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Official Report: search what was said in Parliament

The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.  

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Dates of parliamentary sessions
  1. Session 1: 12 May 1999 to 31 March 2003
  2. Session 2: 7 May 2003 to 2 April 2007
  3. Session 3: 9 May 2007 to 22 March 2011
  4. Session 4: 11 May 2011 to 23 March 2016
  5. Session 5: 12 May 2016 to 5 May 2021
  6. Current session: 12 May 2021 to 12 January 2025
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Displaying 2361 contributions

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Meeting of the Parliament

Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

Meeting date: 21 March 2024

Mark Ruskell

Will the member give way on that point?

Meeting of the Parliament

General Question Time

Meeting date: 21 March 2024

Mark Ruskell

The minister has just mentioned that the UK Government has delayed its clean heat market mechanism, which is a scheme that uses reserved powers to regulate the industry to increase the installations that we desperately need. That delay came after months of briefing and counter-briefing on whether the scheme was to be scrapped altogether. The minister has just highlighted the need for certainty and clarity in regulation. Does he feel that the UK Government is really providing that?

Meeting of the Parliament

Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

Meeting date: 21 March 2024

Mark Ruskell

I do not know whether Colin Smyth has recognised that the Greens are now a party of government. We have been influencing and working on the bill for some time, including in respect of the important provision of SSPCA powers that probably would not be in the bill had it not been for the Bute house agreement and the amazing work that the Government has done on the back of that.

Rural Affairs and Islands Committee

Petition

Meeting date: 20 March 2024

Mark Ruskell

You must surely know how many dogs have gone through your kennels in recent years. You have 40 now, so how many were there two years ago? How many dogs have been moved on over that time? We need to get a sense of the throughput of dogs.

Rural Affairs and Islands Committee

Petition

Meeting date: 20 March 2024

Mark Ruskell

Of the dogs that you pass on—you say that that is about 10 a year—how many have injuries? Do they all have injuries, or are some of them just too old and not fast enough?

Rural Affairs and Islands Committee

Petition

Meeting date: 20 March 2024

Mark Ruskell

Your opinion differs from that of the vets and cardiovascular specialists.

The GBGB figures show that there are also injuries and deaths at the track. Would you consider that level of injuries and deaths to be acceptable? Is that an acceptable risk for the dogs?

10:30  

Rural Affairs and Islands Committee

Petition

Meeting date: 20 March 2024

Mark Ruskell

The only way to get zero injuries and fatalities would be if we did not race the dogs on a curved track at 40mph.

Rural Affairs and Islands Committee

Petition

Meeting date: 20 March 2024

Mark Ruskell

Okay. I have a final set of questions about the number of dogs that are involved. George said earlier that he currently kennels 40 dogs. What is the throughput of dogs? How long would you normally keep a greyhound for? You mentioned that some dogs have become your family pets and are now living on the sofa. How many dogs come through the kennels from year to year? How many have come through your kennels in the past five years?

Rural Affairs and Islands Committee

Petition

Meeting date: 20 March 2024

Mark Ruskell

What is the length of a racing greyhound’s career? Is it a couple of years? Is it three to four years?

Rural Affairs and Islands Committee

Petition

Meeting date: 20 March 2024

Mark Ruskell

So, the dog is fit for rehoming but not fit for racing.