Chamber and committees

Scottish ministers are currently examining the options available for taking the Gourock to Dunoon route forward. Until such time as a decision has been reached, The Scottish Government has no plans to vary the frequency restrictions on this route.

The Scottish Government does not subsidise commercial or private game shooting. If estates also undertake appropriate agricultural or environmental measures, they may be supported if the eligibility conditions, which apply to all farmers and crofters, are met. However, it may be helpful to know that all payments issued under the following subsidy schemes from 2005 to 2007 are published online at a business level:

Single Farm Payment Scheme (SFPS);

Scottish Beef Calf Scheme (SBCS);

Energy Crop Scheme (ECS);

Protein Crop Premium Scheme (PCP);

Nuts Aid Scheme, and

Land Management Contract Menu Scheme (LMCMU).

These details can be accessed using the following link:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Agriculture/grants/LatestPayments/Introduction.

Figures are not available for the value of wildlife-watching tourism to the Scottish economy as a whole. For the Highlands and Islands area only, research in 2005 estimated that a net annual expenditure of £84.5 million and the equivalent of 1,651 full-time jobs were supported by wildlife tourism. Further information on this study is available at http://www.greentourism.org.uk.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-12228 on 1 May 2008. 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/webapp/wa.search.

Consultation on the second set of implementation plans (2008-10) for the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy concluded in March 2008. These will be finalised shortly and taken forward by the Scottish Government in partnership with Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Forestry Commission Scotland and Scottish Natural Heritage, the relevant statutory organisations charged with managing the natural environment, and with non-government organisations. In the case of the public agencies, this will be funded through existing programmes and resources as determined by the spending review.

A report produced in 2006 called Shooting Sport, findings of an economic and environmental survey by Public and Corporate Economic Consultants (PACEC) estimated that the annual value of sport shooting to the economy in Scotland was £240 million.

Under the Cross Compliance regime, land managers must not deliberately or recklessly capture, injure or kill any European Protected Species as provided for by Regulation 39 of the (Natural Habitats, & c.) Regulations 1994, as amended by the Conservation (Natural Habitats, & c.) Amendment (Scotland) Regulations 2007. Schedule 2 of the same legislation provides a list the European Protected Species, including the common otter. In addition, a land manager must not use any methods listed in Regulation 41, paragraphs (3) to (5) of the same legislation, for the purpose of taking or killing any species listed in Schedule 3, including the mountain hare. Scottish ministers take the view that the use of snares would fall within one of the methods specifically prohibited and that a licence under the 1994 Regulations would be required. However, this view has not been tested in the courts.

Cross Compliance dependant support scheme payments could be reduced if it is established that a land manager is responsible for a negligent or intentional act or omission leading to the deliberate or reckless capture injure or kill any European Protected Species (including the common otter) or the use of a prohibited method to take or killing any species listed in Schedule 3 (including the mountain hare) without a licence.

I have received 7,182 representations since May 2007 expressing the view that snaring should be banned in Scotland.

I have received 7,192 representations since May 2007 in respect of snaring

The Scottish Government is committed to halting the loss of Scotland''s biodiversity by 2010. It will continue to work in partnership with Scottish Natural Heritage, Forestry Commission Scotland and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and with non-government organisations to achieve this. In the case of the public agencies , this will be funded through existing programmes and resources as determined by the Spending Review. Although there are pressures for funding under the Scotland Rural Development Programme 2007-13 we are confident that biodiversity objectives will be met within the overall budget of some £1.6 billion.