- Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 8 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will work with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to apply a blue zone designation to Scotland, in light of its bluetongue disease-free status, in order to distinguish it from infected areas and to prevent diseased animals from coming into the country.
Answer
The Scottish Government is very supportive of the principal of preventative vaccination in combination with protection from imports and welcomes the proposals for blue zones. However, the EU legislation is not yet in force and there remain some concerns regarding the practicalities of implementing the new zone.
The European Commission has agreed to look again at the surveillance and trade requirements in January. The Scottish Government will be studying the detail closely and will work with other UK Administrations to determine how this development can best be used to support Scotland''s interests.
- Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 8 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will review the fallen stock scheme.
Answer
A review of the National Fallen Stock Scheme has already been undertaken by Mr Bob Bansback, on behalf of all the UK Rural Affairs Departments, and was completed in August 2008.
Following discussions with ministers, the Board of the National Fallen Stock Company intends to consult stakeholder groups on possible future ownership models and structures in the early part of 2009.
- Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 08 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 18 December 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to lease 25% of the publicly-owned forest estate to private foreign timberland investment companies and, if so, whether it has consulted the 21,046 respondents to the Scottish Climate Change Bill consultation or invited them to comment on such plans.
Answer
Offering management leases and cutting rights is a potential option for releasing capital from the national forest estate which could be used to fund woodland creation projects to help mitigate climate change. This option is included in a public consultation currently being carried out on
Climate Change and the National Forest Estate. The consultation closes on 27 January 2009. All responses will be carefully considered and will be taken into account as part of a wider options review being carried out by Forestry Commission Scotland
. The consultation exercise and options review will help inform Forestry Commission Scotland''s deliberations on the detail of lease arrangements, should the leasing option be taken forward. The consultation document is on the website at http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/INFD-7KUMVM and is open to anyone to submit comments.
- Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 08 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 18 December 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive to whom it plans to lease 25% of the publicly-owned forest estate to if it does not plan to lease it to private foreign timberland investment companies.
Answer
Offering management leases and cutting rights is a potential option for releasing capital from the national forest estate which could be used to fund woodland creation projects to help mitigate climate change. This option is included in a public consultation currently being carried out on
Climate Change and the National Forest Estate http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/INFD-7KUMVM. The consultation closes on 27 January 2009. All responses will be carefully considered and will be taken into account as part of a wider options review being carried out by Forestry Commission Scotland.
The consultation exercise and options review will help inform Forestry Commission Scotland''s deliberations on the detail of lease arrangements, should the leasing option be taken forward.
- Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 08 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 18 December 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has been approached by or has had discussions with private foreign timberland investment companies wishing to buy or lease the most commercially-viable forested land.
Answer
The Scottish Government has not held any discussions with private foreign timberland investment companies regarding buying or leasing parts of the nation forest estate arising from the present consultation on the climate change bill.
- Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 November 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 4 December 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure the sustainable management of forests if full management and cutting rights over at least 25% of the national forest estate are leased to large timberland investment companies.
Answer
Offering management leases and cutting rights is a potential option for releasing capital from the national forest estate which could be used to fund woodland creation projects to help mitigate climate change. This option is included in a public consultation currently being carried out on climate change and the National Forest Estate
http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/INFD-7KUMVM.
The consultation period closes on 27 January 2009. All responses will be carefully considered and will be taken into account as part of a wider options review being carried out by Forestry Commission Scotland.
If any leases are offered as a result of the review, the woodlands will remain subject to the UK Forestry Standard and the supporting guidelines which are based on the principles of sustainable forest management.
- Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 November 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 4 December 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what impact it considers there would be on the retention of jobs and skills in Forestry Commission Scotland as a result of the long-term leasing out of full management and cutting rights over at least 25% of the national forest estate to large timberland investment companies.
Answer
Offering management leases and cutting rights is a potential option for releasing capital from the national forest estate which could be used to fund woodland creation projects to help mitigate climate change. This option is included in a public consultation currently being carried out on Climate Change and the National Forest Estate
http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/INFD-7KUMVM.
The consultation period closes on 27 January 2009. All responses will be carefully considered and will be taken into account as part of a wider options review being carried out by Forestry Commission Scotland.
It is therefore too soon to say what, if any, impact there will be on Forestry Commission staff. If the leasing/cutting rights option does go ahead, there will be no compulsory redundancies and any jobs that move would be subject to the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations. The commission has a work force with a wide and varied range of skills and we do not intend to weaken that skill base.
- Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 November 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 4 December 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how many Forestry Commission Scotland jobs it considers would be put at risk through the long-term leasing out of full management and cutting rights over at least 25% of the national forest estate to large timberland investment companies.
Answer
Offering management leases and cutting rights is a potential option for releasing capital from the national forest estate which could be used to fund woodland creation projects to help mitigate climate change. This option is included in a public consultation currently being carried out on climate change and the National Forest Estate
http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/INFD-7KUMVM.
The consultation period closes on 27 January 2009. All responses will be carefully considered and will be taken into account as part of a wider options review being carried out by Forestry Commission Scotland.
It is therefore too soon to say what (if any) impact there will be on Forestry Commission staff. If the leasing/cutting rights option does go ahead, there will be no compulsory redundancies and any jobs that move would be subject to the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations.
- Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 November 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 4 December 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what assurances it can provide that forests will not be jeopardised as recreational resources as a result of the long-term leasing of full management and cutting rights over at least 25% of the national forest estate to large timberland investment companies.
Answer
Offering management leases and cutting rights is a potential option for releasing capital from the national forest estate which could be used to fund woodland creation projects to help mitigate climate change. This option is included in a public consultation currently being carried out on climate change and the National Forest Estate
http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/INFD-7KUMVM.
The consultation period closes on 27 January 2009. All responses will be carefully considered and will be taken into account as part of a wider options review being carried out by Forestry Commission Scotland.
If any leases are offered as a result of the review, they will include terms which safeguard the interests of existing stakeholders such as recreational users. Lessees will, of course, also be subjected to legal requirements such as the right of responsible access.
- Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 November 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 4 December 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to support biomass initiatives while allowing the long-term leasing of full management and cutting rights over at least 25% of the national forest estate to large timberland investment companies.
Answer
Offering management leases and cutting rights is a potential option for releasing capital from the national forest estate which could be used to fund woodland creation projects to help mitigate climate change. This option is included in a public consultation currently being carried out on climate change and the National Forest Estate
http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/INFD-7KUMVM.
The consultation period closes on 27 January 2009. All responses will be carefully considered and will be taken into account as part of a wider options review being carried out by Forestry Commission Scotland.
We remain fully committed to supporting biomass initiatives and this commitment will be an important element in the review.
