Chamber and committees

Do you intend to look at full cost recovery for wider species licensing?

Did I miss the date of that review?

I also want to ask about the suspension of a licence or suspension of any activities that could affect lives, livelihoods and perhaps investment. To suspend a licence, NatureScot has only to be satisfied that there is an issue. Notwithstanding all the conversations and explanations that the minister has given on the conversations between individuals, would an individual who has had a licence suspended or revoked have the ability to go into a cost recovery situation the other way round?

We have heard in evidence that, if something that is regarded as a crime under conservation legislation is committed on a farm, the farmer is not required to stop working. The bill does not make that clear, which seems almost disproportionate, as we have heard. Would an appeal be weakened if NatureScot did not have to be satisfied that a relevant offence had been committed?

I have had a look at the report, and I cannot see how its recommendations chime with what you are saying, particularly given the concerns about primacy of responsibility, access to intelligence, interference with other cases, and health and safety risks to personnel. We heard strong evidence from Detective Sergeant Lynn regarding concerns that, when an investigation progresses and police become involved, the measures could be a disadvantage, because things that the police would have done early in the investigation might not have been done. There is a huge amount of concern around your interpretation.

Yes.

My question is on the proportionality of the licensing scheme. Last week, we heard from various witnesses that there should be a

“rational connection between the content and design of the scheme and its aim”

to tackle raptor persecution. It has been demonstrated that there is no rational connection between those aspects. Does the Government think that it is fair and proportionate to introduce a licensing scheme that does not have such a rational connection?

Are all of those related to grouse moors?

How many are related to grouse moors?

Do you agree that it is not proportionate to impose sanctions specifically against a certain sector, on the basis of suspicion, when no direct correlation exists?