish Government believes decisions on 20 mph speed limits on local roads are best taken at Local Auth…

8 May 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many disqualification orders have been issued in Scotland under section 40 of the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 in each of the last five years, and how many of these have been breached.

Answer · Annabelle Ewing: This question relates to operational matters that are the responsibility of the Scottish Court and Tribunals Service (SCTS) corporate body. The question has been passed to the Chief Executive of the SCTS who reply in writing within 20 days.

3 May 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Lord Advocate has considered introducing a "smart" system of recording speeding warnings issued by Police Scotland officers.

Answer · James Wolffe QC: The introduction of any system of recording of speeding warnings issued by Police Scotland officers is a matter for Police Scotland, not for the Lord Advocate. The Lord Advocate has invited Police Scotland to contact Mr Ruskell’s office directly to address th…

1 May 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-13048 by Roseanna Cunningham on 11 December 2017, what its response is to reports that beavers are being killed in large numbers in parts of Tayside and, in light of this, what progress it is making in bringing forward the Scottish Statutory Instrum…

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government has not received any reports in the past year that beavers are being deliberately killed in Tayside. A survey which will report on changes to the distribution and density of the wild beaver population in Scotland between 2012 and 2018 …

1 May 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-13049 by Roseanna Cunningham on 11 December 2017, to avoid killing pregnant females or females with dependent kits, whether the proposed licensing regime for beaver management will prohibit their lethal control between April and September.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Once beavers become a European Protected Species, the controls and conditions set by Scottish Natural Heritage, including those applying to the exercise of any lethal control, will apply throughout the year and on a case-by-case basis.

1 May 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on introducing incentives for low-ground farmers to set land aside for beaver wetlands with the objective of mitigating downstream flooding and purifying any polluted run-off from their farms.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government recognises that beaver dams may mitigate downstream flooding in some circumstances and that these dams can also trap silt and other materials from watercourses. Discussions are currently taking place between farming representatives and…

1 May 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reported concerns about their impact on farms in the area over recent years, what plans it has to relocate beavers in east Tayside to the trial site in Knapdale.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) issued Scottish Beavers (a partnership between the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland and the Scottish Wildlife Trust) with a licence on 18 September 2017 to reinforce the existing population of beavers at Knapdale with up to…

25 Apr 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in its discussions with the UK Government, what issues have been identified for inclusion in any joint statement on environmental ambition when the UK leaves the EU; when any joint statement would be published, and what processes will be put in place to allow stakeholders and the Scotti…

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: I am pleased that, along with the Welsh Cabinet Secretary, I have been able to encourage discussions between the four UK administrations on future environmental ambitions. My own ambition, that Scotland should maintain and where possible enhance our current e…

24 Apr 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress is being made with the establishment of the National Ecological Network.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) continues to develop its thinking on ecological connectivity, including the role of existing networks such as the Natura 2000 network of protected areas. This is a coordinated EU-wide network of sites for vulnerable, rare or th…

23 Apr 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many times in each of the last twelve months ScotRail services from (a) Glasgow and (b) Edinburgh to Dunblane have (i) been delayed, (ii) been cancelled and (iii) terminated at Stirling.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Our franchise agreement does not obligate the franchisee to provide the information in the format requested by the member. ScotRail provides my officials at Transport Scotland with statistical information on the public performance measurement (PPM), which is…

23 Apr 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) peak time and (b) off peak capacity is on ScotRail services from (i) Glasgow and (ii) Edinburgh to Dunblane, and by what date this will increase.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Peak- and off-peak capacity for ScotRail services between Glasgow Queen St and Dunblane, or which call at Dunblane, is as follows: Seats Planned Dunblane- Glasgow Queen St Glasgow Queen St- Dunblane Total Peak   975 [1] 1,463 [2] 2,438   Contr…

23 Apr 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of (a) punctuality, (b) reliability and (c) overcrowding on ScotRail services from (i) Glasgow and (ii) Edinburgh to Dunblane.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: ScotRail provides my officials at Transport Scotland with statistical information on the public performance measurement (PPM), which is used in the railway system in Great Britain to provide a consistent and comparable assessment of performance. The PPM measu…