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The Scottish Natural Heritage Scientific Advisory Committee plan to consider their report in March 2015 and to publish shortly thereafter.

The systems and processes in place to record criminal offences, including offences against animals are matters for the Police Scotland. I understand that all crimes are recorded in accordance with the Scottish Crime Recording Standard.

The recording and reporting of criminal offences, including offences against animals, is a matter for Police Scotland. I understand that details on air weapons injuries to animals are not held centrally.

Hare coursing, like many other types of poaching is largely a seasonal activity. Hare coursing takes place predominantly in spring and autumn, and this is reflected in increased reports from late August through to the end of November. The Wildlife Crime Annual Report published on 20 October 2014 shows that numbers of recorded crimes involving hunting with dogs have remained relatively constant over the last four years.

Hare coursing is a barbaric sport that not only involves cruelty to hares, but also those taking part often threaten and intimidate members of rural communities. Specific police operations to counter hare coursing will take place as and when appropriate, depending on the level and quality of any information received. The Partnership for Action against Wildlife Crime has a sub-group dedicated to combating poaching and coursing. This group works closely with farmers and other stakeholders to tackle hare coursing through awareness raising and advice on reporting coursing incidents.

The permitted development rights for works to dwelling houses and flats, which would allow such installation without needing planning permission, do not apply in conservation areas.

The determination of applications for planning permission, and the development plan policies against which they are considered, are primarily matters for the planning authority.

The Scottish Planning Policy (paragraph 143) and Planning Advice Note 71: 'Conservation Area Management' contains national planning policy and guidance on conservation areas. These can be found at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2014/06/5823

and http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2004/12/20450/49052 repectively.

Historic Scotland (HS) also produce guidance documents relating to the repair, upgrading or replacement of windows. These can be found at:

http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/managing-change-consultation-windows.pdf

HS guidance on windows for planning authorities and other interested parties;

http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/informguide-sashandcase.pdf

HS guidance on maintaining sash windows:

http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/thermal-windows.pdf

HS report on improving the thermal performance of traditional windows; and HS report on the use of slim-profile double glazing:

http://conservation.historic-scotland.gov.uk/techpaper9.pdf

Our Home Energy Efficiency Programmes for Scotland (HEEPS) and Green Homes Cashback schemes provides support for householders across all tenures, including the private rented sector. Double glazing is eligible through our HEEPS: Area Based Schemes and can typically only be installed alongside other insulation measures. Installation of double glazing is eligible for support through the UK Government’s Energy Company Obligation.

I would encourage all householders to call the Home Energy Scotland hotline free on 0808 808 2282. Home Energy Scotland offers free and impartial advice to all householders in Scotland and ensures they can be referred through the most appropriate scheme specific to their personal circumstances.

The Scottish Government is committed to creating a culture and environment that allows us to harness the talents of women, enabling and promoting their participation in public life. We are working across a number of fronts to achieve this, including requesting additional legislative powers are transferred to the Scottish Parliament which would allow us to take action to ensure that at least 40% of public boards makeup is female.

As a priority we established our Public Boards and Corporate Diversity Programme of work, which aims to provide strong leadership and a commitment to this agenda and seeks to influence the wider public, third and private sectors to improve the representation of women and other under-represented groups in public life more generally. And in partnership with the Commissioner for Ethical Standards in Public Life in Scotland we have worked to streamlining the public appointments application process.

We are also working to grow a more diverse supply of candidates for board appointments, using opportunities such as the ‘developing board experience’ initiative – developed by the Scottish Government and the Institute of Directors.

Work is also being progressed with women’s business networks, which include women who have experience of the process of applying for board positions, to help us ensure that we are improving the support and information that women need to become board-ready.

The Scottish Government also funds the Scottish Women’s Convention and Engender to help ensure women have equal access to participation in Scotland’s civic society.

We have also included ‘improving opportunities for employment, representation and participation in public and democratic life’ as one of the themes of work we would wish to promote through our current equality funding round. Applications to the equality fund are to be received by 5 December 2014.

Modern Apprenticeship (MA) frameworks are developed by Sector Skills Councils in response to demand from employers. Energy and Utility Skills have recently developed a level 3 MA framework in Gas Heating and Energy Efficiency and the Electrical Installation framework contains the mandatory unit ‘Apply Environmental Legislation, Working Practices and Principles (Electrotechnical Services)’.

Our national skills body, Skills Development Scotland (SDS), raises awareness of energy efficiency across a number of key sectors and in order to meet industry led demand is proactively working with sector skills councils, employers and the Energy Skills Partnership/Scotland’s Colleges to stimulate training.

Beyond the MA programme, SDS also provides funding assistance through the Low Carbon Skills Fund (LCSF), which gives Scottish businesses with up to 250 employees the opportunity to apply for up to £12,500 towards employee training costs. By increasing expertise in this growth area we can harness the opportunities offered by our natural resources to make Scotland a world leader in sustainable energy. Eligible training includes:

Renewable energy, low carbon technologies and microgeneration

Energy efficiency, environmental and clean technologies

Waste management and re-use

Reducing carbon in supply and energy management.

There had been 2,837 training opportunities approved since LCSF began until the end of 2013-14.

Sector Skills Councils and standards setting bodies are responsible for developing Modern Apprenticeship (MA) frameworks, responding to the needs and demands of industry. While there is no MA framework specifically dedicated to the installation of household energy efficiency measures, energy efficiency measures are included in a number of frameworks.

SummitSkills has included a unit, ‘Working Principles, Installation Options and Regulatory Requirements for Micro-Renewable Technologies, Water Harvesting and Recycling Technologies’, in its plumbing MA. As this is not a mandatory unit within the plumbing framework, we are unable to report on uptake of this individual unit. However, on the overall plumbing framework there were 920 MAs in training and there had been 221 starts by the end of quarter two in this financial year.

Another example of the incorporation of energy efficiency into MA frameworks is the electrical installation MA, which contains the mandatory unit ‘Apply Environmental Legislation, Working Practices and Principles (Electrotechnical Services)’. This year’s published figures reveal there were 1,492 MAs in training on the framework and there had been 414 starts by the end of quarter two.

Energy and Utility Skills have also recently developed a level 3 MA framework in Gas Heating and Energy Efficiency and we expect to see uptake of the framework in 2015.