The amount paid by self-funding residents is a private matter between them and the care home provider irrespective of whether it is an independent or local authority care home.

The level of payment for an older person funded by a local authority in a care home in the independent sector is agreed annually between the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and the independent sector.

The following table provides information on the number of cancellation of registration notices served by the Care Commission/Care Inspectorate to service providers in each of the last five years.

Notes:

The Care Inspectorate was established on 1 April 2011.

The closure of a service is a last resort and generally the Care Inspectorate tries to work with providers on required improvement actions.

The number of applications made to the sheriff by the Care Commission/Care Inspectorate for cancellation of registration, and granted, in each of the last five years, is as follows.

Notes:

These applications are rare as the statutory test is an onerous one - the application may not be granted unless the sheriff is satisfied that unless the order is made, there will be a serious risk to the life, health or wellbeing of persons.

It should also be noted that some care services have cancelled their registrations voluntarily when they became aware that the Care Inspectorate intended to apply to the sheriff for cancellation of their registration.

The information requested is available from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 54990).

Police reform has delivered an enhanced structure for wildlife crime officers in Scotland which involves 14 Wildlife Crime Liaison Officers, a Sergeant as a National Coordinator and a Portfolio Lead at Superintendent level. This structure will deliver better coordination and communication. Ultimately however, it is a matter for the Chief Constable to allocate and prioritise resources in relation to operational policing needs.

The Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime (PAW) Scotland delivered £200,000 to wildlife crime projects, via Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), looking specifically at prevention, intelligence and enforcement. This 2 year funded project ended in 2011 but currently SNH are looking to fund further projects through their grant in aid schemes and this will also be advertised by PAW Scotland.

The Scottish Government also part-fund the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) and funding for 2013-14 in the sum of £45,000 was confirmed this year. Additionally, a Scottish Investigative Support Officer post in the NWCU has been funded by Scottish Government, SNH and Police Scotland with a key focus on both Raptor and Freshwater Pearl Mussel Persecution as key Scottish priorities.

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) created a team of specialist Wildlife and Environmental prosecutors in August 2011. The benefits that this specialism has brought include improved consistency, close working relationships with specialist investigators, early intervention in complex cases, improved reporting of wildlife crime to COPFS and the improving quality of prosecutions.

In the Scottish Government the management of wildlife crime policy and PAW Scotland is dealt with by 1.5 full time equivalent (FTE) staff in the Environment and Forestry Directorate.

The Agriculture, Food and Rural Communities (AFRC) Directorate complete approximately 1200 land based and often remote, inspections each year. Inspectors are aware of wildlife legislation and suspected incidents of wildlife crime are forwarded to wildlife crime officers.

Marine Scotland has 103 Marine Enforcement Officers who have compliance monitoring and enforcement obligations and certain statutory responsibilities for marine nature conservation issues. Marine Scotland also has three patrol vessels and two fixed wing surveillance aircraft, one of which has recently been equipped to carry out bird survey work.

SNH have lead contacts in their seven operational areas within Scotland who have a coordinating role for the local involvement in combatting wildlife crime. They work closely with the police and the network of area officers whose field staff are in regular contact with land managers. Centrally there are between 1 and 2 FTE posts whose work can touch on wildlife crime.

As wildlife crime issues can surface anywhere as field staff or others go about their day-to-day activities, it is not possible to estimate the full resource in this area that may be deployed at any given time.

The Aquaculture and Fisheries (Scotland) Bill does not contain any specific measures to protect Freshwater Pearl Mussels (FWPM).

The Freshwater Pearl Mussel is protected as follows:

(a) Under the Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2011, developers must obtain all relevant consents and local planning authorities must consult relevant regulatory bodies prior to any authorisation being granted for development where there is the potential to cause significant adverse effects to the water environment and its ecology such as the FWPM, including building or other engineering works, water abstractions or the discharges of pollutants.

(b), The freshwater pearl mussel has been protected from illegal fishing for pearls since 1991, when it was added to Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

The Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2011, introduced by the Scottish Government, requires that both local planning authorities consult relevant regulatory bodies, and that developers obtain all relevant consents, prior to the authorisation of or the carrying out of development work in rivers.

A range of measures are in place to tackle crime affecting the freshwater pearl mussel. The Scottish Investigative Support Officer (SISO) of the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) is active in identifying intelligence and raising awareness of intelligence opportunities that may lead towards enforcement action.

In 2012 the SISO led an operation to explore whether the jewellery trade was an outlet for illegally acquired freshwater pearls. Results indicated that the pearls were going elsewhere, hence further work, in partnership with UK Border Force, is being undertaken to explore whether the pearls are bound for overseas’ markets.

In conjunction with PAW Scotland organisations, agreements have been reached whereby landowners, ghillies, bailiffs and gamekeepers working land adjoining pearl mussel rivers, will report suspicious behaviour to the NWCU.

The Scottish Government has funded ongoing research into forensic techniques, including DNA and stable isotopes, which it is hoped will greatly assist the Police in pearl mussel crime investigations.

Police Scotland and the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency are working together to ensure any case of river works or pollution that disturb freshwater mussels are fully investigated and, where sufficient evidence exists, reported to the Crown Office. Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) will be undertaking a survey of a number of pearl mussel rivers in 2013-14 and any information regarding potential criminality will be forwarded to Police Scotland for consideration.

SNH has secured European funding for three years for a seasonal staff member to deliver education, patrol rivers and liaise with the community regarding the protection of pearl mussels. It is anticipated that this position will work closely with the SISO and Police Scotland regarding intelligence and enforcement opportunities. SNH, NWCU and Police Scotland are also working together to distribute awareness raising material to relevant divisional wildlife crime liaison officers across North and West Scotland.