Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), which deals with all operational matters in relation to the Connected Communities project, has advised that following award of contracts for this project, a number of community champions liaised with the project team on behalf of their communities. The project team continues to consider views from all users of the Connected Communities service and currently liaises with the communities served by the project through community coordinators employed by the local authority, and through meetings with community councils.

Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), which deals with all operational matters in relation to the Connected Communities project, has advised me that 5% of households in the Northbay area of Barra have a working internet connection provided by the Connected Communities service, which is network-based. A further 21 orders in Northbay have still to be installed; once completed, the proportion will increase to 18%.

Since my meeting in Belfast on 16 March 2009 with Arlene Foster MLA, Northern Ireland Executive (NIE) Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment to discuss the way forward for this service, Scottish Government officials have maintained regular contact with their counterparts within the NIE. We are awaiting a decision from NIE ministers on their possible support for a Campbeltown to Ballycastle ferry service.

As Scottish ministers have previously stated, a commencement date for any service will depend on a number of factors, including reaching agreement with the Northern Ireland Executive (NIE) about the way forward, and the timing of any subsequent procurement process. However, since ministers are presently awaiting a decision from the NIE regarding their involvement in the proposed development of this ferry service, we are not yet in a position to make a definitive announcement on the future for this proposed service.

Scottish Government officials have fully investigated the possible availability of European funding in respect of the proposed Campbeltown to Ballycastle ferry service. Following these investigations it has been established that there are no EU funding programmes whose eligibility criteria would allow them to support this ferry service.

Draft guidance on the restoration of west coast rivers is in preparation by a consultant commissioned by the Tripartite Working Group, a voluntary partnership of Scottish Government, wild fishery and aquaculture interests. The Tripartite Working Group expects to publish this guidance on its website before the end of June.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-24235 on 4 June 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.

50% funding is available to fox destruction clubs to control foxes during the spring lambing season.

Currently support for eagles and other birds of prey is available through the Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP) Rural Priorities. There are options within SRDP which offer management support for golden eagles. These can be found at the following web reference http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Rural/SRDP/RuralPriorities/Packages/GoldenEagle.

There are currently no options in Rural Priorities designed specifically for sea eagles, though there is package guidance for these birds. This guidance can be found at the following web reference:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Rural/SRDP/RuralPriorities/Packages/SupportBiodiversity/Birds/WhiteTailedEagle.

Other predatory birds can benefit from a wide range of habitat management options but these do not have any conflict resolution or species specific management options. Management options supporting birds can be found at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Rural/SRDP/RuralPriorities/Packages/SupportBiodiversity/Birds.

There is also support for specific areas. In the West Highlands, Scottish Natural Heritage offers a West Highland Sea Eagle Management Scheme. This is available to land managers in Lochaber, Skye and Lochalsh and Wester Ross, who have land within the territory of breeding sea eagles, although in exceptional circumstances Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) has entered into agreements in other areas which are frequented by high numbers of juvenile birds. The original scheme closed in January 2008, but SNH re-opened the Scheme in spring 2009, for a period of one year and is offering one-year agreements.

In addition to the sea eagle management options, SNH offers a natural care scheme for the Cuillins golden eagle Special Protection Area (SPA). This management scheme is available to land managers who have land within Cuillins SPA. This scheme is now closed, but entrants entered into five-year Management Agreements with SNH. This scheme delivers habitat and biodiversity improvement, and does not have any prescriptions designed to reduce conflict with livestock management.

In Argyll a natural care scheme has been developed for Mull and more recently Appin. The Mull Eagle Scheme offers support to hill farmers on Mull who have sea eagles and/or golden eagles on their land.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on fox numbers. It supports fox destruction clubs across Scotland, and has resisted calls to ban snaring, focussing instead on the improving of standards in the operation of snares.