- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 14 October 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Adam Ingram on 28 October 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive what the definition is of a vulnerable adult under the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007.
Answer
The act defines a protected adult as an individual aged 16 or over who is provided with a particular service, such as a support service registered under the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001, a prescribed medical service, a community care service or a prescribed welfare service. This is defined at Section 94 of the Act. The use of a service-based definition avoids labelling adults on the basis of having a specific condition or disability. A person will only be a protected adult for the period during which they are receiving the service. Therefore some people will be protected adults most of the time (e.g. residents in a care home whilst in the care home) whereas others will only be protected for short periods (e.g. while receiving treatment at the dentist).
- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 October 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 28 October 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking to support farmers who wish to make the transition to organic production.
Answer
Funding for farmers who wish to convert to organic farming, or maintain their organic status is available under the SRDP Rural Priorities scheme. The Scottish Government also supports the provision of advice and guidance on organics and food marketing through the Scottish Agricultural College.
- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 04 October 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 28 October 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-35939 by Roseanna Cunningham on 14 September 2010, whether the figures supplied for the Deer Commission for Scotland costs include the staff time involved in the development of section 7 agreements with individual landowners for scoping work and meetings with landowners prior to signing the section 7 control agreements under the Deer (Scotland) Act 1996 and whether the relevant agencies have procedures in place to allow allocation of staff time costs to individual section 7 projects.
Answer
The figures for staff costs supplied in the answer to question S3W-35939 are based on an estimate of staff time devoted to developing and implementing control agreements under section 7 of the Deer (Scotland) Act 1996. Staff involved in the joint working programme seek to deliver action through negotiation and it is not always necessary to proceed to a formal control agreement. The work recording system operated by the Deer Commission for Scotland, recorded staff time spent on delivering the joint working programme as a whole, but was not sufficiently detailed to record the time spent by staff against individual section 7 control agreements.
- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 04 October 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 28 October 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive how its assessment of Scotland’s performance in meeting the 2010 target of halting the loss of biodiversity will inform decisions on where further effort and investment are needed in order to meet the international targets set for 2020.
Answer
We are working with Scottish Natural Heritage and other partners in the Scottish Biodiversity Forum on our assessment of Scotland''s performance in meeting the EU 2010 target of halting the loss of biodiversity, and the UN Convention on Biological Diversity 2010 target of achieving a significant reduction in the rate of biodiversity loss. We shall continue to work with these partners to determine priorities for effort to meet targets for 2020.
- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 04 October 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 28 October 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive what staff and other costs were incurred by (a) Scottish Natural Heritage, (b) Forestry Commission Scotland and (c) Scottish Government Rural Payments and Inspections Directorate staff in developing and implementing section 7 control orders under the Deer (Scotland) Act 1996 in each of the last five years.
Answer
The following table sets out estimates for the staff and other costs associated with Section 7 control agreements.
| Year | (a) Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) (£) | (b) Forestry Commission Scotland (£) | (c) Scottish Government Rural Payments and Inspections Directorate (£) |
| 2006 | 5,000 | 15,130 | Nil |
| 2007 | 8,000 | 15,130 | Nil |
| 2008 | 10,700 | 15,130 | Nil |
| 2009 | 13,000 | 15,130 | Nil |
| 2010 | 14,000 | 15,130 | Nil |
The figures for SNH staff time are estimates based on work recording. SNH staff record time on the wider designated sites target of which deer impacts is only a part.
- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 04 October 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 28 October 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-35939 by Roseanna Cunningham on 14 September 2010, what the average costs are of implementing control orders (a) per section 7 agreement and (b) per site of special scientific interest or special area of conservation-designated feature over the last five years.
Answer
The costs of implementing control agreements issued under section 7 of the Deer (Scotland) Act 1996 are set out in the following table. The areas of individual sites vary considerably with control agreements extending over areas from approximately 2,500 hectares to 80,000 hectares. Therefore, so as to provide an average cost we have provided the cost per hectare.
| | (a) Total Cost for Per Hectare for Section 7 Sites (£) | (b) Total per Hectare for Joint Working Sites (Excluding Section 7 sites) (£) |
| 2006 | 2.06 | 3.10 |
| 2007 | 2.79 | 1.23 |
| 2008 | 4.10 | 1.06 |
| 2009 | 3.28 | 0.94 |
| 2010 | 0.94 | 2.05 |
- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 04 October 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 28 October 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive, following publication of the report, Making Space for Nature: A review of England’s Wildlife Sites and Ecological Network, whether it will establish a similar inquiry or review for Scotland and, if not, how it determines what future work and resources are needed to protect and enhance priority species and habitats in Scotland.
Answer
We have no plans for an inquiry or review similar to the Lawton review in England. In Scotland, priorities for further work to protect and enhance species and habitats are considered by the working groups of the Scottish Biodiversity Forum which bring together partners in government, agencies, local government and non-governmental organisations. Resource decisions are made by the Scottish Government, agencies and local government within the relevant budgetary processes.
- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 04 October 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 28 October 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-35939 by Roseanna Cunningham on 14 September 2010, what its position is on the cost and efficiency of the system of delivering sustainable deer management.
Answer
A voluntary approach to engagement with deer managers will generally represent the most effective and efficient means to deliver sustainable deer management. The Scottish Government recognises however that on occasion Scottish Natural Heritage may need to intervene with advice and support or regulation through implementing Section 7 agreements or even Section 8 control schemes. Clearly where this is required there will be a resource implication. That is why we have sought to ensure in the Wildlife and Natural Environment Bill that these powers can deliver more effective and timely means of intervention. If we were to move to a system of statutory deer management it is our assessment that the resource requirement would be much higher.
- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 04 October 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 28 October 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-35939 by Roseanna Cunningham on 14 September 2010, how the figures for Deer Commission for Scotland staff costs were calculated.
Answer
The figures for the Deer Commission for Scotland staff costs were calculated using the 2009-10 baseline. Details are as follows and include costs for the joint working programme, a process that aims to secure favourable conservation status on designated sites some of which may progress into section 7 agreements in the future:
| Grade | No. of staff: | % time Joint Working | % Time Section 7 | Cost Joint Working | Cost Section 7 | Total |
| | | | | £ | £ | £ |
| D | 6 | 30 | 30 | 74,664.13 | 74,664.13 | 149,328.26 |
| C | 1 | 30 | 30 | 10,165.39 | 10,165.39 | 20,330.78 |
| C | 2 | 12.5 | 12.5 | 8,471.16 | 8,471.16 | 16,942.31 |
| F | 1 | 16.5 | 16.5 | 11,158.70 | 11,158.70 | 22,317.41 |
| | | | | 104,459.38 | 104,459.38 | 208,918.75 |
| Cost per Grade Taken Using the 2009-10 Figures (£) | | |
| C | D | F |
| 33,884.63 | 41,480.07 | 67,628.50 |
- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 04 October 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 28 October 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of the Deer Commission for Scotland budget in each of the last five years was spent on delivering and implementing section 7 agreements under the Deer (Scotland) Act 1996.
Answer
The following table details the proportion of Deer Commission for Scotland (DCS) budget that was spent in each of the last five years on delivering and implementing section 7 agreements. The table also includes estimates of the budget that was spent on joint working sites which aims to secure favourable conditions of sites not within a section 7 agreement.
| | Total DCS Budget (£) | % DCS Budget Associated with Section 7 Control Agreements | % DCS Budget Associated with Joint Working sites (excludes Section 7) | % DCS Budget Associated with Both Section 7 and Joint Working Sites |
| 2006 | 1,788,000.00 | 8.7 | 10.4 | 19.1 |
| 2007 | 1,687,000.00 | 12.5 | 15.2 | 27.7 |
| 2008 | 1,864,000.00 | 16.6 | 14.7 | 31.3 |
| 2009 | 1,767,000.00 | 14.4 | 13.6 | 28.0 |
| 2010 | 1,809,000.00 | 11.4 | 12.9 | 24.3 |
