- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 March 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 25 March 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-24239 by Richard Lochhead on 5 June 2009 and in light of the UK Government’s consultation on the welfare of racing greyhounds, whether the Scottish Government will reconsider its decision on issuing regulations on the welfare of greyhounds and consult on this issue, given public concern as to the wellbeing of these dogs after their racing days are over.
Answer
The Scottish Government is aware of the UK Government''s consultation on the welfare of racing greyhounds but has no plans to introduce regulations which specifically deal with racing greyhounds in Scotland since no evidence has been presented indicating that there is a problem. The provisions of the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 are sufficient to ensure the welfare of these dogs and, in particular, section 24 makes it an offence for any person responsible for an animal to cause that animal unnecessary suffering by action or omission.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 01 February 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Alex Neil on 23 February 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will report progress on its framework to tackle poverty and income inequality, Achieving our Potential.
Answer
A senior-level Tackling Poverty Board has been established by the Scottish Government and COSLA to review policy and practice to reduce poverty in Scotland in the light of the additional challenges and opportunities created by the economic downturn and the developing experience of the Scottish Government''s performance framework and concordat with local government. Monitoring progress against the commitments set out in
Achieving our Potential is part of the remit of the board. Papers associated with board meetings to date are published on the Scottish Government website at
www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/People/Social-Inclusion. These and future papers will cover the work of the group in reviewing evidence of progress on
Achieving our Potential.
In addition, the overview commentary of the 2008-09 Single Outcome Agreement Reports has been published at www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/local-government/SOA/OverviewComm2008-09AnnRep and contains a number of references to progress in tackling poverty and income inequality.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 December 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 15 December 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases of the misuse of pesticides or poisons were reported to the authorities in (a) 2007 and (b) 2008 and have been in 2009.
Answer
A total of 198, 179 and 158 specimens were referred to the Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme (WIIS) operated by Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture, a Division of the Rural Payments and Inspections Directorate of the Scottish Government in 2007, 2008 and 2009 to date, respectively. In 2007, from 198 specimens, 35 were identified as cases of pesticide abuse and three as misuse; in 2008, from 179 specimens, 23 were identified as cases of pesticide abuse and no cases of misuse were identified; in 2009, from 158 specimens, 36 were identified as cases of pesticide abuse and two as misuse.
Abuse of a pesticide is defined as a form of deliberate, illegal attempt to poison an animal. Misuse is defined as the careless, accidental or wilful failure to adhere to correct practice.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 03 December 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 14 December 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding Fife Constabulary has allocated to the investigation and detection of wildlife crime, also expressed as a percentage of its overall budget, in each year from April 1999.
Answer
This information is not held centrally. Operational deployment of resources is a matter for the Chief Constables of Scottish Police Forces.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 03 December 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 14 December 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the categories of wildlife crime recorded by Fife Constabulary in each year from April 1999.
Answer
The available information is given in the following table:
Categories of Wildlife Offences1 Recorded by Fife Constabulary from 1999-2000 to 2008-09
| Offences1 |
| Cruelty to animals (excluding dogs) including killing and maiming cattle |
| Offences involving Animals (excluding dogs, birds elsewhere classified) |
| Offences involving birds |
| Hunting with dogs1 |
| Cruelty to wild animals1 |
| Offences involving badgers1 |
| Other wildlife offences1 |
Note: 1. In financial year 2002-03, crime codes were introduced to cover offences of Hunting with Dogs, Cruelty to Wild Animals, Offences Involving Badgers and Other Wildlife Offences, which (excluding Hunting with dogs) would have previously been recorded under a different offence; but within the same Animal/Plant category.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 03 December 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 14 December 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive how many of those convicted of wildlife crimes in the Strathclyde Police area were resident in Scotland, also expressed as a percentage of those convicted, in each year from April 1999.
Answer
The information requested is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 03 December 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 14 December 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it holds on the types of species most commonly targeted in wildlife crime in the Fife Constabulary area, in each year from April 1999.
Answer
The data requested is not held centrally. The data held centrally is based on an aggregate return, so it is not possible to distinguish the circumstances of the crime, or the types of species most commonly targeted in wildlife crime.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 03 December 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 14 December 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what the penalties were for wildlife crime-related convictions in the Fife Constabulary area for each year from April 1999.
Answer
The available information is given in the following table.
Persons with a Charge Proved for Wildlife Crime Offences1, in Fife Police Area, by Disposal, 1999-2000 to 2008-09
| Main Result of Proceedings | 1999-2000 | 2000-01 | 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 |
| Community sentence | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Monetary | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Admonished | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| All | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
Note: 1. Where main offence. Includes the offences categories of cruelty to animals (excluding dogs), animal offences (excluding dogs and birds), offences involving birds, hunting with dogs, cruelty to wild animals, offences involving badgers, and other wildlife offences.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 03 December 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 14 December 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it holds on the types of species most commonly targeted in wildlife crime in the Strathclyde Police area, in each year from April 1999.
Answer
The data requested is not held centrally. The data held centrally is based on an aggregate return, so it is not possible to distinguish the circumstances of the crime, or the types of species most commonly targeted in wildlife crime.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 03 December 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 14 December 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what is being done to increase the capacity of the Strathardle telephone exchange to improve broadband connectivity.
Answer
The Scottish Government announced on 9 December 2009 that it has agreed with BT a programme of upgrades to 71 Scottish rural telephone exchanges which are currently operating at, or approaching, full capacity. The first upgrades will be complete from March 2010. In addition, BT is also investigating further upgrades to a smaller number of similarly affected exchanges and we hope to be in a position to announce even more upgrades in due course. Please refer to our news release at the following website
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2009/12/09142338.
I am pleased to confirm that Strathardle, Fern and Menmuir exchanges will be upgraded in this programme. The indicative upgrade date for Strathardle exchange is 8 June 2010. The indicative upgrade dates for Fern and Menmuir exchanges will be announced in due course at the following website www.broadbandforscotland.co.uk.
