Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government continues to support women to breastfeed as the normal nutrition for babies. That is why we have been working to improve the quality of support through a number of initiatives, including our commitment in the Programme for Government 2017 “to increase resources for breastfeeding to support mothers, particularly in the days immediately following birth, and supporting the Maternal and Infant Nutrition Framework”.

The Scottish Government’s Maternal and Infant Nutrition Framework (2011) outlines the measures that should be taken by all organisations working with families to ensure that every parent is supported to give their baby the very best nutritional start in life and ask NHS Boards to report annually on progress.

It is for each NHS Board to plan services to meet the needs of its population. Most health boards have infant feeding advisors and/or peer support coordinators who will provide support to mothers, regardless of the choices the mothers make in how they feed their infants.

The Scottish Government is committed to supporting breastfeeding by new mothers through a range of activities which include:

• The publication of the Improving Maternal and Infant Nutrition: A Framework for Action (2011). As part of the implementation of the Framework the Scottish Government appointed a National Maternal and Infant Nutrition Co-ordinator to coordinate the breastfeeding improvement activity and to link with other partners across Scotland and the rest of the UK.
• The Scottish Government launched a replacement of the previous Feedgood factor website in June 2016. http://www.feedgood.scot
• The Scottish Government also provides funding to support the National Breastfeeding Helpline. http://www.nationalbreastfeedinghelpline.org.uk/ and other third sector organisations such as the NCT, to offer peer support in the community
• The Scottish Government supported the development of the “Off to a Good Start” booklet http://www.healthscotland.com/documents/120.aspx published by NHS Health Scotland and provided to all new mothers early in their pregnancy.

These activities are monitored through regular reporting with each organisation as well as national statistics. We also recently commissioned a National Maternal and Infant Nutrition Survey and this will be used to identify key areas to focus activity and drive improvement.

The Scottish Government welcomes any constructive proposals from oppositions members, including on workforce planning. However, as yet, the Scottish Government has not been approached by the Scottish Labour Party’s Health and Social Care Workforce Commission.

The Scottish Government has produced three comprehensive workforce plans - which involved the input of stakeholders.

There is no building or planning legislation regulating the distance that a public lamppost can be from a private dwelling.

Local roads authorities have a statutory duty under the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 (the 1984 Act) to provide and maintain lighting for roads which are maintained by them.

The 1984 Act does not stipulate any minimum distances from private dwellings. It provides that lighting may be attached to rails, walls or buildings fronting or abutting the road, provided 28 days’ notice is given to the owner or occupier of any affected land.

Under the terms of Class 29 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (Scotland) Order 1992, development authorised by an Act of Parliament or the Scottish Parliament is deemed to have planning permission, and so no planning application is required regarding the location of street lighting.

It would be for the relevant roads authority to consider the location of any street lighting, taking into account the impact on local residents, while ensuring that they comply with their statutory obligations.

The Scottish Government has taken a number of actions to protect birds of prey from persecution. These include:

• Introduced vicarious liability so that landowners can be held responsible for crimes against wild birds committed by their employees;
• Set up a poisons disposal scheme to remove poisons used to kill wild birds;
• Introduced restrictions on licences for those operating on land where it is suspected that wildlife crime has taken place;
• Commissioned a report into the disappearance of satellite-tagged golden eagles, which showed that of around one third which have disappeared in suspicious circumstances many were in clusters on or near driven grouse moorland;
• Set up an independent group to examine options for regulating grouse shooting businesses, including the possibility of licensing this activity;
• Provided financial support through Scottish Natural Heritage to fund over £100,000 of satellite-tagging work since 2009;
• Provided finance for an additional wildlife crime detective post at the National Crime Campus;
• Provided finance for a pilot project of a new group of Special Constables recruited and trained to tackle wildlife crime in the Cairngorms National Park, which will be rolled out across Scotland if the pilot is successful;
• Police Scotland have senior officers responsible for overseeing work against wildlife crime. They also have wildlife crime liaison officers in every police division in Scotland, plus more than 100 officers with wildlife crime training;
• The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service has a dedicated Wildlife and Environmental Crimes Unit with experienced prosecutors tackling wildlife crime;
• Provided ongoing funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU);
• Provided ongoing funding through the Partnership Against Wildlife Crime Scotland to support the RSPB Investigations Team;
• Recently announced the successful outcome of research work carried out by the Scottish Police Authority, Scottish Government and University of Strathclyde which will enable recovery of human DNA from traps and baits intended for raptors;
• Supported new work at Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture to develop databases of golden eagle and hen harrier DNA, which will help investigate wildlife crime.

The reintroduced white-tailed eagle population has been closely monitored by the RSPB and volunteers since the first birds were released. Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) continues to jointly fund an East Scotland Sea Eagle Officer post with the RSPB. This post monitors the settlement of the most recently released white-tailed eagles in East Scotland and also new pairs from elsewhere that settle in the East of Scotland.

All the white-tailed eagles released in East Scotland were radio-tagged and are monitored. Since breeding of white-tailed eagles recommenced in East Scotland in 2013, nearly all of the fledged birds have been fitted with satellite or radio tags to allow their movements to be monitored and potential persecution incidents to be identified. In 2016, SNH provided a grant to RSPB for £7,000 for three satellite tags to be fitted to white-tailed eagles in the East of Scotland.

Guidance has been drawn up with the forestry industry on how to manage forests around White-tailed Eagles. Details can be found at the following link https://www.forestry.gov.uk/pdf/fcpn101.pdf/$file/fcpn101.pdf .

Potential risks to white-tailed eagles from action to prevent livestock predation are managed under the national White-tailed Eagle Action Plan: its steering group comprises SNH, RSPB, Scottish Government’s Agricultural Policy Delivery Division, National Farmers Union Scotland, Forestry Commission Scotland and Scotland’s Rural College.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-16100 on 10 May 2018, for action taken to reduce deaths of birds of prey caused by illegal persecution. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877 .

Following the publication of a Scottish Government-commissioned report in May 2017 into the disappearances of satellite-tagged golden eagles, the Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform announced a package of further measures to tackle wildlife crime.

These included setting up an independently-led group to examine how to ensure that grouse shooting businesses are sustainable and comply with the law. The group has been asked to examine options for regulation, including the possibility of licensing grouse shooting businesses.

The independent group has now been established and has held three meetings, on 16 January, 12 April and 9 May 2018. The group is due to report to the Cabinet Secretary by Spring 2019 and the Scottish Government will then consider any recommendations made by the Group.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-15737 on 10 May 2018. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx .

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-15737 on‎ 10 May 2018. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx .