- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 5 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to review the Conservation of Seals Act 1970 to ascertain whether repeal or amendment is desirable.
Answer
The Scottish Government''s consultation
Sustainable Seas for All “ A consultation on Scotland''s first marine bill closed on 6 October 2008. It contains proposals for possible changes to seal legislation which will seek to improve the balance between seal conservation and sustainable fisheries and fish farms. The responses to this consultation are currently being analysed.
It is anticipated that the Scottish Marine Bill will be introduced in Parliament in spring 2009.
- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 08 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 19 December 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the use of wooden memorials for graves is permitted.
Answer
It is up to each local authority to determine the rules for the burial grounds it owns or manages. The Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 section 112 allows local authorities to make rules regulating the use of land they own or manage. This includes cemeteries.
- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 18 December 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how the figure of £0.8 million quoted in the Scottish Court Service’s consultation document Delivering a Unified Courts Administration in the Sheriffdom of South Strathclyde Dumfries and Galloway as the cost for alternative accommodation for the continued provision of a court service in Annan was calculated.
Answer
The figure of £0.8 million was arrived at on the basis of current market construction costs for a 400m2 building.
- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 18 December 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive on what grounds Annan District Court is considered to be unsuitable for summary criminal court business, as stated in the Scottish Court Service’s consultation document Delivering a Unified Courts Administration in the Sheriffdom of South Strathclyde Dumfries and Galloway.
Answer
The accommodation provided in the current Annan District Court building lacks the facilities necessary to provide:
security of prisoners in custody;
segregation of Crown and defence witnesses, and
the wider security requirements for the judiciary, court personnel and court users.
- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 18 December 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what gross value added it estimates to be associated with timber in the public forest estate.
Answer
The Scottish timber industry alone provides 13,200 full-time jobs and is worth £460 million by the latest estimate. The National Forest Estate (NFE) currently produces 44% of the timber in Scotland, so a reasonable estimate would be that the NFE contributes around £200 million GVA (gross value added) per year.
Also, nearly 20,000 jobs are attributed to tourism and recreation spending, which is estimated at £209 million. The bulk of recreation and tourism related spend from forests is on the NFE, so if a figure of 75% of this spending is used, the NFE contributes around £150 million GVA. Thus the total GVA generated by the NFE using the above assumptions is £350 million per year.
- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 18 December 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether land in the public forest estate that had been leased to private interests would be eligible for grant payments under the Scotland Rural Development Programme.
Answer
Yes, this land would be eligible for grant payments.
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- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 18 December 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the biodiversity duty under the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004 would apply to land in the public forest estate that was leased to private interests.
Answer
Yes.
- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 17 December 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to enable adults from the most deprived areas to visit woodlands in the public forest estate.
Answer
The Woods In and Around Towns (WIAT) Programme provides the focus for Forestry Commission Scotland''s work on improving quality of life in towns and cities. Projects are being supported all over Scotland.
Since 2005, WIAT has brought 8,000 hectares of woodland into active management, creating 1,000 hectares of new woodland. WIAT Phase II will see a further investment of £24 million over the next three years.
- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 17 December 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to enable adults over the age of 55 to visit woodlands in the public forest estate.
Answer
The Woods In and Around Towns (WIAT) Programme provides the focus for Forestry Commission Scotland''s work on improving quality of life in towns and cities.
Since 2005, WIAT has brought 8,000 hectares of woodland into active management, creating 1,000 hectares of new woodland. WIAT Phase II will see a further investment of £24 million over the next three years.
- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 12 December 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people are employed in the public forest estate.
Answer
The number of staff currently employed by Forest Enterprise Scotland, the part of Forestry Commission Scotland which manages the national forest estate, is 779.
