Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S3W-23416

Asked by: Robin Harper, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 April 2009
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 12 May 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what evidence it used as the basis of its statement in a press release of 23 April 2009, regarding the decline of common seals, that “predation by killer whales is a factor round the Northern Isles whilst competition for food supplies with the larger and more numerous grey seals is likely to be a significant factor across Scotland as a whole”.

Question reference: S3W-23415

Asked by: Robin Harper, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 April 2009
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 12 May 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what evidence it used as the basis of its statement in a press release of 23 April 2009, regarding the decline in common seals, that “It is already clear that local shooting and disease do not explain the significant reductions reported”.

In respect of local shooting, scientific advice is that other factors are contributing to the common seal decline. There have been no reports of seal carcasses or seal shooting on the scale required in the areas most affected by the decline. In addition, shooting should equally impact on grey seals but these show no signs of a similar decline. In relation to disease, the latest research carried out to date provides no support for this.

Question reference: S3W-23419

Asked by: Robin Harper, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 April 2009
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 12 May 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to address the animal welfare concerns in the report, A Seal’s Fate: The animal welfare implications of shooting seals in Scotland, regarding the shooting of seals (a) during their breeding seasons, (b) while they are in the water, (c) from boats or other unstable platforms and (d) without killing them outright.

Question reference: S3W-23418

Asked by: Robin Harper, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 April 2009
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 12 May 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to respond to the statement in the Special Committee on Seals report for 2008 that “We also know very little about the number of seals shot by fin fish farmers and this information is important for the purpose of seal population management and also to help develop mitigation that is appropriate to the conservation status of seals”.

Question reference: S3W-23412

Asked by: Robin Harper, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 April 2009
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 12 May 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what the publication date was of the Special Committee on Seals report for 2008.

Question reference: S3W-23414

Asked by: Robin Harper, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 April 2009
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 12 May 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what stage any research into predation by killer whales on common seals has reached.

Question reference: S3W-22957

Asked by: Robin Harper, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 April 2009
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 11 May 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will introduce legislation similar to the US Marine Debris Research, Prevention and Reduction Act 2006 to deal with marine and coastal debris.

Question reference: S3W-22958

Asked by: Robin Harper, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 April 2009
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 11 May 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps Marine Scotland and other relevant authorities are taking to tackle the problem of marine debris.

The prevention and control of marine pollution is an issue reserved to the UK under the Merchant Shipping Act 1995.

The Scottish Government supports a range of initiatives to help tackle the general problem of litter, including the KIMO Fishing for Litter project and the new Scottish Bathing Water Litter Grant Scheme run by Keep Scotland Beautiful which aims to encourage communities to carry out clean ups of beaches close to bathing waters, to run litter prevention campaigns or support and promote community action with a focus on reducing marine and coastal litter pollution.

The Environmental Protection Act 1990 places a duty on various bodies to clear litter from their land above the high water mark. The Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse provides practical guidance on the discharge of duties imposed on duty bodies by The Environmental Protection Act 1990 to keep land, including beaches, clear of litter and refuse.

Question reference: S3W-22956

Asked by: Robin Harper, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 April 2009
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 11 May 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will implement a marine and coastal litter strategy led by Marine Scotland or another appropriate agency, as advocated by the Marine Conservation Society.

Marine Scotland will lead the Scottish Government''s input to EU work on achieving Good Environmental Status under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive including the marine litter aspects.

The Scottish Government is supporting a range of initiatives and taking action both to prevent and to deal with the consequences of marine and coastal litter and expects local authorities and other bodies to continue to work together to take action to tackle the problem.

Question reference: S3W-23186

Asked by: Robin Harper, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 April 2009
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 7 May 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what play facilities and opportunities will be created as part of the new infrastructure for the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

The 2014 Commonwealth Games will result in the provision of a range of new facilities in addition to the seventy per cent of venues that are already in place.

Four new permanent venues are scheduled to be built: the National Indoor Sports Arena, the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, Cathkin Braes Mountain Biking Course and the SECC Cultural and Entertainment Arena. In addition to the new venues, permanent enhancements will be made to several existing venues which are in public ownership.

The new and enhanced venues will leave a permanent legacy of excellent facilities for use by schools, clubs and the community after the games. In some cases venues are scheduled to be ready for use by the public before the games - Cathkin Braes in 2009 and the NISA and Velodrome in 2012.

Our legacy ambitions for the games include increasing participation in physical activity and sport. However, this is not solely reliant upon the provision of new facilities as we will also make the best use of a wide range of existing indoor and outdoor facilities, including sports centres, pitches, parks, cycle-paths and natural resources such as woodlands, waterways and our rural environment.

This broad approach will allow us to improve links between existing local clubs, to encourage the creation of new clubs and groups and provide more opportunities for people to take part in different physical activities and sports and, indeed, encourage play amongst young people. Thus, we will seek to ensure that there is something to suit people of all ages, abilities and interests.

In partnership with COSLA and sportscotland we will develop a network of community sport hubs that build on existing good practice. Community sports hubs will aim to strengthen multi-sport provision, coach development and local clubs and will work to bring clubs in the community together across Scotland. This is a very flexible model which can be shaped to suit local circumstances in both urban and rural environments and is underpinned by quality support services and access to affordable facilities, either on-site or within easy reach by public transport.