Questions and answers

Question reference: S3W-29679

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 December 2009
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 14 December 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what the penalties were for wildlife crime-related convictions in the Fife Constabulary area for each year from April 1999.

The available information is given in the following table.

Persons with a Charge Proved for Wildlife Crime Offences¹, in Fife Police Area, by Disposal, 1999-2000 to 2008-09

Main Result of Proceedings	1999-2000	2000-01	2001-02	2002-03	2003-04	2004-05	2005-06	2006-07	2007-08
Community sentence	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
Monetary	3	2	0	2	2	3	1	3	1
Admonished	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	2
All	3	3	0	2	2	3	2	3	3

Note: 1. Where main offence. Includes the offences categories of cruelty to animals (excluding dogs), animal offences (excluding dogs and birds), offences involving birds, hunting with dogs, cruelty to wild animals, offences involving badgers, and other wildlife offences.

Question reference: S3W-29688

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 December 2009
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 14 December 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding Strathclyde Police has allocated to the investigation and detection of wildlife crime, also expressed as a percentage of its overall budget, in each year from April 1999.

Question reference: S3W-29684

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 December 2009
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 14 December 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the categories of wildlife crime recorded by Strathclyde Police in each year from April 1999 to April 2009.

The available information is given in the following table:

Categories of Wildlife Offences¹ Recorded by Strathclyde Police from 1999-2000 to 2008-09

Offences¹

Cruelty to animals (excluding dogs) including killing and maiming cattle

Offences involving Animals (excluding dogs, birds elsewhere classified)

Offences involving birds

Hunting with dogs¹

Cruelty to wild animals¹

Offences involving badgers¹

Other wildlife offences¹

Note: 1. In financial year 2002-03, crime codes were introduced to cover offences of ˜Hunting with Dogs, Cruelty to Wild Animals, Offences Involving Badgers and Other Wildlife Offences, which (excluding Hunting with dogs) would have previously been recorded under a different offence; but within the same animal/plant category.

Question reference: S3W-29676

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 December 2009
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 14 December 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the categories of wildlife crime recorded by Fife Constabulary in each year from April 1999.

The available information is given in the following table:

Categories of Wildlife Offences¹ Recorded by Fife Constabulary from 1999-2000 to 2008-09

Offences¹
Cruelty to animals (excluding dogs) including killing and maiming cattle
Offences involving Animals (excluding dogs, birds elsewhere classified)
Offences involving birds
Hunting with dogs¹
Cruelty to wild animals¹
Offences involving badgers¹
Other wildlife offences¹

Note: 1. In financial year 2002-03, crime codes were introduced to cover offences of Hunting with Dogs, Cruelty to Wild Animals, Offences Involving Badgers and Other Wildlife Offences, which (excluding Hunting with dogs) would have previously been recorded under a different offence; but within the same Animal/Plant category.

Question reference: S3W-29687

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 December 2009
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 14 December 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what the penalties were for wildlife crime-related convictions in the Strathclyde Police area for each year from April 1999.

The available information is given in the following table.

Persons Convicted for Wildlife Crime Offences², in Strathclyde Police Area, by disposal, 1999-2000 to 2008-09

Main Result of Proceedings	1999-2000	2000-01	2001-02	2002-03	2003-04	2004-05	2005-06	2006-07	2007-08
Custody	1	2	0	0	0	5	1	0	3
Community sentence	2	1	1	3	1	5	4	4	3
Monetary	24	23	16	18	18	16	10	32	45
Admonished	6	2	6	1	3	2	0	9	6
Other	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	1
All	33	29	23	22	22	28	15	46	58

Note: 1. Where main offence. Includes the offences categories of cruelty to animals (excluding dogs), animal offences (excluding dogs and birds), offences involving birds, hunting with dogs, cruelty to wild animals, offences involving badgers, and other wildlife offences.

Question reference: S3W-29685

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 December 2009
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 14 December 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many wildlife crimes in each of the five most common types of wildlife crime were committed in the Strathclyde Police area, also expressed as a percentage of all detected wildlife crimes in each year from April 1999 to April 2009.

The available information is given in the following table:

Number of Wildlife Offences Recorded, Cleared Up and Percentage Cleared Up, by Strathclyde Police force, 1999-2000 to 2008-2009

Recorded

Offence	1999-2000	2000-01	2001-02	2002-03	2003-04	2004-05	2005-06	2006-07	2007-08	2008-09
Cruelty to animals (excluding dogs) including killing and maiming cattle	15	13	17	22	43	31	40	66	27	10
Offences involving Animals (excluding dogs, birds elsewhere classified)	1	0	4	0	5	8	3	8	37	71
Offences involving birds	11	8	16	17	17	25	18	20	17	13
Hunting with dogs¹	-	-	-	0	0	0	0	0	0	4
Cruelty to wild animals¹	-	-	-	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Offences involving badgers¹	-	-	-	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Other wildlife offences¹	-	-	-	0	0	0	0	0	0	15
Total	27	21	37	39	65	64	61	94	81	114

Cleared up

Offence	1999-2000	2000-01	2001-02	2002-03	2003-04	2004-05	2005-06	2006-07	2007-08	2008-09
Cruelty to animals (excluding dogs) including killing and maiming cattle	13	9	8	19	32	20	17	40	20	3
Offences involving Animals (excluding dogs, birds elsewhere classified)	1	0	2	0	4	7	3	6	23	49
Offences involving birds	8	7	11	11	14	19	16	17	12	5
Hunting with dogs¹	-	-	-	0	0	0	0	0	0	2
Cruelty to wild animals¹	-	-	-	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Offences involving badgers¹	-	-	-	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Other wildlife offences¹	-	-	-	0	0	0	0	0	0	12
Total	22	16	21	30	50	46	36	63	55	72

Percentage Cleared Up (%)

Offence	1999-2000	2000-01	2001-02	2002-03	2003-04	2004-05	2005-06	2006-07	2007-08	2008-09
Cruelty to animals (excluding dogs) including killing and maiming cattle	87	69	47	86	74	65	43	61	74	30
Offences involving Animals (excluding dogs, birds elsewhere classified)	100	.	50	.	80	88	100	75	62	69
Offences involving birds	73	88	69	65	82	76	89	85	71	38
Hunting with dogs¹	-	-	-	.	.	.	.	.	.	50
Cruelty to wild animals¹	-	-	-	.	.	.	.	.	.	100
Offences involving badgers¹	-	-	-	.	.	.	.	.	.	.
Other wildlife offences¹	-	-	-	.	.	.	.	.	.	80
Total	81	76	57	77	77	72	59	67	68	63

Source: Scottish Government Justice Analytical Services.

Notes:

- Offence not active within financial year.

. Not calculated as number of offences recorded is zero.

1. In financial year 2002-03, crime codes were introduced to cover offences of Hunting with Dogs, Cruelty to Wild Animals, Offences Involving Badgers and Other Wildlife Offences, which (excluding Hunting with dogs) would have previously been recorded under a different offence; but within the same Animal/Plant category.

Question reference: S3W-29686

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 December 2009
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 14 December 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many wildlife crimes recorded by Strathclyde Police led to a conviction, also expressed as a percentage of the total number of convictions in each year from April 1999 to April 2009.

The available information is given in the following table.

Persons with a Charge Proved for Wildlife Crime Offences¹, in Strathclyde Police Area, 1999-2000 to 2008-09

	1999-2000	2000-01	2001-02	2002-03	2003-04	2004-05	2005-06	2006-07	2007-08
Scotland	84	72	57	51	75	72	90	110	130
Strathclyde	33	29	23	22	22	28	15	46	58
as % of total	39	40	40	43	29	39	17	42	45

Note: 1. Where main offence. Includes the offences categories of cruelty to animals (excluding dogs), animal offences (excluding dogs and birds), offences involving birds, hunting with dogs, cruelty to wild animals, offences involving badgers, and other wildlife offences.

Some caution is needed when comparing figures between recorded crime and court proceedings as a person may be proceeded against for more than one crime and there is the possibility that the crime recorded by the police may be altered in the course of judicial proceedings. In addition, a crime may be recorded by the police in one year and court proceedings concluded in a subsequent year.

Question reference: S3W-29690

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 December 2009
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 14 December 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many of those convicted of wildlife crimes in the Strathclyde Police area were resident in Scotland, also expressed as a percentage of those convicted, in each year from April 1999.

Question reference: S3W-29695

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 December 2009
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 14 December 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what is being done to increase the capacity of the Strathardle telephone exchange to improve broadband connectivity.

The Scottish Government announced on 9 December 2009 that it has agreed with BT a programme of upgrades to 71 Scottish rural telephone exchanges which are currently operating at, or approaching, full capacity. The first upgrades will be complete from March 2010. In addition, BT is also investigating further upgrades to a smaller number of similarly affected exchanges and we hope to be in a position to announce even more upgrades in due course. Please refer to our news release at the following website http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2009/12/09142338.

I am pleased to confirm that Strathardle, Fern and Menmuir exchanges will be upgraded in this programme. The indicative upgrade date for Strathardle exchange is 8 June 2010. The indicative upgrade dates for Fern and Menmuir exchanges will be announced in due course at the following website www.broadbandforscotland.co.uk.

Question reference: S3W-29675

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 December 2009
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 14 December 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many instances were recorded by Fife Constabulary of wildlife crime known to be commissioned by overseas individuals or groups, also expressed as a percentage in each year since 1999.

Chamber and committees