Chamber and committees

It is not our policy to eradicate Japanese knotweed in Scotland or to eradicate it from all publicly-owned land. That effort would be prohibitively expensive and is unlikely to be successful.

Where Japanese knotweed has been reported as causing a problem on land owned by Scottish ministers we will consider options for treatment or eradication. Where it is reported on local authority land, the local authority is responsible for assessing what should be done.

The Scottish Government has designated Disease Management Areas based on separation distances, tidal excursions and other epidemiological disease risk factors. Disease management area 16d includes the Seil/Shuna/Melfort loch system as well as the Loch Craignish system. This is considered as one single area for the purposes of disease management.

The Seil/Shuna/Melfort loch system forms part of a Farm Management Area, area M40 as designated in the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation’s Code of Good Practice. The Aquaculture and Fisheries Act 2013 requires fish farmers to be party to a farm management agreement or to maintain a farm management statement which must contain provisions about the following matters – fish health management, management of parasites, live fish movements, harvesting and fallowing.

We are aware that some researchers have suggested that there may be harmful health impacts arising from exposure to low frequency noise.

The Scottish Government receives expert evidence-based advice on environmental public health issues from Health Protection Scotland, our national health protection experts, and also from Public Health England. Both organisations also draw on the advice of expert subject-specific committees.

In 2010 the independent Advisory Group on Non-Ionising Radiation considered the issue of health effects of exposure to ultrasound and infrasound. The group found that there was no evidence that infrasound levels normally encountered in the environment would lead to vibroacoustic disease, and also found that the suggested disease itself had not gained clinical recognition.

Peer-reviewed evidence published since the group's report does not alter that report’s conclusions. Individuals who are concerned about their symptoms should consult their GP.

Information on how many people in Scotland have vibroacoustic disease is not collected centrally.

In 2010 the independent Advisory Group on Non-Ionising Radiation considered the issue of health effects of exposure to ultrasound and infrasound. The group found that there was no evidence that infrasound levels normally encountered in the environment would lead to vibroacoustic disease, and also found that the suggested disease itself had not gained clinical recognition.

Peer-reviewed evidence published since the group's report does not alter that report’s conclusions. Individuals who are concerned about their symptoms should consult their GP.

We have committed to consulting on the Scottish Law Commission’s Report on Adults with Incapacity. The report covers compliance of the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000 with Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights, specifically in relation to deprivation of liberty issues. It is anticipated that a consultation paper will issue around the end of 2015, and it will be open to anyone with an interest to respond. Thereafter, a scoping exercise will follow in relation to a wider review of the adults with incapacity legislation.

Section 18(2) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 as amended requires the Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland to carry out local consultations, and to take any representations made to it into consideration, in conducting any reviews of local government electoral arrangements. Such consultations will be conducted before the commission submits any proposals for change arising from such reviews to ministers.

Section 19 of the 1973 Act provides that the commission may cause a local inquiry to be held in respect to any review carried out by it. Decisions on whether to hold any such inquiries are a matter for the commission. In addition, under section 210 of the 1973 Act as amended ministers may cause a local inquiry to be held before making any order arising from proposals submitted to them by the commission. A decision as to whether to hold such an inquiry in relation to proposals for Argyll and Bute or for any other area would only be taken by ministers after they had received any proposals for that area from the commission.

The Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland is independent of the Scottish Government. The commission has carried out a series of consultations on its proposals for changes to local government electoral arrangements in the 32 Scottish council areas, including Argyll and Bute. The last of those consultations, a public consultation on proposals for ward boundaries, closed on 22 October 2015. The commission will now consider the responses to those consultations and submit its proposals to ministers.

The Scottish Government has passed to the Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland all concerns it has received about the commission's proposals for Argyll and Bute, including about the proposed loss of the name of Cowal for an electoral area.

The Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 as amended sets out how the Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland is to conduct reviews of local government arrangements, including specifying matters to which the commission is required to have regard in conducting such reviews. Within that framework it is for the commission to decide how it will conduct reviews, including what matters they will take into account in producing any proposals arising from such reviews. Decisions on whether to implement proposals produced by the commission, including any proposed changes to ward boundaries, will be taken by the Scottish Ministers.