- Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 01 September 2008
-
Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 12 September 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive when it intends to reverse the ban on the docking of tails of working dogs.
Answer
The Scottish Government has no immediate plans to reverse the ban on the docking of tails of working dogs but has contributed £10,000 towards a UK case control study, to estimate the risk of tail injury to dogs. This is due to end in the spring of 2009. When the results of the study are known, consideration will be given as to whether the policy on tail docking needs to be reviewed.
- Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 01 September 2008
-
Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 12 September 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive by how much it estimates that the raven population has increased in the last 10 years.
Answer
The UK Breeding Bird Survey which undertakes counts in the breeding season in more than 3,000 one kilometre squares in the UK. Currently data exists from 1994 to 2007 and indicates long-term increase in raven numbers in the UK of more than 50%. The Scottish population is believed to have increased by 155% since 1994, though there is uncertainty surrounding this estimate. Independent lines of evidence support increase in numbers and range of ravens in Scotland, although the total population is still relatively small at about 2,500 to 6,000 breeding pairs.
- Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 01 September 2008
-
Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 12 September 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of raven predation on (a) other bird species and (b) lambs.
Answer
No direct assessment of the impact of raven predation on lambs has been undertaken by the Scottish Government or Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH). However, in view of the recent interest in raven predation, SNH, in conjunction with RSPB and the Aberdeen Centre for Environmental Sustainability, is carrying out an analysis of upland bird survey data to assess long term trends in particular species of bird and determine whether there is an association between changes in raven numbers and changes in the populations of upland breeding birds (especially breeding waders). The work is due to report by the end of this calendar year, with a final report, early in 2009.
SNH works closely with Scottish Government officials on raven predation and provides advice on licence applications to take or kill ravens causing serious damage to livestock, as part of an overall scaring regime. The Scottish Government has now made available a two-year licence in response to reported increases in raven attacks on livestock. A farmer holding a two-year licence will be able to deal with the problem as soon as it occurs without having to wait for a fresh application to be considered.
- Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 18 July 2008
-
Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 8 August 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting times are for hearing aids in each NHS board area, also broken down by parliamentary constituency.
Answer
Information on audiology average waiting times is not available centrally. Audiology waiting times will be included within the 18-week referral to treatment standards by 2011 and systems are being developed to report progress towards that target. Information Services Division of National Services Scotland will publish audiology waiting times from 1 April 2009.
- Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 July 2008
-
Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 5 August 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding it will allocate to the new entrants scheme for farmers in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2010-11.
Answer
Funding for measures within the Scotland rural development programme is allocated over the life of the programme (2007 to 2013) and not on an annual basis. The indicative financial breakdown includes £10 million for the new entrants measure.
- Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 July 2008
-
Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 5 August 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how many new entrants to farming there have been as a result of the new entrants scheme.
Answer
The new entrants measure, along with other measures included within Land Management Contracts - Rural Priorities, opened for submission of proposals in July 2008. It is too early, therefore, for the measure to have had a quantifiable impact on the number of new entrants to farming.
- Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 11 July 2008
-
Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 31 July 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what the value is of backlogged road repairs in each local authority, also broken down by parliamentary constituency.
Answer
This information is not held centrally. The Scottish Government provides local authorities with funding for roads and transport through the core local government finance settlement and each council is responsible for the maintenance and improvement of local roads in its area. It is entirely a matter for councils to decide what priority is given to local roads and to allocate resources accordingly.
- Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 July 2008
-
Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 24 July 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any concerns that Schedule 7 of the UK Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill which seeks to amend the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000 would undermine the protection given to adults with incapacity in Scotland, in particular the requirements relating to ethics committees which include the regulatory powers of a Scottish minister to prescribe particular matters which these ethics committees shall take into account when deciding to approve any research and what representations it has made to the UK Government on the matter.
Answer
No. The regulation of ethics committees in Scotland under the terms of The Adults with Incapacity (Ethics Committee) (Scotland) Regulations 2002, as amended, are unaffected.
The effect of the amendment excludes the adults with incapacity research consent provisions. The human fertilisation and embryology provisions will apply in such circumstances, thereby, avoiding the potential for two separate and different tests being applied. This approach does not undermine the regulatory powers of Scottish Ministers, with regards to the Adults with Incapacity Ethics Committee, and no representations have been made to the UK Government in this regard.
- Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 July 2008
-
Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 24 July 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the Scottish Parliament should have been consulted before proposals to amend the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000 were introduced through the UK Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill to enable the creation in vitro of human cloned embryos or human admixed embryos for research from cells originating in an adult with incapacity and without his or her express consent.
Answer
The content of the Human Tissue and Embryos (Draft) Bill is reserved and the associated amendments are consequential on the reserved purpose.
- Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 July 2008
-
Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 24 July 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made any representations to the UK Government to discuss the amendments to the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000 proposed in Schedule 7 of the UK Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill and what representations it plans to make on the matter before it is voted on.
Answer
The content of the Bill, including the amendments, is reserved. The amendments, while relating to the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000, are consequential to the reserved purpose of the Bill and do not, therefore, require a Legislative Consent Motion. Scottish Government officials have been asked by UK Government officials during the preparation of amendments to the Bill to clarify aspects of Scots Law in relation to areas such as adults with incapacity and the age of legal capacity (which is 16 in Scotland as opposed to 18 in England and Wales).
