- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 05 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 5 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will urge Caledonian MacBrayne to enter into discussions with Highland Council to consider the introduction of an additional service on Friday afternoon and Monday morning for those children resident in the small isles who attend Mallaig High School.
Answer
This matter was raised in responseto our consultation exercise on the draft Invitation to Tender for the Clyde and Hebrides ferryservices. We received a good response to the consultation and we are currently finalisingthe service specification, reflecting points made through consultation. I will announcemy conclusions in due course.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 5 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Forestry Commission or Forestry Enterprise use electric fencing in order to control deer and, if so, why such fencing is used; whether this type of fencing can be used by private landowners; what information it has received in respect of the use of this type of fencing; whether the Deer Commission for Scotland have received such information; what commission internal documents there are relating to the matter, and whether any such reports will be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.
Answer
Forest Enterprise, Scotland currentlyhas 13.5 kilometres of electric fencing along boundaries in three locations, Mull, Glen Prosen and Rannoch. In twoareas Mull and Glen Prosen they are regardedas temporary measures to be used until agreement is reached on the erection of conventionalfencing along mutual boundaries. In Rannoch the electric fence is being used tostrengthen an existing conventional fence to protect woodland from red deer incursion during periods of heavysnowfall.
Electricfencing is used on private estates. However, there is no Scottish Forestry GrantScheme support for the erection of this type of fence.
The ForestryCommission produced a Research Information Note (Number 206) in 1992 on the useof electric fences following two year trials in Argyll and the North of England.The project identified that electric fencing is not such an effective barrier tored and roe deer as conventional line and wire mesh fencing. Roe deer in particularare very resistant to electric current. There have been a number of more recentreports that have reached similar conclusions.
The DeerCommission Scotland (DCS) is aware of this information and is currently workingwith Forestry Commission Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage and the Scottish ExecutiveEnvironment and Rural Affairs Department to produce a joint policy statement ondeer fencing. Once published, this will be made available in Parliament’s ReferenceCentre. What internal documents DCS have is a matter for the Commission and thisinformation is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 4 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-7089 by Ms Patricia Ferguson on 1 April 2004 and the further supplementary statement (WS-19-005 to 008) to the Holyrood Inquiry by the Chief Executive of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and Head of Legal and Parliamentary Services, whether "relevant documentation" includes reports made by the Chief Executive of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and Head of Legal and Parliamentary Services regarding the Holyrood Progress Group to the (a) Minister for Parliamentary Business and the predecessor minister and (b) First Minister and, if so, whether such reports will be published and on what dates the reports were made.
Answer
The “relevant documentation”referred to in the answer to question S2W-7089 includes reports made by the Chief Executive of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and Head of Legal andParliamentary Services to me and the previous Minister for Parliament and to theFirst Minister regarding the Holyrood Progress Group. These reports provided informationfrom time to time on the progress of the Holyrood Project and key developments,including information on costs.
All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for whichcan be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.
These reports have been providedto the Holyrood Inquiry, who may place them on their website in due course. It isfor the Inquiry to decide which reports they make public.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 4 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is in respect of the use by the Deer Commission for Scotland of emergency powers under the Deer (Scotland) Act 1996 to effect the mass cull of deer; whether it is seeking any information from the commission regarding the recent use of such powers at Glenfeshie; whether it will consider the introduction of a moratorium pending a full investigation of the issues involved, and whether, in particular, it will instruct the commission not to implement any further mass cull without a debate in the Parliament where the issues can be fully explored.
Answer
Parliament placed duties on theDeer Commission for Scotland (DCS) under the Deer (Scotland) Act1996 to take action when it is satisfied that serious damage is being caused toagriculture, woodland the natural heritage or a risk to public safety. That actionincludes the emergency culling of deer under section 10.
On the carrying out of this dutyin respect of Glenfeshie, I refer the member to the answer given to questionS2W-7432 on 4 May 2004 . All answers to written parliamentary questions areavailable on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be foundat:
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.Ministers will reflect on whatconclusions to draw in the light of the report on the Glenfeshie operations. Giventhe obligations on the DCS under the Deer Act, the options available are unlikelyto include a moratorium on culling.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Frank McAveety on 4 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made any representations to Her Majesty's Government with regard to any potential impact on the outdoor industry of the draft Work at Height Regulations.
Answer
I refer the member to the answergiven to question S2W-7439 on 4 May 2004. 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/search_wa.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Frank McAveety on 4 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to obtain views from the outdoor industry and related organisations in connection with the draft Work at Height Regulations and, if not, whether it has any plans to do so.
Answer
I refer the member to the answergiven to question S2W-7439 on 4 April 2004. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for whichcan be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 4 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the reports to the First Minister referred to in evidence to the Holyrood Inquiry by the Chief Executive of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and Head of Legal and Parliamentary Services included information on the rising costs of the Holyrood Project and, if so, when such reports were made.
Answer
I refer the member to the answergiven to question S2W-7428 on 4 May 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for whichcan be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 4 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Deer Commission for Scotland has outlined to the Executive its reasons for not supporting deer fencing as an effective method of protecting trees; if not, whether this contributed to emergency measures to cull deer being taken, and whether the commission has acted upon advice in respect of appropriate practice in adopting certain types of fencing.
Answer
The DeerCommission for Scotland (DCS) have statedpublicly that fencing can be an effective tool for deer management and have supportedits use in a number of locations.
DCS is obliged under the Deer(Scotland) Act 1996 to take action if it is satisfied that there is a risk of seriousdamage to agriculture, woodland, the natural heritage or a risk to public safetyHowever, the act specifically prevents the DCS from requiring an owner or occupierto construct a deer fence.
Havingconsulted interested parties, DCS is currently working with ForestryCommission Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage and the Scottish Executive Environmentand Rural Affairs Department to produce, a joint policy statement on deer fencing.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 4 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether all correspondence with the Holyrood Inquiry regarding the evidence of the First Minister to the inquiry will be published.
Answer
It is a matter for the Inquiryto decide which documents they make public. The First Minister's evidence was submittedin writing and has already been published on the Holyrood Inquiry website as document MS/25/001-002.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 4 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Deer Commission for Scotland regard deer as vermin.
Answer
While there is no basis withinthe Deer (Scotland) Act 1996 for deer to be regarded vermin, any animal presentlocally in such high numbers as to impact materially on other legitimate interestsrequires to be effectively managed and controlled; as provided for in the act.
