- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 9 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether consideration of European Protected Species must be included as part of an oil spill contingency plan approval process.
Answer
The approval of oil spill contingencyplans is a matter for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) acting on behalfof the Secretary of State for Transport.
As a competent authority underthe EU Habitats Directive the MCA must have regard to the requirements of the Directivewhere appropriate in the exercise of their functions. It is understood that as partof the consultation process on ship-to-ship transfer in the Firth of Forth the MCAwill give due consideration to nature conservation issues.
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 9 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is the authority from whom a licence must be sought for works in respect of the proposed commercial ship-to-ship crude oil transfer in the Firth of Forth which will affect European Protected Species under the Habitats Directive.
Answer
The Scottish Executive does notissue licences specifically for ship-to-ship transfer of crude oil.
If it were to be establishedthat the proposed commercial ship-to-ship transfer of crude oil were likely to disturba European Protected Species, or damage or destroy its breeding site or restingplace, whether or not the species is present in these places, a licence would berequired from the licensing authority under regulation 44 of the Conservation (NaturalHabitats & c.) Regulations 1994. In that case, the licensing authority wouldbe the Scottish Executive. The advice I have sought from Scottish Natural Heritagein respect of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s consultation on the relevantoil spill contingency plan will enable decisions to be taken about whether a licencemight be necessary and I do not want to prejudge the outcome of that consideration.
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 9 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether an oil spill contingency plan approved without due consideration to European Protected Species would breach European directives.
Answer
I refer the member to the answerto question S2W-23475 on 9 March 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 9 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether a licence for ship-to-ship crude oil transfer affecting European Protected Species under the Habitats Directive applies to the species and their shelters and breeding places, whether or not the species are present in these places.
Answer
I refer the member to the answerto question S2W-23473 on 9 March 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 2 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what role it will play in the issue of ship-to-ship oil transfers in the Firth of Forth following any decision by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency to approve Forth Ports Authority¿s oil spill contingency plan.
Answer
The Scottish Executive will maintaincontact with Her Majesty’s Government on any legislative and policy matters arisingfrom any such ship-to-ship oil transfers.
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 20 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 31 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care’s letter of 22 January 2005 to me in respect of the Scottish Executive Health Department’s representation on the UK Government Stakeholder Advisory Group on Electric and Magnetic Fields (SAGE), what issues of particular concern to Scotland have been brought to the attention of SAGE.
Answer
The aim of the SAGE process is to allow stakeholders to consider implications for a precautionary approach to power frequency electric and magnetic fields and make practical recommendations for precautionary measures. While issues of current public concern feature in these considerations, there is no intention that the work of the main SAGE group or of its current Working Groups should include specific focus on issues of particular concern to Scotland or any other particular part of the UK.
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 20 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 31 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will consult on a liability regime for contamination by genetically modified crops.
Answer
The Scottish Executive will be issuing a consultation on proposals for managing the coexistence of GM, conventional and organic crops in the spring. Included as part of this consultation will be options for providing compensation to non-GM farmers who suffer financial loss.
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 23 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 27 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will submit a formal response to the UK Government’s Energy Review and, if not, how it will contribute to the review.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is already engaged in the UK Energy Review and I have confirmed to the Scottish Parliament that we will respond to it.
I will also maintain regular contact with the UK energy minister Malcolm Wicks, and my officials will continue to be involved during the review in regular discussions and meetings with the DTI-led review team.
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 27 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21559 by Rhona Brankin on 21 December 2005, to what time period and area of land each of the 30 licences issued under the Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994 in relation to otters applied.
Answer
The licences have now been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) (Bib. number 38705), and each licence details the activities permitted under the licence, the purpose for the licence, as well as its time period. As amendment and extension licences have been included, the number of licences placed in the SPICe totals 44.
Licences are not issued for areas of land, but for locations.
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 27 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21559 by Rhona Brankin on 21 December 2005, what activities apart from trapping for the purposes of relocation or killing each of the 30 licences issued under the Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994 in relation to otters permitted.
Answer
The licences referred to above were issued for a variety of purposes and include disturbance of otters and the destruction and repair of holts.
The licences have now been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) (Bib. number 38705), and each licence details the activities permitted under the licence, the purpose for the licence, as well as its time period. As amendment and extension licences have been included, the number of licences placed in the SPICe totals 44.
Information which could lead to the identification of individual persons, or locations of otter holts becoming known, has been taken out of the licences for data protection purposes under the terms of the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004.
