Mark Ruskell

1 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what representations it has made to the Secretary of State for Transport regarding licence applications and the impact on wildlife sites of ship-to-ship transfers of (a) oil and (b) other chemicals in (i) harbour authority areas, (ii) other inshore waters and (iii) offshore waters; what …

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Government is not a formal consultation body for Ship to Ship Oil Transfer Licence applications under the Merchant Shipping (Ship-to-Ship Transfers) Regulations 2010, as amended. Scottish Ministers have written on a number of occasions to the Sec…

26 Jan 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government by what date the next Scottish Natural Heritage site-condition monitoring report on amphibians will be published.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Scottish Natural Heritage currently has no plans to publish a report on the cycle of site-condition monitoring on amphibians which is due to end in 2018.

24 Jan 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the timetable is for creating low-emission zones across the country.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government is engaging with local authorities and other key stakeholders to identify an early adopter to apply an interim National Low Emission Framework (NLEF) approach to put in place Scotland’s first low-emission zone by 2018. A number of loca…

24 Jan 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support it will provide to local authorities as they establish low-emission zones.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-06502 on 6 February 2017. 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…

24 Jan 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government where the pilot areas will be for low-emission zones.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-06502 on 6 February 2017. 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…

24 Jan 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government which local authorities have expressed an interest in creating low-emission zones in their areas.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-06502 on 6 February 2017. 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…

23 Jan 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what measures ministers plan to take to support creelers and hand-divers operating in inshore waters.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: Marine Scotland has a number of initiatives to support creelers and hand-divers as well as other commercial fishing sectors operating in Scotland’s inshore waters. Those initiatives are in line with Marine Scotland's Inshore Fisheries Strategy, which aims to …

23 Jan 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it will give when drafting the Inshore Fisheries Bill to (a) international evidence from the north-east Atlantic, suggesting that marine spatial management improves the resilience of inshore fisheries and (b) measures to encourage whitefish recovery in order to diversi…

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government welcomes and will consider all evidence and representations in developing an Inshore Fisheries Bill. Discussions with a range of key stakeholders will take place ahead of any formal work on a Bill, to help ascertain where improvements …

23 Jan 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what measures ministers plan to take to support the mobile gear sector operating in inshore waters.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: Marine Scotland has a number of initiatives to support mobile gear vessels as well as other commercial fishing sectors operating in Scotland’s inshore waters. These initiatives are in line with Marine Scotland's Inshore Fisheries Strategy, which aims to creat…

23 Jan 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what measures ministers plan to take to support (a) recreational sea angling and (b) tourism associated with inshore waters.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government works in partnership with the Scottish Sea Angling Conservation Network to promote recreational sea angling as a low impact activity and encourages responsible angling through the dissemination of educational material and a range of ou…

16 Jan 2017 · Topical Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to support local authority action to reduce air pollution.

13 Jan 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that ship-to-ship oil transfer operations, as proposed in the licence application by Cromarty Firth Port Authority in December 2015, are compliant with regulations established under directives 92/43/EEC and 79/409/EEC.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: As stated in Parliament by the First Minister on 12 January 2017, on the basis of the current information, the Scottish Government is unconvinced that ship-to-ship oil transfers can, or should, take place at anchor in the Cromarty Firth without unacceptable r…

13 Jan 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason Marine Scotland did not provide a response to the licence application by Cromarty Firth Ports Authority, in December 2015, to carry out ship-to-ship oil transfers.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Marine Scotland is a Directorate of Scottish Government. The Scottish Government is not a formal consultation body for Ship to Ship Licence applications under the Merchant Shipping (Ship-to-Ship Transfers) Regulations 2010. We expect an invitation from the UK…

12 Jan 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what meetings (a) ministers and (b) officials have had with (i) Scottish Natural Heritage and (ii) Scottish Enterprise at which proposals by Cromarty Firth Port Authority to carry out ship-to-ship oil transfers were discussed, broken down by (A) date and (B) location.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: There have been no meetings between Ministers or officials and these bodies to discuss the application for ship to ship oil transfers by Cromarty Firth Port Authority.

12 Jan 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what meetings (a) ministers and (b) officials have had with Cromarty Firth Port Authority at which proposals to carry out ship-to-ship oil transfers were discussed, broken down by (i) date and (ii) location.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: There have been no specific meetings between Ministers or officials and Cromarty Firth Port Authority at which their proposals for ship to ship oil transfers were discussed. However the matter was an agenda item at the Cromarty Firth Port Authority Annual and…

11 Jan 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Cromarty Firth Port Authority has consulted Scottish Natural Heritage for the purpose of carrying out an appropriate assessment of a plan or project under the Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994 (as amended) for ship-to-ship transfers of oil in the Moray Fir…

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Secretary of State for Transport is the Competent Authority, under the Merchant Shipping (Ship-to-Ship Transfers) Regulations 2010, and is responsible for undertaking appropriate assessments when required. Scottish Natural Heritage has provided advice to …

11 Jan 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether a harbour authority can consent to a programme of ship-to-ship oil transfers without amending its by-laws to take account of such transfer operations.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The licensing of port authorities for the purposes of ship to ship transfers is a matter for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), on behalf of the Secretary of State for Transport. Once a licence is issued by the MCA, it would be for individual port auth…

11 Jan 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether a harbour authority can consent to a programme of ship-to-ship oil transfers without amending its by-laws to take account of the potential impact of such operations.

11 Jan 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it uses section 48 of the Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994 (as amended) to assess the impact on wildlife sites of ship-to-ship transfers of (a) oil and (b) other chemicals in (i) harbour authority areas, (ii) other inshore waters and (iii) offshore waters, and wh…

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: All matters relating to ship-to-ship transfers are reserved to the UK Government. The Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994 (as amended) do not apply to reserved matters.

11 Jan 2017 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will announce a decision regarding tuition fee support for EU students applying for courses for 2018-19.

10 Jan 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-04342 by Roseanna Cunningham on 8 November 2016, on what date the Scottish Natural Heritage review of game bird licensing systems in other European countries will be published.

10 Jan 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S5W-03348 and S5W-05292 by Keith Brown on 16 November and 13 December 2016 repectively, whether the cabinet secretary has received a response to his letter to the Secretary of State for International Trade and, if so, whether it will publish this.

Answer · Keith Brown: As indicated in response to S5W-03348 and S5W-05292, I wrote to the Right Honourable Liam Fox MP, the Secretary who State for International Trade on 18 November 2016. I have not yet received a response. On 12 January 2017, I received a letter from The Lord Pr…

6 Jan 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported rise in the use of azamethiphos, emamectin benzoate and deltamethrin on salmon farms.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The use of such chemicals in coastal waters is regulated by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency through the Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2011, in the form of conditions in licences issued to salmon farms. If SEPA fin…

6 Jan 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-04342 by Roseanna Cunningham on 8 November 2016, by what date it will publish the findings of the review by Scottish Natural Heritage.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Scottish Natural Heritage will publish the commissioned research on gamebird licensing systems in selected other countries shortly.

6 Jan 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government by what date it will publish its response to the consultation on the extension of wildlife crime investigative powers for inspectors in the Scottish SPCA.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: A decision on whether to extend the investigatory powers of the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals will be announced in the first half of 2017.

6 Jan 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service resources were used to deal with wildlife crime during 2014-15.

Answer · James Wolffe QC: The Wildlife and Environmental Crime Unit (a specialist unit within the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service that, inter alia, deals with reports of wildlife crime) comprised four lawyers during the financial year 2014-15.

6 Jan 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many wildlife crimes were committed in each quarter of 2014-15.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The number of wildlife crimes committed in each quarter of 2014-15 is shown in the following table. A total of 284 offences relating to wildlife crime, as defined in the Wildlife Crime in Scotland Annual Report, were recorded by the Police in Scotland in the…

6 Jan 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what impact changes in land reform legislation have had on tackling wildlife crime.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government is currently implementing the provisions of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2016, which will drive land reform across urban and rural Scotland. We are working to improve the transparency of land ownership in Scotland and we intend to i…

20 Dec 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding the impact of online alcohol sales on overall (a) availability and (b) consumption in Scotland at a (i) national and (ii) local level; what data it uses to inform this and how it will ensure that sufficient data is gathered.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: As part of the Monitoring and Evaluating Scotland’s Alcohol Strategy (MESAS) programme undertaken by NHS Health Scotland, retail alcohol sales data are used to estimate per adult consumption of alcohol at a national level. NHS Health Scotland assessed the val…

19 Dec 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions have taken place with stakeholders in relation to proposals for a tidal barrage on the River Forth at Stirling and the potential impact on designated local Special Protection Areas (SPA) and Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) interests.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government is aware that Stirling is considering a tidal barrage on the River Forth at Stirling as part of its City Deal proposals. Consideration of the City Deal proposals is at an early state and to date, no formal or statutory stakeholder cons…