- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 09 January 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 19 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to review the regulations covering castration and tail docking of lambs following the Report on the Implications of Castration and Tail Docking for the Welfare of Lambs published by the Farm Animal Welfare Council in June 2008.
Answer
The government is presently consulting with stakeholders on the recommendations made by the Farm Animal Welfare Council in their report on the castration and tail docking of lambs in consultation with stakeholders. The report does not recommend a ban on these procedures and acknowledges that there are circumstances when there are animal welfare advantages to these procedures being undertaken.
The government''s response will be published in due course.
- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 09 January 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 19 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-478 by Richard Lochhead on 12 June 2007, what its timetable is for any consultation on draft licensing of livery yards legislation.
Answer
It is anticipated that a consultation paper on proposals to require livery yards to be licensed will be issued in the autumn.
- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 09 January 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 19 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive how many rural development contracts have been awarded that include financial reward for the maintenance and enhancement of peatlands.
Answer
A total of ten applications containing peatland management options have been submitted to the Rural Development Contracts - Rural Priorities element of the Scotland Rural Development Programme. Eight of these have been approved.
- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 15 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to issue guidance to local authorities on the agreements and targets set in the EU waste framework directive of 20 October 2008.
Answer
The new National Waste Plan for Scotland will perform this function.
- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 19 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 15 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what information is made available to it and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency regarding waste types and arisings and how this information is used.
Answer
The main mechanism used for the collection of waste data from local authorities is the waste data flow system. This is a web-based system used by all local authorities in Scotland to report their waste arisings, recycling levels and disposal. The system is also used to monitor the quantity of biodegradable municipal waste landfilled under the Landfill Allowance Scheme. In addition, waste data is collected from other sources including waste management licence operator returns, the register of exemptions and supplementary surveys. the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) have overall responsibility for the collation and management of all data collected.
The waste data gathered is used in various ways. For example, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency use it to produce publications such as the Waste Data Digest, which is an annual publication that sets out key waste facts and trends. The data is also used for target setting, performance and compliance monitoring, meeting reporting requirements and of course policy development. Further information on how the data is used can be found on SEPA''s website.
- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 19 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 15 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications have been received for rural development contracts for organic production in each of the 11 Scotland Rural Development Programme regions.
Answer
The following table shows a breakdown by region of both how many applications for organic production have been submitted to the Rural Priorities scheme, under the Scotland Rural Development Programme and how many of these have been approved. In total, 69 cases have applied of which 61 have been approved.
| | Applied | Approved |
| Argyll | 4 | 3 |
| Ayrshire | 0 | 0 |
| Borders | 9 | 9 |
| Clyde | 2 | 2 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 2 | 1 |
| Forth | 3 | 2 |
| Grampian | 20 | 15 |
| Highland | 10 | 10 |
| Northern Isles | 8 | 8 |
| Outer Hebrides | 0 | 0 |
| Tayside | 11 | 11 |
| Total | 69 | 61 |
- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 19 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 15 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive how many applicants have successfully entered into rural development contracts for organic production in each of the 11 Scotland Rural Development Programme regions.
Answer
The following table shows a breakdown by region of both how many applications for organic production have been submitted to the Rural Priorities scheme, under the Scotland Rural Development Programme and how many of these have been approved. In total, 69 cases have applied of which 61 have been approved.
Formal contract documentation is due to be issued to successful applicants shortly.
| | Applied | Approved |
| Argyll | 4 | 3 |
| Ayrshire | 0 | 0 |
| Borders | 9 | 9 |
| Clyde | 2 | 2 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 2 | 1 |
| Forth | 3 | 2 |
| Grampian | 20 | 15 |
| Highland | 10 | 10 |
| Northern Isles | 8 | 8 |
| Outer Hebrides | 0 | 0 |
| Tayside | 11 | 11 |
| Total | 69 | 61 |
- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 19 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 15 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive how many farmers have ceased organic production in each year since 1999.
Answer
The Scottish Government do not collect comprehensive information relating to farmers who have ceased organic production. However, we do hold information on the number of farmers who have ceased participating in the Organic Aid Scheme each year and this is shown in the following table.
| Year | Organic Aid Scheme* Leavers |
| 1999 | 8 |
| 2000 | 8 |
| 2001 | 10 |
| 2002 | 15 |
| 2003 | 31 |
| 2004 | 162 |
| 2005 | 115 |
| 2006 | 105 |
| 2007 | 57 |
| 2008 | 16 |
Note: *The Organic Aid Scheme closed to new applications on 31 March 2006.
- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 15 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-18374 by Richard Lochhead on 9 December 2008, whether it will list the projects that have been awarded funding from the Zero Waste Fund for 2008-09 and how much each project received.
Answer
The 2008-09 Zero Waste Fund has been allocated as follows:
| Zero Waste Fund 2008-09 | Profiled Expenditure (£ million Rounded) |
| Delivery Bodies | |
| WRAP - Waste and Resources Action Programme | 8.81 |
| Envirowise | 2.80 |
| SWAG - Scottish Waste Awareness Group | 1.87 |
| CRNS - Community Recycling Network for Scotland | 0.76 |
| ReMaDe - Recyclate Market Development | 0.59 |
| KSB - Keep Scotland Beautiful | 0.50 |
| Eco Schools | 0.20 |
| KIMO - Fishing for Litter | 0.05 |
| ROWAN - Rossshire Waste Action Network | 0.03 |
| Local Authority Initiatives | |
| Food Waste Collection Trials | 0.60 |
| Former Strategic Waste Fund Awards Accrued to 2008-09 - Recycling and Composting | 4.18 |
| Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Recovery | 0.11 |
| Contaminated Land | 3.10 |
| Zero Waste Fund Transfers to Tackle Landfill Diversion | 16.74 |
| Central Initiatives | |
| National Recycling Campaign Development | 0.25 |
| Zero Waste Think Tank | 0.01 |
| Radioactive Waste Programme | 0.08 |
| National Waste Plan Review | 0.12 |
| Carrier Bag Campaign | 0.25 |
| Flycapture Monitoring System | 0.03 |
| Climate Change Bill - Waste Provisions | 0.01 |
| Waste Data Flow System | 0.01 |
| Total (£ million) | 41.1 |
- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 15 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that local authorities should classify energy recovery from waste as recycling.
Answer
The Scottish Government do not believe that energy from waste should be classified as recycling. This view is in line with Article 3 of the revised Waste Framework Directive 2008/98/EC which defines recycling as meaning:
any recovery operation by which waste materials are reprocessed into products, materials or substances whether for the original or other purposes. It includes the reprocessing of organic material but does not include energy recovery and the reprocessing into materials that are to be used as fuels or for backfilling operations.
