- Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 12 March 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 23 March 2018
To ask the Scottish Government what its preferred method is for managing the interaction of beaver and high-density deer populations in riparian woodland areas.
Answer
There is no preferred method of managing the interaction of beaver and deer populations in riparian woodland areas and all available tools should be utilised.
It is the Scottish Government’s intention to ensure that high-density deer populations, where they exist, are managed through the delivery of ‘Scotland’s Wild Deer: A National Approach’ (WDNA). The WDNA and close working between Forestry Commission Scotland and Scottish Natural Heritage will seek to ensure, insofar as is possible, that biodiversity and other public benefits from the presence of beavers in relation to valuable riparian woodland are realised.
- Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 19 February 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 23 March 2018
To ask the Scottish Government what devices will be covered by the proposed ban on electric shock collars for dogs.
Answer
The draft guidance issued under section 38 of the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006) is intended to cover the use of any training devices that administer unpleasant stimuli or physical punishment. This may include the use of electronic collars that administer an electric shock; anti-bark collars, which may mask or aggravate underlying behavioural or health issues; and any device that squirts noxious oils or other chemicals that interfere with a dog’s acute sense of smell. The content of the guidance will remain under review.
- Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 19 February 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 23 March 2018
To ask the Scottish Government whether the proposed ban on electric shock collars for dogs will be extended to apply to other animals and, if so, which.
Answer
At present, the draft guidance issued under section 38 of the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 is being developed for dogs, since they are the animals most commonly affected by the use of electronic collars; however we are already considering whether similar guidance is required for the use of devices sometimes used for cats.
- Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 19 February 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 23 March 2018
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the proposed ban on electric shock collars for dogs will be introduced as guidance and not through secondary legislation; what the legal status of this guidance will be, and how it will be enforced.
Answer
The Scottish Government had previously intended to only allow the use of electronic training collars under the supervision of properly qualified dog trainers. As laid out to Parliament on 25 January 2018, the continuing concerns expressed about that proposed approach led to the proposal being reviewed. That is why it was decided not to pursue the initial plan and officials were instead asked to prepare clear Scottish Government guidance emphasising that any physical punishment of dogs that causes unnecessary suffering is not acceptable in Scotland and may be an offence under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006. This includes the use of electronic collars that administer an electric shock, anti-bark collars and any device that squirts noxious oils or other chemicals or substances into a dog’s face.
In contrast to secondary legislation under section 26 of the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006, we believe it is more appropriate to issue guidance under section 38 of the 2006 Act on the use of electronic collars and similar devices as this can be done quickly.
The guidance will provide an advisory aid to those involved in the enforcement of animal welfare legislation. Those persons may refer to the guidance when issuing advice, warning letters or care notices under the 2006 Act or when presenting evidence for potential prosecutions under section 24 or section 19 of the 2006 Act.
- Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 12 March 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 21 March 2018
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the potential impact on public trust in the planning process of connecting newly-built homes at Maidenhill in East Renfrewshire to the sewer network before flooding and discharge mitigation work commences.
Answer
Responsibility for dealing with planning matters is primarily for the local planning authority and it would be inappropriate for Scottish Government to comment on the details of individual cases.
Improving public trust in planning is a vital element of our proposals for reviewing the planning system. The reforms we are taking forward will strengthen the arrangements for development planning to ensure development is deliverable and the appropriate infrastructure is in place.
- Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 09 March 2018
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 21 March 2018
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-14916 by Roseanna Cunningham on 8 March 2018, what information it has regarding how many plastic straws there are in terms of (a) weight and (b) volume.
Answer
The expert panel will review the available evidence on plastic straws and provide an estimate of the number and weight of material to the Scottish Government.
- Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 05 March 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 16 March 2018
To ask the Scottish Government what the waste disposal bill to farmers will be as a result of the decision to remove the exemption for drum incinerators to dispose of farm plastics.
Answer
The information requested is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 05 March 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 14 March 2018
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to develop metrics to differentiate between rural off-gas grid, rural on-gas grid and urban off-gas grid households for the purpose of delivering energy efficiency programmes.
Answer
Our delivery projects aim is to ensure that everyone in fuel poverty gets support, no matter whether they live in urban or rural Scotland. Funding for our area based fuel poverty programmes on the basis of need and takes into account different levels of fuel poverty across Scotland’s local authority areas. This is based on data from the Scottish House Condition Survey and the Home Analytics Database. This means that remote areas, including all island communities, currently receive over three times more per head of population to tackle fuel poverty than the next highest area on the mainland. Urban/rural classifications do not influence this distribution, but are reflected higher in levels of household grant available in remote areas.
Further, our Warmer Homes Scotland scheme is being delivered on a regional basis, including a separate Islands region, to ensure all households, including those living in more remote parts of the country, get the same level of service as those in urban areas. As we develop our new Fuel Poverty Strategy and deliver this through Scotland’s Energy Efficiency Programme we will continue to prioritise households which need assistance most, including those most vulnerable to cold-related health impacts and low income households, targeting support to those most in need, no matter where they live in Scotland.
- Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 05 March 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 14 March 2018
To ask the Scottish Government how many rural homes in each local authority area have received support from the Home Energy Efficiency Programmes for Scotland area-based schemes.
Answer
We do not hold information on the urban/rural status of households assisted through our Area Based Schemes. We do publish a breakdown of installs by local authority to provide information on regional delivery.
The information for 2013-14 can be found at http://wwt gov.scot/Resource/0046/00466702.pdf
The information for 2014-15 can be found at http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/sites/default/files/HEEPS%2014-15%20report.pdf
The information for 2015-16 is not published but is shown in the following table:
Local Authority | Measures completed |
Aberdeen City | 2223 |
Aberdeenshire | 299 |
Angus | 223 |
Argyll and Bute | 223 |
Clackmannanshire | 117 |
Dumfries & Galloway | 281 |
Dundee | 1064 |
East Ayrshire | 620 |
East Dunbartonshire | 70 |
East Lothian | 61 |
East Renfrewshire | 95 |
Edinburgh | 2123 |
Elian Siar | 548 |
Falkirk | 246 |
Fife | 768 |
Glasgow | 1929 |
Highland | 345 |
Inverclyde | 307 |
Midlothian | 384 |
Moray | 182 |
N Ayrshire | 507 |
N Lanark | 466 |
Orkney | 160 |
Perth and Kinross | 368 |
Renfrewshire | 1297 |
Scottish Borders | 311 |
Shetland | 95 |
South Ayrshire | 346 |
South Lanarkshire | 865 |
Stirling | 1004 |
West Dunbartonshire | 554 |
West Lothian | 389 |
TOTAL | 18470 |
This information includes all properties improved through the Area Based Schemes, including properties owned by social landlords which Scottish Government funding does not cover, but which is carried out at the same time in mixed tenure projects which use a blend of Scottish Government, social landlord and UK Government Energy Company Obligation funding.
- Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 05 March 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 14 March 2018
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any diverging costs for rural and urban house builders as a result of low-carbon building standards.
Answer
Research supporting review of energy standards within building regulations includes specific assessment of the cost and impact of change on remote or rural areas. This focusses on the comparative cost of delivering new homes off the mains gas grid. An example of research commissioned can be found at: http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0038/00386526.pdf .
An updated assessment of the impact of further change on remote, rural and island communities will be undertaken as part of the review of energy standards which commences shortly. We will seek views on this topic from developers as part of an initial ‘call for evidence’ on building to the current standards.
