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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: S4W-08158

Asked by: Alison Johnstone, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 June 2012
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 2 July 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether (a) Scottish Natural Heritage and (b) the Joint Nature Conservation Committee will continue to undertake site condition monitoring of seabird special protection areas and sites of special scientific interest on a six-yearly basis.

Where Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) or Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) carry out routine seabird monitoring on reserves the data is used to complete condition assessments for seabirds every six years. Beyond this SNH relies on the UK-wide national seabird census work to assess populations.

UK breeding seabird population trends are assessed through a 15 year census reporting cycle interspersed with annual monitoring. This allows both long and short term population trends to be identified. There have been three seabird colony censuses to date (1969-70; 1985-88 and 1998-2002) with a further census currently in the early planning stage (estimated completion 2014-17). The Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) are co-ordinating this census in collaboration with a multi-stakeholder group composed of members from the statutory nature conservation bodies, environmental NGOs and academia.

JNCC also coordinate the Seabird Monitoring Programme (established 1986), a partnership programme that collates sample data on breeding numbers and breeding success of seabirds, to enable their conservation status to be assessed. The Seabird Monitoring Programme provides annual updates to the population trends identified by the seabird censuses and also assesses seabird breeding success, survival rate and diet, together with interpretation of the likely causes of change. All Special Protection Areas for breeding seabirds are monitored during each seabird census, together with a selection of these on a more regular basis by the Seabird Monitoring Programme.

Question reference: S4W-08146

Asked by: Alison Johnstone, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 June 2012
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 27 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive by what process it will review the Cycling Action Plan for Scotland and what opportunities there will be for representations.

Cycling Scotland is due to submit the first Cycling Action Plan for Scotland progress report to Ministers by the end of July 2012. I gave a commitment to a refresh of the 2010 document during the Green Party debate on cycling and road safety in March. Officials in Transport Scotland will conduct the refresh in consultation with key stakeholders and further details on the process and the opportunities for representation will be given following full consideration of the progress report.

Question reference: S4W-07766

Asked by: Alison Johnstone, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 11 June 2012
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 26 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether landowners must seek official permission before removing juniper stands.

Question reference: S4W-07767

Asked by: Alison Johnstone, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 11 June 2012
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 26 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy review will consider juniper conservation.

Question reference: S4W-07765

Asked by: Alison Johnstone, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 11 June 2012
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 26 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to (a) protect and (b) conserve juniper.

There are a number of options available to land managers to support action to plant or enhance juniper under the Scotland Rural Development Programme (SRDP). Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS) have published a technical guidance note on how SRDP grants may help juniper conservation, and are supporting Plantlife Scotland to offer site-specific advice and guidance for land managers in targeted areas.

FCS has made juniper one of 6 priority species in its Biodiversity Programme, Woods for Nature. Action by FCS is set out in a Species Action Note and it includes: survey of juniper populations on the National Forest Estate; collecting seed to establish a programme of juniper plant production in a nursery; and targeted management to stimulate natural regeneration or carry out planting to bolster remnant populations and create new juniper populations in forests. A significant amount of juniper planting is being carried out in a native woodland restoration project by Loch Katrine.

Forest Research is investigating how to promote natural regeneration of juniper populations using cattle grazing at trial sites.

FCS is leading work to assess and respond to the risk of a fungus-like plant pathogen, Phythophthora austrocedrae, and has formed an Outbreak Management Team which includes the land manager, Scottish Natural Heritage, Plantlife Scotland and Forest Research.

Question reference: S4W-08162

Asked by: Alison Johnstone, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 June 2012
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 26 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what research is planned or underway to fill the knowledge gaps identified by the Marine Climate Change Impacts Partnership's paper, Knowledge Gaps.

Marine Scotland is working in two areas to identify work that it needs to take forward from the Marine Climate Change Impacts Partnership’s paper, Research Gaps. Firstly with its partners within the CAMERAS (Co-ordinated Agenda for Marine, Environment and Rural Affairs Science) Scottish Marine Science Strategy framework to identify specific work. Secondly, within the UK Marine Science Co-ordination Committee, of which Marine Scotland is a member, which considered the MCCIP paper at its March meeting. Research into climate change is a very broad issue and it will not be for Scottish Government to address all of these gaps. Nonetheless, Scottish Government is working with the wider marine research community to ensure most of these issues are addressed.

Question reference: S4O-01214

Asked by: Alison Johnstone, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 June 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body how it helps small charitable organisations to meet the costs of organising events in the complex.

Question reference: S4W-07638

Asked by: Alison Johnstone, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 31 May 2012
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 19 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason its planned launch of a consultation on carrier bags last autumn has been delayed.

Question reference: S4W-07637

Asked by: Alison Johnstone, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 31 May 2012
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 19 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will consult on ways to reduce single-use plastic carrier bags.

Question reference: S4W-07639

Asked by: Alison Johnstone, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 31 May 2012
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 19 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will reduce the number of waste plastic bags (a) shipped abroad, (b) incinerated and (c) buried in landfill.