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: S4W-05628

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 13 February 2012
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 12 March 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive who will attend the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) on its behalf.

Question reference: S4W-05630

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 13 February 2012
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 12 March 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what the strategic aims will be of its delegation attending the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20).

Scottish Ministers strategic aim for Rio+20 is to share the evidence from Scotland on the growth potential of the green economy. Scotland has a very good story to tell on this key themes. We have put sustainable, low carbon growth at the centre of our economic strategy.

In advance of the summit, the First Minister has urged world leaders to make 2012 a year of climate justice: human rights should be at the heart of global policy on economic and social development and energy. Scotland has been acting as a model of international best practice on climate change and has set world-leading emissions reduction targets backed by a comprehensive climate change programme. We are operating at the forefront of technological innovation in green energy. Scotland also has world-class expertise in water resources, waste management, and environmental and clean technologies, as well as an ambitious forestry programme. We are also moving ahead with the smart cities concept.

Rio+20 is focused on the green economy and sustainable development in the context of poverty eradication and in Scotland we are employing our experience on green development to strengthen our support for developing countries. In addition to the First Minister’s championing of climate justice, and our manifesto commitment to a climate justice fund we have supported a number of important projects: a partnership with the Maldives on renewable energy; funding for Strathclyde University in piloting community solar energy in Malawi; at the time of the UNFCCC summit in Durban we announced a £1.3 million International Development Fund round for renewable energy projects in Sub-Saharan Africa; we very recently announced a further £1.7 million for a Strathclyde University project to accelerate community renewables in Malawi; we have a Memorandum of Understanding with the Inter-American Development Bank to share Scottish know-how on clean energy; we are collaborating with the Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute, and co-operating with South Africa on exploring the feasibility of a carbon capture and storage pilot project.

Question reference: S4W-05934

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 24 February 2012
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 9 March 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in light of seal licence returns for 2011, it will amend seal licence conditions to specify that seals may not be killed or taken when females of the species of seal for which the licence has been issued are likely to be in an advanced stage of pregnancy or have dependent pups.

Question reference: S4W-05932

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 24 February 2012
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 9 March 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what reports of the illegal killing of seals were received by Marine Scotland in 2011.

Question reference: S4W-05925

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 24 February 2012
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 9 March 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what staff resources are available to (a) administer and (b) monitor the seal licensing scheme operated by Marine Scotland under section110 of the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010.

Question reference: S4W-05931

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 24 February 2012
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 9 March 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what non-lethal methods have been reported to Marine Scotland as having been used by river fisheries and netting stations before applying for seal licences under section 110 of the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010.

A wide variety of non-lethal options have been reported as having been attempted in river fisheries and netting stations but this has been accompanied by little or no scientific assessment of their effectiveness. The increasing use of practical and effective non-lethal seal management measures in river fisheries and netting stations depends on progress with scientific research on seal predation and the practicality and effectiveness of non-lethal measures in preventing this. Marine Scotland is currently undertaking important research in this area with a view to producing advice for fisheries.

Question reference: S4W-05928

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 24 February 2012
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 9 March 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is a reduction in the number of potential biological removal of seals (PBR) used in 2012 when compared with the same period in 2011 and, if so, whether it considers that this is because of the further depletion of seal populations.

Question reference: S4W-05929

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 24 February 2012
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 9 March 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how many seal licences were granted under section 110(1)(f) of the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 for new fish farms prior to the commencement of their operations in (a) 2011 and (b) 2012.

Question reference: S4W-05923

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 24 February 2012
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 9 March 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how many seal licences were issued during 2011 under section 110 of the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 to the nominated marksmen who (a) had undertaken and passed and (b) were still required to complete the relevant seal management course.

A Professional Development Award in Seal Management was developed and approved by the Scottish Qualifications Authority and local colleges commissioned to produce the necessary materials to deliver this course. Seal licences are issued to licensees and not individual marksmen, who are nominated by the licensees. At the start of 2011, 27 nominated marksmen had completed the relevant course and another 37 completed it during that year. 62 nominated marksmen have still to complete the relevant course.

Question reference: S4W-05927

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 24 February 2012
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 9 March 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what data was used to establish the limits for the use of potential biological removals (PBR) of (a) grey and (b) common seals in 2012, broken down by seal management area.