- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 August 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 19 September 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-16509 by Rhona Brankin on 30 July 2001, how many licences applied for under section 16 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 were refused in each year since 1990.
Answer
Statistics of this kind covering enquiries, requests for advice and unsuccessful applications are not collated. Whilst some information may be retrievable from the relevant files, this would provide only an incomplete picture and would be likely to incur disproportionate costs.As indicated in previous answers, detailed records are held in relation to all licences which are issued under section 16 of the Act.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 August 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 19 September 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what the predators of red squirrels are; what action it plans to take in order to control such predators; whether there is any justification for issuing licenses to kill red squirrels and, if so, how many such licenses have been issued in each of the last 10 years.
Answer
Predators of red squirrels include domestic dogs and cats, some members of the weasel and stoat family and some birds of prey. The main threats to red squirrels come from competition from grey squirrels and from habitat loss and fragmentation. Predation is not significant in the context of efforts to conserve the red squirrel. No action is therefore planned against red squirrel predators. Licences to kill or take red squirrels can be issued in terms of section 16(3) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended). In each of the last 10 years the following licences have been issued:
| Licences Issued | Animals Killed/Taken |
1990-93 | nil | 0 |
1994 | 1 | 21 |
1995 | 1 | 23 |
1996 | 1 | 0 |
1997 | 1 | 0 |
1998-present | nil | 0 |
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 03 September 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 14 September 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what support it will provide for the disposal of venison carcasses and whether it will provide additional support for the marketing of Scottish wild venison throughout the UK.
Answer
My officials have met with industry representatives and the department is looking at detailed options along with the Deer Commission for Scotland to support carcass disposal should that prove necessary. The Executive has already approved funding for a wild venison marketing initiative within the UK through the Marketing Development Scheme and will consider further applications should the industry wish to do so.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 03 September 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Angus MacKay on 14 September 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how many civil service or non-departmental public body jobs have been relocated to Inverness since May 1999.
Answer
There has been no transfer of Scottish Executive posts to Inverness since May 1999.Information on the number of staff employed in non-departmental public bodies is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 03 September 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 14 September 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken or plans to take to address any animal welfare issues this autumn resulting from the animal movement restrictions and lack of auction sales and whether it will provide any assistance for the purchase of additional fodder or other purposes.
Answer
With the lifting of the small remaining infected area around Annan, the whole of Scotland now qualifies to be treated as foot-and-mouth disease free. This means that the movement and other controls which apply to our livestock sector are much less prohibitive than previously, allowing transactions by various means. Large numbers of livestock are now being moved as a result of private sales, video sales, sales by description and through collection centres and auction markets. In addition, the Livestock Welfare Disposal Scheme - Light Lambs should absorb large numbers of light and surplus lambs. In these circumstances I do not envisage the need to provide assistance for the purchase of additional fodder.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 03 September 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 13 September 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will support the campaign to relocate the Scottish Arts Council to Inverness.
Answer
The Executive's forthcoming quinquennial review of the Scottish Arts Council will consider and make recommendations to ministers on the most appropriate geographic location for that body.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 August 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 10 September 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how many dentists practising in Scotland are not entitled to any payment under the commitment payments scheme because of (a) not achieving the #25,000 earnings threshold or (b) not having completed 10 years of service and what the estimated cost would be of extending the commitment payments scheme to such persons.
Answer
In the year 2000-01, a total of 1,902 general dental practitioners in Scotland were eligible for consideration for commitment payments, subject to meeting the relevant commitment payments criteria. In 2000-01, an average of 139 dentists failed to meet the minimum gross earnings criteria of £25,000. An average of 45 dentists failed to meet the 10-year length of service criteria. An average of 33 dentists failed to meet both the minimum gross earnings criteria of £25,000 and the 10-year length of service criteria.In 2000-01, there would have been no additional cost of extending the scheme to such persons, as the commitment payment scheme for that year was subject to a cash limited budget of £20 million for Great Britain. The effect would have been to decrease the quarterly monies available to qualifying dentists.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 August 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 10 September 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the identities of all applicants for licences for the taking or destruction of ravens under section 16 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
Answer
Publication of the identities of applicants for licences to kill or take ravens under section 16 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 is exempt from the requirements of the Environmental Information Regulations 1992 and there are no plans to change this.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 August 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 10 September 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to amend the provisions of the Environmental Information Regulations 1992 to allow for the disclosure of names and addresses of applicants for licences to kill (a) red squirrels, (b) ravens, (c) pigeons and (d) sparrows.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has no such plans.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 August 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 10 September 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will promote the publication of information regarding control of pests including birds and whether such information will be placed in the public domain to enable those involved in land management to assess in what circumstances applications are likely to be granted in respect of particular species.
Answer
Control of pests under the Pests Act 1954 does not require a licence. Under The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which provides for the protection of all wild birds, four general licences are in force in Scotland which permit authorised persons to kill a range of birds referred to as pest species by certain means in certain circumstances. Individual licence applications in respect of these species are not required, but they are required under that Act for birds not covered by the four general licences.We intend to produce a range of pest control information leaflets which will be freely available.