Chamber and committees

The article refers to licences which can be issued to allow the control of predatory birds to prevent serious damage to livestock, under Section 16(1)(k) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, the livestock in this case being game birds.

The Scottish Government has issued no licences under the aforesaid provisions.

The Scottish Government has discussed the operation of a licensing regime, and the accompanying guidance, with the following organisations:

British Association for Shooting and Conservation, Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, RSPB Scotland, Scottish Gamekeepers Association, Scottish Raptor Study Groups, Scottish Rural Property Business Association, Scottish SPCA.

In addition it is consulting with its statutory advisers Scottish Natural Heritage.

The number of occupied bed days in NHS Dumfries and Galloway where a diagnosis of assault by sharp object is recorded is presented in the following table.

Number of acute occupied bed days^1,2 in NHS Dumfries and Galloway connected with an assault by sharp object³, patient discharged during year ending 31 March 2005-09:

Financial Years	Total Number of Bed Days4
2004-05	18
2005-06	29
2006-07	33
2007-08	6
2008-09	26

Source: ISD Scotland, SMR01.

Notes:

1. Hospital admission data are derived from linked records on discharges from non-obstetric and non-psychiatric hospitals (SMR01) in Scotland.

2. Bed days are calculated using the length of stay variable.

3. Assault by sharp object connected incidents are defined as ICD-10 code X99 in any secondary diagnosis positions.

4. The number of bed days can be influenced by the severity of the injury received and hence total bed day figures do not necessarily reflect the underlying number of admissions.

For information; the numbers of admissions connected to assault by a sharp object in NHS Dumfries and Galloway was provided in the answer to question S3W-32124 on 15 March 2010. 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/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Additional data and commentary on assault by a sharp object is published as part of ISD''s Unintentional Injuries publication http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/5327.html.

The Scottish Funding Council expects colleges to offer courses which are viable in terms of student numbers; offer a high standard of teaching, and are relevant in terms of the future employability of the student and the needs of the local economy. Within those parameters colleges are generally free to take their own decisions on the courses they offer and how they offer them.

The types of financial support available to Scottish students studying in England can be found on the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) website: www.saas.gov.uk.

It is not possible to say how many deer died as a result of the winter weather, although the Deer Commission for Scotland continues to monitor the situation and have requested further information from occupiers on winter mortality with this year''s cull returns in order to better understand the impact of the 2009-10 winter on deer populations.

There is no formal obligation for Deer Management Groups to report on their activities. However, in 2005 DCS reviewed the extent of collaborative deer management in all Deer Management Groups. This showed that just over half of Deer Management Groups either had or were developing a deer management plan. The remainder did not intend to develop plans. Since then, the work of the Deer Commission for Scotland with Deer Management Groups suggests that there has been a slight increase in management plans, although a full review has not been carried out since 2005.

The Deer Commission for Scotland encourages all Deer Management Groups to develop a Deer Management Plan. However, participation in Deer Management Groups is voluntary and it is a matter for the members of the group to determine how to conduct their activities.

I refer the member to the answer to question to S3W-33450 on 11 May 2010. The Deer Commission for Scotland review of collaborative deer management in 2005 found that just over 10% of deer management groups had a formalised process for setting and monitoring cull targets, with the remainder setting cull targets on an informal basis or independently on an individual basis. Since then, the work of the Deer Commission for Scotland with Deer Management Groups does not suggest that this percentage has changed significantly, although a full review has not been carried out since 2005.

90% of features which could be affected by deer are in favourable condition, or are recovering, with the necessary management measures in place, so that the land will, given time, reach favourable condition. For the remainder, relevant agencies, such as Deer Commission for Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage and Forestry Commission Scotland, are working closely with Deer Management Groups, estates and owners so as to get the features into favourable condition. There are currently nine control agreements, made under section 7 of the Deer (Scotland) Act 1996, in place or under negotiation.