Chamber and committees

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: S4O-05280

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 January 2016
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to recognise the contribution that David Bowie made to the cultural life of Scotland and beyond.

Question reference: S4W-28992

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 December 2015
Current Status: Answered by Aileen McLeod on 11 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government when it will carry out the review of gamebird licensing and legislation agreed by Paul Wheelhouse in May 2014; who has been appointed to conduct the review, and when it expects the report to be published.

Question reference: S4W-28959

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 14 December 2015
Current Status: Answered by Aileen McLeod on 5 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how many prosecutions there have been each year under the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act 2002; how many subsequent convictions there were, and what information it has regarding the reasons for failures to convict.

Details of proceedings for offences against under the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act 2002 (where that was the main charge) are as follows:

Financial year	2003-04	2004-05	2005-06	2006-07	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11	2011-12	2012-13	2013-14
Total prosecuted	3	3	24	17	15	8	10	9	5	11	9
Total convicted	2	2	16	8	6	6	7	3	-	7	5

We do not hold information about why some prosecutions have not led to convictions.

Question reference: S4W-28668

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 November 2015
Current Status: Answered by Aileen McLeod on 11 December 2015

To ask the Scottish Government, further to its consultation proposals of 29 September 2015, Conservation Limits, what assessment it made of the haaf-netting method in the Solway Estuary when determining whether to introduce a catch and release policy in that area.

Question reference: S4W-28666

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 November 2015
Current Status: Answered by Aileen McLeod on 10 December 2015

To ask the Scottish Government, further to its consultation proposals of 29 September 2015, Conservation Limits , how it has (a) ensured that the assessment methods used when determining whether to introduce a catch and release policy takes account of the needs of each district and (b) assessed the catch and release categories in relation to individual estuaries.

The decision on whether to introduce mandatory catch and release was based on the conservation status of the salmon stocks in each district. The status of the district was applied to the rivers and defined estuarine limits within the district. A more detailed explanation of the methodology deployed to determine conservation status and the application of conservation limits is available on the Scottish Government website: http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0048/00486109.pdf.

Question reference: S4W-28670

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 November 2015
Current Status: Answered by Aileen McLeod on 10 December 2015

To ask the Scottish Government, further to its consultation proposals of 29 September 2015, Conservation Limits, how it has ensured that, when determining whether to introduce a catch and release policy, an accurate estimate has been made of the levels of stock in the rivers where there are no fish counters.

As I explained in my answer to S4W-28666 on 10 December 2015, a detailed explanation of the methodology deployed to determine conservation status and the application of conservation limits is available on the Scottish Government website http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0048/00486109.pdf. Where no counters are available estimates of the stock are made using reported rod catches. Catch and release is a product of a grade three conservation status.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

Question reference: S4W-28671

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 November 2015
Current Status: Answered by Aileen McLeod on 10 December 2015

To ask the Scottish Government, further to its consultation proposals of 29 September 2015, Conservation Limits, when determining whether to introduce a catch and release policy in an area, which rivers were (a) assessed and (b) not assessed by fish counters to estimate stocks.

Counter data was available from the North Esk, Beauly, Awe and Kirkcudbrightshire Dee. Where no counters are available estimates of the stock are made using reported rod catches and a more detailed explanation of the methodology deployed to determine conservation status and the application of conservation limits is available on the Scottish Government

website: http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0048/00486109.pdf.

Question reference: S4W-28669

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 November 2015
Current Status: Answered by Aileen McLeod on 9 December 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it (a) has carried out or (b) plans on the possible impact of the west coast aquaculture industry on the number of wild salmon in the Solway Estuary and associated rivers.

The Scottish Government is supporting a number of significant research projects on the impacts of aquaculture on wild salmon in Scotland. These include:

Working with Scotland’s salmon farming industry and representatives of the wild salmon sector on a strategic programme of research that includes a study to explore any impacts of sea lice from fish farming in Scotland; funding research to develop shelf and sea lice dispersal modelling.

Match funding, with the aquaculture industry, up to £22 million to establish the Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre to help the sector enhance its environmental performance and growth potential through the application of high quality research, with sea lice a priority.

Working closely with the Scottish aquaculture industry on changes to the industry’s management guidance to deliver enhanced use of cleaner fish as a biological solution to sea lice management, investigating and trialling novel techniques for sea lice control, improvements in husbandry more generally and exploring opportunities to make spatial planning for aquaculture more effective.

Question reference: S4W-28685

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 November 2015
Current Status: Answered by Aileen McLeod on 3 December 2015

To ask the Scottish Government how many convictions there have been in relation to illegal fox hunting and what resources are available to Police Scotland to ensure that the law against hunting with hounds is upheld.

There have been three convictions in relation to fox hunting in the period since the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act 2002 came into force.

Further information relating to prosecutions for fox hunting offences is contained in section 4.7 of the Wildlife Crime in Scotland – 2014 Annual Report which can be accessed on the Scottish Government website:

http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2015/09/6676

The chief constable is responsible for the allocation and deployment of the resources Police Scotland receives from the Scottish Police Authority.

Question reference: S4O-04933

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 December 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 December 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to adjust the common agricultural policy greening measures so that they can be implemented in the clearest way for farmers without jeopardising the environmental benefits.