- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 20 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 31 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will consult on a liability regime for contamination by genetically modified crops.
Answer
The Scottish Executive will be issuing a consultation on proposals for managing the coexistence of GM, conventional and organic crops in the spring. Included as part of this consultation will be options for providing compensation to non-GM farmers who suffer financial loss.
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 20 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 31 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care’s letter of 22 January 2005 to me in respect of the Scottish Executive Health Department’s representation on the UK Government Stakeholder Advisory Group on Electric and Magnetic Fields (SAGE), what issues of particular concern to Scotland have been brought to the attention of SAGE.
Answer
The aim of the SAGE process is to allow stakeholders to consider implications for a precautionary approach to power frequency electric and magnetic fields and make practical recommendations for precautionary measures. While issues of current public concern feature in these considerations, there is no intention that the work of the main SAGE group or of its current Working Groups should include specific focus on issues of particular concern to Scotland or any other particular part of the UK.
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 23 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 27 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will submit a formal response to the UK Government’s Energy Review and, if not, how it will contribute to the review.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is already engaged in the UK Energy Review and I have confirmed to the Scottish Parliament that we will respond to it.
I will also maintain regular contact with the UK energy minister Malcolm Wicks, and my officials will continue to be involved during the review in regular discussions and meetings with the DTI-led review team.
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 27 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21559 by Rhona Brankin on 21 December 2005, what activities apart from trapping for the purposes of relocation or killing each of the 30 licences issued under the Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994 in relation to otters permitted.
Answer
The licences referred to above were issued for a variety of purposes and include disturbance of otters and the destruction and repair of holts.
The licences have now been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) (Bib. number 38705), and each licence details the activities permitted under the licence, the purpose for the licence, as well as its time period. As amendment and extension licences have been included, the number of licences placed in the SPICe totals 44.
Information which could lead to the identification of individual persons, or locations of otter holts becoming known, has been taken out of the licences for data protection purposes under the terms of the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004.
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 27 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21559 by Rhona Brankin on 21 December 2005, to what time period and area of land each of the 30 licences issued under the Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994 in relation to otters applied.
Answer
The licences have now been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) (Bib. number 38705), and each licence details the activities permitted under the licence, the purpose for the licence, as well as its time period. As amendment and extension licences have been included, the number of licences placed in the SPICe totals 44.
Licences are not issued for areas of land, but for locations.
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 26 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21559 by Rhona Brankin on 21 December 2005, how many of the 30 licences issued under the Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994 in relation to otters licensed trapping for the purpose of relocation or killing.
Answer
One licence was issued in 2004 to trap and relocate an otter in order to prevent serious damage to domestic poultry. The licence was ultimately not exercised as the otter did not re-appear at the site for which the licence was granted.
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 26 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21559 by Rhona Brankin on 21 December 2005, how many of the 30 licences issued under the Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994 in relation to otters resulted in trapping for the purpose of relocation or killing.
Answer
None of the 30 licences mentioned above resulted in trapping for the purpose of relocation or killing.
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 26 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21559 by Rhona Brankin on 21 December 2005, whether it will provide a breakdown of the numbers of each species listed that were killed under the licences issued.
Answer
With reference to S2W-21599, the number of mountain hares killed under Scottish Executive licences since the year 2000 is 258. These licences were issued to prevent the spread of disease.
The Executive has no knowledge of any other species having been killed under the licences to which the question relates.
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 24 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21559 by Rhona Brankin on 21 December 2005, whether it is aware of any killing of mountain hare, other than under the licences specified.
Answer
It is known that the shooting of mountain hares takes place in Scotland. In terms of Article 15 of the Habitats Directive, it is only an offence to kill a mountain hare using an indiscriminate means of killing capable of causing the local disappearance of, or serious disturbance to, the species. Shooting mountain hares does not constitute such an indiscriminate means.
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 24 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21559 by Rhona Brankin on 21 December 2005, how its consideration of applications for licences, the issuing of licences for killing mountain hares and pine martens and any other measures it has in place meet the requirements of the Habitats Directive.
Answer
In its consideration of such licence applications, and the issuing of any such licences, the Executive takes account of the three tests outlined in Article 16 of the Directive.
These tests are:
That any licence issued is for a purpose outlined in Article 16 of the Directive;
that there is no other satisfactory solution, and
that the granting of a licence will not be detrimental to maintaining the population of the species concerned at a favourable conservation status in their natural range.
