Parliamentary questions
Alison Johnstone
905 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
19 Nov 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on a link between the culling of mountain hare and the incidence of (a) louping ill or (b) other diseases transmitted by sheep ticks or other hare parasites to red grouse.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The scientific evidence on this subject has been reviewed in a 2009 paper in the Journal of Applied Ecology "Culling wildlife hosts to control disease: mountain hares, red grouse and louping ill virus" by A Harrison et al.- see http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/…
19 Nov 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on the number of mountain hare that are culled annually and the impact of this on golden eagles (a) dispersing from, (b) likely to be recruited to or (c) nesting in natura sites for which golden eagles are a designated interest.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) Commissioned Report 278 indicated that a total of 24,529 mountain hares were harvested in 2006-07 across 90 sporting estates (of these, 11,906 were reported to have been taken by 26 estates). This represents 7% of the 1995 …
19 Nov 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what conservation action is planned to protect mountain hare populations.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: In order to properly inform licence applications and to have a better understanding of the effects of culling on hare populations, a cost-effective and easily-applied method of reliably estimating hare numbers is required. This is the immediate priority and, …
19 Nov 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds (a) on the health of mountain hare populations and (b) that is relevant to assessing whether mountain hare are in a favourable conservation status.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The National Gamebag Census data for mountain hare compiled by the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust shows no significant trend in the data between 1961 and 2009, despite marked cyclical fluctuations which are known to exist in around half of mountain hare…
19 Nov 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will report on its (a) consultation on the Recyclate Quality Action Plan and (b) discussions with the UK Government about any cross-border issues.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government intends to implement the principal proposal from the Recyclate Quality Action Plan consultation, a statutory testing regime for recyclate contamination levels by April 2014. We will publish a summary of the responses to our consultatio…
18 Nov 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its progress in implementing the recommendations of the Community Council Short-life Working Group.
Answer · Derek Mackay: In response to the Community Council Short-Life Working Group’s report and recommendations, the Scottish Government, in collaboration with COSLA, has agreed to support the Improvement Service to undertake a project to help enhance the role of community counci…
13 Nov 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many (a) primary and (b) secondary schools have achieved a UNICEF Rights Respecting Schools Award and what percentage of such schools this represents.
Answer · Alasdair Allan: The Scottish Government does not hold any information on how many schools achieve a UNICEF Rights Respecting Schools Award as this is a UNICEF led programme. The Scottish Government is working with Education Scotland on developing a professional development r…
31 Oct 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what evidence it has to support the comment of the Minister for Transport and Veterans on 2 October 2013 (Official Report, c. 23231) that the construction of the Rosyth international container terminal will deliver "an estimated 500 jobs".
Answer · Keith Brown: The estimated number of construction jobs likely to be delivered was based on Babcock’s figures which were noted and not disputed during the public local inquiry.
24 Sep 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding how much it has cost each local authority to provide services for children with (a) formal and (b) informal kinship care arrangements in each of the last three years.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: Information regarding how much it has cost each local authority to provide services for children with (a) formal and (b) informal kinship care arrangements in each of the last three years is not centrally held by the Scottish Government. The data that we col…
24 Sep 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review the needs of children in kinship care and their carers and what recent work it has carried out on this.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Scottish Government, through the organisations we fund such as Children 1st, Citizens Advice Scotland and Mentor UK, will continue review the needs of children in kinship care. We will also continue to engage with individual kinship carers and kinship car…
11 Sep 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the use of zero-hours contracts in universities.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: Employment law is currently reserved to the UK Government. Universities are autonomous institutions that set terms and conditions for their own staff. However, the Scottish Government welcomes the announcement on 6 September 2013 that the University of Edinbu…
10 Sep 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will issue guidance on the voluntary use of CCTV in abattoirs for animal welfare purposes.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government position on CCTV is currently under review. The issuing of guidance on the voluntary use of CCTV in abattoirs is one of a range of possible options being considered. CCTV is already installed in many abattoirs voluntarily and welfare …
10 Sep 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will issue a statutory code under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 to regulate the voluntary use of CCTV in abattoirs for animal welfare purposes.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government position on CCTV is currently under review. The issuing of a statutory code to regulate the voluntary use of CCTV in abattoirs is one of a range of possible options being considered. CCTV is already installed in many abattoirs volunta…
10 Sep 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will legislate to make the use of CCTV mandatory in abattoirs for animal welfare purposes.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government position on CCTV is currently under review. Legislating to make the use of CCTV mandatory in abattoirs is one of a range of possible options being considered. CCTV is already installed in many abattoirs voluntarily and welfare at slau…
10 Sep 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-16040 by Nicola Sturgeon on 6 August 2013, whether the number of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that have won contracts from Scotland Excel for supplying educational goods in the last year is in line with the Scottish Government's stated …
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Scotland Excel is independent of Scottish Government. It was established by local government following the 2006 McClelland Report to act as the Centre of Procurement Expertise for the sector. Figures for contracts from Scotland Excel for supplying educationa…
10 Sep 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-16040 by Nicola Sturgeon on 6 August 2013, whether the number of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that have won public procurement contracts from Scotland Excel in the last year is consistent with the Scottish Government's stated objective …
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Scotland Excel is independent of Scottish Government. It was established by local government following the 2006 McClelland Report to act as the Centre of Procurement Expertise for the sector. Scotland Excel participates in Scotland’s Public Procurement Refor…
2 Sep 2013 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister, in light of its report, The Gender Impacts of Welfare Reform, what impact the Scottish Government considers welfare reforms are having on women in Scotland.
2 Sep 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the main trunk road cycling projects were in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13 and how much the projects cost.
Answer · Keith Brown: Scottish Ministers take full account of cycling needs during investment in the trunk road network. For example, £2.7 million was invested on cycling facilities on the A828 between Oban and Fort William over four financial years, 2008-2012. Whilst precise fig…
2 Sep 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) total investment was and (b) funding sources were for trunk road cycling facilities in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13.
Answer · Keith Brown: Scottish Ministers take full account of cycling needs during investment in major trunk road projects. Although precise figures cannot be provided, the major trunk road projects together with an estimate of the value of any associated cycle infrastructure, are…
22 Aug 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what licences have been awarded for underground coal gasification-related activity in Scotland.
22 Aug 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how the impact of the Nice Way Code campaign will be evaluated.
Answer · Keith Brown: As part of the funding agreement, an independent research study was commissioned by Cycling Scotland to evaluate the effect the Nice Way Code campaign has had on people’s attitudes to their fellow road users and about key road behaviours. This will commence s…
22 Aug 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what evidence it has that the Nice Way Code campaign will result in behaviour change on Scotland's roads.
Answer · Keith Brown: The campaign is based on the success of the “Give Me Cycle Space” campaign which has run for the last three years and complements continued infrastructure investment of £5.6 million for vulnerable road users through Cycling Walking and Safer Streets Funding t…
22 Aug 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much the Nice Way Code marketing campaign will cost and what budget this is drawn from.
Answer · Keith Brown: Transport Scotland has provided £424,000 to Cycling Scotland to cover the costs of developing and running the Mutual Respect campaign, which features the “Nice Way Code”. This funding was allocated as follows: £260,000 from the Road Safety Framework Budget a…
22 Aug 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what provision is made in slaughterhouses to mitigate the welfare impacts experienced by a calf in utero when its mother is slaughtered.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: No particular provision is made as a foetus will die from lack of oxygen in the uterus without suffering after its mother is slaughtered. There is good evidence that ruminants do not have conscious awareness until after they are born and start breathing so th…
22 Aug 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when and under what circumstances it is considered necessary to slaughter healthy cattle due to irregularities in, or non-availability of, cattle passports.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government is required to ensure EU Law, which places responsibilities for cattle identification and tracing on all keepers, is met. This is vital in terms of disease control and public health. The British Cattle Movement Service (BCMS) administe…
22 Aug 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when and for what purpose it is permissible to slaughter pregnant (a) cattle and (b) sheep in a slaughterhouse.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: There is no restriction on the slaughter of pregnant cattle or sheep in a slaughterhouse. However, cattle and sheep that are in the last 10% of their pregnancy are classed as unfit for transport under European legislation concerning the welfare of animals dur…
22 Aug 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government under what circumstances a veterinary surgeon or other person may legally kill a dog using a captive bolt gun, and whether such killing must also involve bleeding or pithing of the animal.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: There is no legal restriction on the circumstances under which a dog can be killed using a captive bolt gun or any legal requirement for bleeding or pithing, although this would be recommended. If used correctly, a captive bolt gun should result in immediate…
22 Aug 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it is a legal requirement for an operator to hold a slaughter licence or certificate of competence in order to kill a dog using a captive bolt gun.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: There is no legal requirement for an operator to hold a slaughter licence or certificate of competence to kill a dog using a captive bolt gun. However, if a captive bolt gun is used in a way that causes suffering this would be an offence under the Animal Hea…
22 Aug 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether any person other than a qualified veterinary surgeon is legally permitted to kill a dog using a captive bolt gun and, if so, for what purpose and under what circumstances.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: There is no legal restriction under animal welfare legislation on who may kill a dog using a captive bolt gun for any purpose. If used correctly, a captive bolt gun should result in immediate loss of consciousness. However, if a captive bolt gun is used in a …
22 Aug 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of Scottish farmed salmon is exported to (a) China and (b) Japan.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Government does not hold the information to answer this question precisely because data on salmon production and on exports are not on an equivalent basis, but we estimate that approximately four per cent of total Scottish farmed salmon productio…