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Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S3W-25743

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 13 July 2009
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 5 August 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how much money has been saved by the refocusing of Highlands and Islands Enterprise’s priorities.

Question reference: S3W-24948

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 June 2009
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 9 July 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to increase public awareness of the problems of the pollution of beaches by litter from land and sea to encourage voluntary action to reduce the deliberate and accidental release of litter.

To help tackle the issue the Scottish Government continues to provide funding to the independent environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful (KSB) who run a number of anti-litter campaigns designed to raise public awareness of the problem. KSB also coordinate a number of other programmes, including the Blue Flag award scheme and the Seaside Award.

In April, KSB once again ran their annual month long National Spring Clean campaign. The 2009 campaign has proven to be a great success, with a record level of almost 58,000 people volunteering to participate in clean-up events across Scotland. Coastal clean-up events proved to be very popular, with 80 such events involving a total of 8,665 volunteers talking place. Overall, enough litter was collected across Scotland to fill almost 29,000 wheelie bins. While many groups already take part in voluntary clean ups organised by KSB during the rest of the year, National Spring Clean provides an opportunity for schools, youth clubs, environmental organisations, voluntary groups, community gatherings and businesses to play an important part in a bigger, coordinated campaign.

KSB, through the two beach award schemes, the Blue Flag and the Seaside Award, also encourages beach managers to provide information about beach litter and its impacts at all award beach information boards to raise public awareness of the problems.

Through the Scottish Bathing Water Litter Grant Scheme we are also tackling the litter problem at bathing waters and their beaches. The grant scheme, administered by KSB on our behalf, aims to encourage communities to carry out clean-ups of beaches close to bathing waters, or to run litter prevention campaigns or support and promote community action with a focus on reducing marine and coastal litter pollution. The 2009-10 grant application deadline is the end of June 2009. Further information is available on the KSB website http://www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/.

Question reference: S3W-24947

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 June 2009
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 9 July 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has discussed with HM Government or any other government options for international efforts to tackle the pollution of Scotland’s beaches by litter from the sea.

The Scottish Government is actively involved in discussions with the UK Government and devolved administrations as part of our involvement in wider international efforts on control of marine litter. The Fishing for Litter initiative was recently considered at the British-Irish Council Environment Group on 19 April 2009. Also, the OSPAR Biodiversity Committee and its Environmental Impacts of Human Activities Working Group continue to consider the issue of marine litter.

Question reference: S3W-24946

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 June 2009
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 9 July 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the provisions of the Marine (Scotland) Bill will make it easier for public bodies to tackle the pollution of beaches by litter from land and sea.

The Scottish Government is supporting initiatives on marine and coastal litter and expects local authorities and other bodies to continue to work together to take action to tackle the problem.

The Marine (Scotland) Bill includes proposals for a new system of marine planning including new powers to define Scottish marine regions for which a local marine plan should be prepared in consultation with stakeholders. The proposals also include provisions for the co-ordination of plans covering the terrestrial and marine environment. These proposals provide an opportunity for better consideration of beach and marine litter issues where necessary.

Question reference: S3W-24949

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 June 2009
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 9 July 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to increase the enforcement of existing legislation prohibiting the dropping of litter or other rubbish to reduce the problems of the pollution of beaches by litter from land and sea.

Existing legislation in Scotland is amongst the toughest in Europe. A person who is caught littering is, if the case goes to court, liable to a fine of up to £2,500. Alternatively, the person may be offered the opportunity to pay a fixed penalty fine, the level of which is £50.

Police officers and designated local authority officers have the power to issue fixed penalty notices to those who litter. However, as independent bodies, whether local authorities empower officials to issue notices and whether police forces exercise their powers, is entirely up to them. They are encouraged to do so by the Scottish Government.

The Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse (COPLAR) provides practical guidance on the use of the litter enforcement powers contained in the act. COPLAR website, operated by the independent environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful (KSB), provides guidance on the issuing of fixed penalty fines. The information can be found at http://www.littercode.org/index.asp?pg=41.

Question reference: S3W-24945

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 June 2009
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 9 July 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will outline the existing legislation that can be used to tackle the pollution of beaches by litter from land and sea.

The Environmental Protection Act 1990 (the act) places a duty on various bodies to clear litter from their land. For many beaches the duty body is the local authority. However, as independent organisations how they fulfil that duty and with what resources is for each local authority to determine, provided they meet the standards in the Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse (COPLAR).

COPLAR provides practical guidance on the discharge of duties imposed on Scottish local authorities and other duty bodies by the act to keep specified land clear of litter and refuse.

COPLAR was published by Scottish ministers in December 2006 following a revision of the litter and fly tipping provisions of the act. COPLAR helps to explain who has a duty to clean public places, what their responsibility is, how individuals can tell if a place is clean, and what to do if you don''t think public places are of an acceptable standard in terms of litter and fly tipping.

Major amendments to the code included a greater focus on beach cleansing standards and guidance on issuing fixed penalty notices. Further information, including an electronic copy of COPLAR is available from http://www.littercode.co.uk/.

This website is operated by the independent environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful.

However that the duty to clean beaches extends only to above the high water mark and litter from ships and marine installations is the responsibility of the UK Government.

Question reference: S3W-24944

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 June 2009
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 9 July 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has undertaken a survey of the extent of the pollution of beaches by litter, from land and sea, or whether it plans to do so.

Scottish Government provides funding to the independent environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful (KSB).

KSB carries out surveys of all award winning beaches each summer for cleanliness in line with the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and the Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse (COPLAR).

There are four standards of beach cleanliness. These are: cleanliness grade A (no litter or refuse), cleanliness grade B (predominantly free of litter), cleanliness grade C (consistent distribution of litter and refuse) and cleanliness grade D (heavily littered with significant accumulations). Beaches should achieve at least a grade B at all times. When they drop below this standard they must be returned to at least a grade B within a set timescale. Further information about the cleanliness standards and the timescales is available from the COPLAR website operated by KSB www.littercode.org.

Question reference: S3W-25340

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 June 2009
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 9 July 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what definitions of active farming it used to assess the contribution to the Less Favoured Area Support Scheme (LFASS) 2010 budget of linking LFASS payments to active farming and what its assessment is of the impact of those definitions on the LFASS funding that each area will receive.

Question reference: S3W-25341

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 June 2009
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 9 July 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the new definition of active farming to be used to focus Less Favoured Area Support Scheme (LFASS) 2010 funding on farmers and crofters who are genuinely active will include activity aimed at achieving environmental objectives.

Question reference: S3W-25338

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 June 2009
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 9 July 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what the timetable is for the consultation with stakeholders on the definition of active farming to be used to focus Less Favoured Area Support Scheme (LFASS) 2010 funding on farmers and crofters who are genuinely active.