Peter Peacock

10 Jul 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how often ministers are required to review any fishery closures and restrictions and what consultation would normally accompany any such reviews.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: There is no set approach to fisheries closures and restrictions. Any review which may be undertaken by ministers would be dependent on the nature and purpose of the restrictions in place. The Scottish Government is committed to consultation and as part of any…

10 Jul 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what role Marine Scotland and the Sea Fish Industry Authority have with regard to inshore fishery group co-ordinators and inshore fishery groups.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: Inshore fisheries groups aim to improve the management of Scotland''s inshore fisheries and to give commercial inshore fishermen a strong voice in wider marine management developments. They have been established by Scottish ministers on a non-statutory basis …

24 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-24714 by Richard Lochhead on 19 June 2009, how a majority of active producers, processors and their representative bodies is determined.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: There are long-established arrangements in place for canvassing the views of the Scottish dairy industry before proposed changes to the milk quota regime are introduced. Ministers take account of all these views before making decisions on the way ahead.</p>

24 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-24714 by Richard Lochhead on 19 June 2009, whether a public interest test is applied to decisions on milk quota and what the criteria are of any such test.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: In Scotland the policy on the establishment and maintenance of the ring fence arrangements was and is subject to a public interest test; the overarching principle of such a test being to safeguard the long-term future interests and viability of the dairy indu…

24 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-24713 by Richard Lochhead on 19 June 2009, when the milk quota arrangements that affect Kintyre were last amended and who was consulted.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: Boundary changes to the Southern Isles milk quota ring fence area, including the Kintyre peninsula, were introduced by the Dairy Produce Quotas (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2004 (SI 2004 No. 118).</p> <p >A copy of the consultation list is available from…

23 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the restoration orders made under section 40 of the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004 following damage to (a) Sites of Special Scientific Interest and (b) European wildlife sites.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: No restoration orders have been made by the courts in relation to Sites of Special Scientific Interest or Natura 2000 sites under section 40 of the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004.</p>

23 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the prosecutions that have been brought since November 2004 under regulation 18 of the Conservation (Natural habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994 (as amended) and the outcome in each case.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: I am not aware of any such prosecutions.</p>

23 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the prosecutions that have been brought under section 19 of the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004 and the outcome in each case.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: <strong>A list of the prosecutions which have been brought under section 19 of the Nature Conservation (</strong><strong>Scotland</strong><strong>) Act 2004 is as follows.</strong></p> <p ><strong>1. Upper Solway Flats and Marshes SSSI, SPA, Ramsar and </str…

23 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list cases of damage to European wildlife sites reported since 31 March 2005, showing the name of the site, extent of damage, likely recovery period, cause of damage and action taken.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: I refer the member to the answer to the question S3W-25167 on 21 July 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at:</p> <p ><a href="http://www.scottish.parliam…

23 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list cases of damage to Sites of Special Scientific Interest reported since 31 March 2005, showing the name of the site, extent of damage, likely recovery period, cause of damage and action taken.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Cases are recorded by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) where the damage exceeds a threshold of being over 0.5 ha in area or 100m in length or 10% of the interest feature on the site, or where SNH is aware of an incident being reported to the Procurator Fiscal.…

23 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether Rural Development Contracts - Rural Priorities qualify as management agreements for the purposes of section 29(3) of the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Rural Development Contracts <strong>do not qualify as management agreements for the purposes of section 29(3) of the Nature Conservation (</strong><strong>Scotland</strong><strong>) Act 2004.</strong></b></p>

23 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many land management orders have been proposed by Scottish Natural Heritage to be made by ministers since 31 March 2009.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Scottish Natural Heritage has not proposed any Land Management Orders since 31 March 2009.</p>

23 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the land management orders made since 31 March 2005, showing the date made, purpose of order, extent of order and the Sites of Special Scientific Interest or European wildlife sites affected.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: No Land Management Orders have been made since 31 March 2005.</p>

23 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the nature conservation orders that have ceased to be in force since 31 March 2005, showing the date made, purpose of order, extent of order and the Sites of Special Scientific Interest or European wildlife sites affected.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: <strong>Two Nature Conservation Orders (NCOs) have ceased to be in force since </strong><strong>31 March 2005</strong><strong>. These are listed as follows: </strong></p> <p ><strong>1. Firth of Forth Special Nature Conservation Order 2003, </strong><strong>…

23 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the nature conservation orders made since 31 March 2005, showing the date made, purpose of order, extent of order and the Sites of Special Scientific Interest or European wildlife sites affected.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: <strong>The two Nature Conservation Orders which have been made since </strong><strong>31 March 2005</strong><strong> are listed as follows: </strong></p> <p ><strong>1. Firth of </strong><strong>Forth</strong><strong> NCO 2006, </strong><strong>18 October …

23 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-24192 by Roseanna Cunningham on 8 June 2009, whether it will confirm what estimated cost to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) was stated in Flooding Bill Financial Implications Assessment, published in September 2008; whether this fig…

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: I am happy to confirm that the estimated figures of £3.34 million (for Directive work) and additional £0.1 million (for the transfer of reservoir work) that were stated in the answer to question S3W-24192 on 8 June 2009 are the same figures that appear in th…

17 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its estimates are of the financial costs of implementing the Disabled Persons’ Parking Places (Scotland) Act 2009.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The Financial Memorandum provided by the Bill promoter, Jackie Baillie MSP, and passed by the Scottish Parliament, states that the implementation costs will be £1.7 million.</p>

17 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what extra financial resources it has made available to councils to implement the Disabled Persons’ Parking Places (Scotland) Act 2009.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-24943 on 25 June 2009. 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/…

17 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what reassurance it can give shellfish growers that shellfish-growing waters as designated under the EU Shellfish Directive will receive equivalent recognition and protection under the EU Water Framework Directive within River Basin Management Plans.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The objective of the Shellfish Waters Directive 2006/113 EC (SWD) is to protect and improve the quality of shellfish waters, contributing to the high quality of edible shellfish products. This objective will be adopted as the driver for environmental objectiv…

17 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what obligations fall on which statutory agencies to remove non-native invasive species formally classified or listed as such and what discretion exists in such matters.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: There are currently no obligations on any statutory agencies to remove invasive non-native species where they have been introduced. This is one of the issues considered in the consultation document on the proposed Wildlife and Natural Environment Bill:</p> <…

17 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what duty it is under to classify or list invasive non-native species and what discretion it has in such matters.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Section 1 of the Nature Conservation Act 2004 places a duty on all public bodies and office holders to further the conservation of biodiversity and specifically to have regard to the United Nations Environmental Programme Convention on Biological Diversity. T…

17 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it regards pacific oysters farmed in Scotland to be a threat to native oysters and, if so, what the (a) nature of and (b) evidence for any such threat is.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: We are currently awaiting finalisation of an expert risk analysis on the pacific oyster, as part of the implementation of the GB Invasive Non-Native Species Strategy. When the GB risk analysis panel and GB programme board have signed off the analysis, it will…

17 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to officially classify or list farmed pacific oysters as an invasive non-native species and what the implications of any such classification or listing would be for oyster farms.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-24936 on 10 July 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at:</p> <p ><a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.…

17 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it regards shellfish farmers who are farming pacific oysters in Scotland to be farming an invasive non-native species.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: A consultation document issued by the Scottish Government in 2006-07 proposed to add pacific oysters to schedule 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which lists species whose introduction into the wild is subject to controI under the act. In the recen…

11 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive in whose interest the milk quota system and ring fence management arrangements in Kintyre operate; how the public interest is determined in such arrangements, and what obligations the Scottish Executive has toward producers in determining public interest.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Southern Isles (including the Kintyre peninsula) milk quota ring fence arrangements exist to support the interests of the local dairy industry, including producers and processors. The overarching aim is to underpin, where possible, the continuation of dai…

11 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, prior to it making a decision on the existing milk quota system and ring fence management arrangements in Kintyre, what consultation took place and with whom.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The system of milk quotas, which operates throughout the EU, first came into existence in 1984. The Scottish milk quota ring fence arrangements have been amended from time-to-time to take account of changing circumstances in the dairy sector. The degree of co…

11 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the rationale was and is for the operation of a milk quota system and a ring fence to manage the system for Kintyre.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Southern Isles (including the Kintyre peninsula) milk quota ring fence arrangements are in place to support the long-term interests and viability of the local dairy industry, including active producers and processors.</p>

11 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what implications for individual rights and for market and competition distortion have arisen from the operation of a ring fence for milk quota management in Kintyre.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Southern Isles (including the Kintyre peninsula) milk quota ring fence arrangements place limitations on the ability of local producers to lease and dispose of milk quota held. The policy was introduced to protect milk production and processing capacity i…

11 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to continue with the subsidy to farmers available through the National Fallen Stock Company for disposal of fallen cattle aged over 48 months.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The current transitional support for the collection and disposal of fallen cattle aged over 48 months was funded by DEFRA from the GB Animal Health and Welfare budget for 2009 only. The Scottish Government has no current plans to provide further funding for t…

9 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-23829 by Roseanna Cunningham on 27 May 2009, whether it will produce guidance to assist local authorities and their community planning partners in carrying out the strategic environmental assessment of single outcome agreements.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: There are no current plans to produce strategic environmental assessment guidance for Scottish responsible authorities producing single outcome agreements.</p>