- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 24 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 9 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether methods and mitigation measures suggested as a result of an environmental impact assessment undertaken voluntarily in respect of proposed commercial ship-to-ship transfer of oil in the Firth of Forth can be enforced by law.
Answer
I refer the member to the answerto question S2W-23516 on 9 March 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament鈥檚 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: Friday, 24 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 9 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether an environmental impact assessment (EIA) has been produced in respect of proposed commercial oil spill contingency plans for ship-to-ship transfer of oil in the Firth of Forth and whether any such EIA has been undertaken voluntarily or under statute.
Answer
I am aware that the Maritimeand Coastguard Agency included the member in the list of consultees sent detailsof the consultation exercise which commenced on 16 February. The member will thereforebe aware that an environmental impact assessment (EIA) is one of the documents formingpart of the consultation. The status of such an assessment as part of the oil spillplanning process is a matter for Her Majesty鈥檚 Government but I understand thatan EIA is not a formal requirement of the relevant legislation, which is the MerchantShipping (Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation Convention) Regulations1998.
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 24 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 9 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what the role of Scottish ministers is in respect of the public consultation on the oil spill contingency plan for commercial ship-to-ship transfer of oil in the Firth of Forth.
Answer
The Scottish Executive will respondto the consultation having taken advice from Scottish Natural Heritage on the potentialenvironmental implications of the oil spill contingency plan, in particular thepotential impacts on Special Protection Areas and Special Areas of Conservationdesignated by Scottish ministers under the Conservation (Natural Habitats etc) Regulations1994 and bearing in mind our obligations in respect of European Protected Species.
- 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驴s oil spill contingency plan.
Answer
The Scottish Executive will maintaincontact with Her Majesty鈥檚 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 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, 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鈥檚 letter of 22 January 2005 to me in respect of the Scottish Executive Health Department鈥檚 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, 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鈥檚 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, 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.
- 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: Thursday, 12 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 26 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21559 by Rhona Brankin on 21 December 2005, whether it will provide a breakdown of the numbers of each species listed that were killed under the licences issued.
Answer
With reference to S2W-21599, the number of mountain hares killed under Scottish Executive licences since the year 2000 is 258. These licences were issued to prevent the spread of disease.
The Executive has no knowledge of any other species having been killed under the licences to which the question relates.
