Chamber and committees

The Wildlife and Natural Environment Bill Consultation Document does not intend to suggest that a person found guilty of attaching a ring, tag or other marking device to a live badger could have done so unknowingly. The consultation document proposes a new offence of knowingly causing or permitting another person to attach a ring, tag or other marking device to a live badger.

The Wildlife and Natural Environment Bill Consultation Document does not intend to suggest that a person found guilty of cruelly ill-treating a badger could have done so unknowingly. The consultation document proposes a new offence of knowingly causing or permitting another person to cruelly ill-treat a badger.

The possibility of planning for the Solway Firth as a single entity has been discussed with UK Government officials. Under the Bills, marine planning regions are defined by reference to the marine borders applying between the UK Government and the devolved administrations. Under the Marine and Coastal Access Bill, marine plan authorities may identify and prepare marine plans for marine plan areas within these regions, although these areas are not prescribed in the Bill. It is intended that an administrative approach will be identified to ensure that the planning bodies either side of the Solway Firth work jointly to ensure a consistent and holistic approach.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-22757 on 8 May 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

The Scottish Government does not intend to issue a code of practice specifically on the welfare of racing greyhounds. A code of practice on the welfare of dogs will be issued later in the year and much of the advice in that code will be appropriate for racing greyhounds. Practical guidance on track safety and other matters is available from the Greyhound Board of Great Britain.

The Scottish Government is funding several initiatives to make sure local authorities have access to the best information and tools to build their capacity to adapt, or prepare for a changing climate. These include £185,500 in 2009-10 and £200,000 in 2010-11 to develop the Scottish Climate Change Impact Partnership - a free information and resource hub for local authorities and other organisations in Scotland. The Scottish Government is also providing 50,159 Euros in match funding to the CoastAdapt project. The project will investigate adaptation to climate change in coastal communities and habitats on Europe''s Northern Periphery and is being delivered as part of the Northern Periphery Programme 2007-13. Comhairle nan Eilean Siar is the lead partner for Scotland in this international partnership.

The Scottish Government also part funds the UK Climate Impacts Programme (UKCIP) to coordinate scientific research into the impacts of a changing climate, and to help organisations adapt to those unavoidable impacts. This means that Scottish local authorities have access to world-leading climate projections to help them prepare for the unavoidable consequences of climate change.

The Scottish Government is also funding, in partnership with the UK Government, the development of a UK Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA) to improve our understanding of the consequences of likely climate change.

More specifically, the Scottish Government is providing up to £200,000 to Comhairle nan Eilean Siar for a hydrodynamics study of coastal processes at the South Ford. This will inform the Council''s policies on coastal erosion and adaptation on South Uist and Benbecula.

As Stewart Stevenson told the Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change Committee on 9 June 2009, section 2 of the Pollution Prevention and Control Act 1999 allows ministers to make regulations which, inter alia, impose conditions to be required in incineration permits. These conditions could include selective bans. These powers have already been exercised to make selective incineration bans in the Waste Batteries (Scotland) Regulations 2009.

Furthermore, ministers may use the power in section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 1972 to make regulations implementing community obligations, or about matters relating to such obligations. The Waste Framework Directive (2008/98/EC) requires the prioritisation of prevention, re-use and recycling over other recovery and disposal. Selective bans may be a means of achieving the required prioritisation.

No. There is no limit on the maximum fine which may be levied, in proceedings on indictment, on a landfill operator who contravenes licence conditions.

As Stewart Stevenson told the Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change Committee on 9 June 2009, section 2 of the Pollution Prevention and Control Act 1999 allows ministers to make regulations which, inter alia, impose conditions to be required in landfill permits. These conditions could include selective bans. These powers have already been exercised to make selective landfill bans in the Landfill (Scotland) Regulations 2003.

Furthermore, ministers may use the power in section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 1972 to make regulations implementing community obligations, or about matters relating to such obligations. The Waste Framework Directive (2008/98/EC) requires the prioritisation of prevention, re-use and recycling over other recovery and disposal. Selective bans may be a means of achieving the required prioritisation.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-24965 on 8 July 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/business/PQA/Default.aspx.