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Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S5W-35909

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 March 2021
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 19 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many beaver lethal control licences were issued in the calendar year 2020 by NatureScot without a site visit being carried out by the agency or its agents in the six months prior to the issue to verify that each licence was required as a last resort.

COVID restrictions have limited NatureScot’s ability to carry out site-based activities in 2020.

NatureScot issued four licences that permitted the use of lethal control in 2020 without a site visit being undertaken. Of these one was subsequently revoked pending a site visit.

NatureScot uses a combination of information and photographic evidence provided by land managers, details of site topography and the knowledge of issues on neighbouring properties (which has been built up over time by staff and contractors), combined with the use of site visits, where appropriate, to inform the assessment of licence applications.

Question reference: S5W-35906

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 March 2021
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 19 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many beavers were killed under licenced lethal control measures in the calendar year 2020, also broken down by the (a) date of each incident, (b) number of family groups of beavers that were killed, including how many were in each group and (c) sex and age of the beavers, and how many of the beavers were subject to a post-mortem by NatureScot or its agents to verify that there was compliance with the appropriate regulations.

Question reference: S5W-35905

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 March 2021
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 19 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what the 2021 NatureScot budget is for the (a) administration, (b) delivery and (c) monitoring of the Beaver Management Framework, and how much has been set aside for the (i) development and (ii) installation of non-lethal mitigation measures.

Question reference: S5W-35902

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 March 2021
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 19 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many flood mitigation trials deploying translocated beavers were established in the calendar year 2020.

Question reference: S5W-35908

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 March 2021
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 19 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of experience gained from the second year of the management of beavers as a protected species, what plans NatureScot has to review the Beaver Management Framework to (a) reduce the requirement for the need for lethal control concerns and (b) facilitate an expansion of the population to occupy suitable habitat (i) inside and (ii) outside its current range.

NatureScot supports an adaptive management approach to wildlife management and, in consultation with stakeholders through the Scottish Beaver Forum, keeps the Beaver Management Framework under constant review through application of their processes and guidance.

(a) When beavers became a European Protected Species in May 2019, NatureScot undertook to conduct a review of licensing after two years of operation. This review is underway, with the input from the Scottish Beaver Forum. In addition, the trialling of innovative mitigation measures and discussion on future rural support payments is intended to reduce the need for lethal control in the future.

(b) Work is ongoing to reduce the need for lethal control and NatureScot have announced that they would be open to applications under the Scottish Code for Conservation Translocations for the movement of beavers from conflict areas to other suitable locations within or on the edge of range of their existing their current range.

We are discussing with NatureScot the circumstances, including the experience with beaver management, which might allow the policy on translocation of beavers to include release sites outside their current range in Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-35907

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 March 2021
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 19 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many expressions of interest or requests have been received by (a) it and (b) NatureScot since 1 May 2020 from parties in England and Wales interested in acquiring beavers for translocation to assist with flood resilience and biodiversity enhancement projects, broken down by the date of receipt.

The Scottish Government has not received any requests or expressions of interest from parties in England and Wales looking to acquire beavers.

Requests for the supply of beavers to populate projects in England and Wales do not routinely come directly to NatureScot. However, NatureScot works in collaboration with a beaver consultant and with Natural England and Natural Resources Wales.

The following projects have been granted release licences from Natural England and Natural Resources Wales, with NatureScot agreeing that animals can be sourced from Tayside.

Project name-Site	Dates	Number proposed; up to
River Otter Beaver Trial, Devon	4-1-2018 to 12-2-2020	3
Pickering Beaver Project, Yorkshire	27-3-2019 to 30-4-2019	2
Poole Harbour Farm, Plymouth City Council	1-5-2020 to 30-4-2025	6
Hamathey Estate, Cornwall	1-3-2020 to 1-3-2025	6
Highloft Beaver Project, Cartmell Fell	1-6-2020 to 31-5-2025	6
Valewood Beaver Project, National Trust	1-1-2020 to 31-12-2025	4
Holnicote Beaver Project, National Trust	1-4-2020 to 31-3-2025	6
Dorset Wildife Trust	1-3-2020 to 1-3- 2025	6
Cheshire Wildlife Trust	29-6-2020 to 29-6-2025	6
Cabilla Farm, Cornwall	1-3-2020 to 1-3-2025	6
Sussex Beaver Project, Knepp Estate	9-1-2020 to 9-1-2025	14
Forest of Dean	1-2-2018 to 31-1-2023	8
Lowther Beaver Project, Lowther Estate	9-1-2020 to 6-1-2025	6
Kenhill Estate	14-1-2020 to 13-1-2025	15
Broadridge Farm, Witheridge, Devon	15-8-2020 to 14-8-2025	6
Willington Gravel Pits, Derbyshire Wildlife Trust Cornwall Sea Life Trust Welsh Beaver Project	1-10-2020 to 30-9-2025 17-2-2021 to 17-2-2026 11-3-2021 to 28-2-2021	12 5 6

Question reference: S5W-35895

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 March 2021
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 19 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the data that was required to be submitted to NatureScot by 31 December 2020 regarding the annual returns for licences that were granted in 2019 and 2020 to land owners and other stakeholders for beaver mitigation measures.

NatureScot published a summary of beaver management licences issued in 2019 in May 2020: https://www.nature.scot/naturescot-beaver-licensing-summary-1st-may-31st-december-2019

NatureScot will publish a further report covering the period 1 January to 31 December 2020 later this year, once they have completed the final checks on licence returns and a full data analysis.

The report will include details of the number of dams removed, the number of beavers killed, trapped and translocated under licence in 2020, alongside details of other mitigation works. It will include an assessment against the results of a beaver population survey carried out over the winter of 2020-21 and due to report in July 2021.

Together, this package of information will include analysis of data and provide comprehensive details of the range of actions under the beaver management framework along with recommendations for future management.

Question reference: S5W-35910

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 March 2021
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 19 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many spot-checks of licensees for the lethal control of beavers were carried out in the calendar year, 2020, also broken down by how many (a) discrepancies were identified and (b) licences were revoked.

COVID restrictions have limited some of NatureScot’s operational activities, including the ability to undertake site visits throughout 2020.

NatureScot has not carried out spot-checks on beaver licence compliance in 2020, but maintains contact with those in receipt of licences.

NatureScot is currently considering how routine site visits could be carried out in the future.

Compliance checks are made as part of checking licence returns.

(a) Discrepancies were identified in 3 licence returns from 2019 and have been followed up.

(b) 1 licence was revoked pending a site visit

Three licence holders failed to submit returns in 2020 and are currently being dealt with by NatureScot in accordance with the compliance process.

Question reference: S5W-35900

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 March 2021
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 19 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many beavers were translocated to (a) suitable habitats in existing beaver ranges in Scotland and (b) contained trial sites in England in the calendar year 2020.

Question reference: S5W-35903

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 March 2021
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 19 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many licences authorising the removal of beaver dams in response to concerns regarding activities that were restricting the passage of fish were issued by NatureScot to (a) riparian and (b) land managers in the calendar year 2020, and how many licences were refused.