- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 10 June 2013
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 11 June 2013
To ask the Scottish GovernmentÌýwhether it will provide an update on its 2011 climate change target.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 11 June 2013
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 May 2013
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 30 May 2013
To ask the Scottish Government how many ministerial journeys of (a) one to two miles and (b) one mile and under have been completed (i) by car, (ii) on foot, (iii) on bicycle and (iv) using public transport since 2007 and what impact it expects its recently launched campaign, Not Far? Leave the Car, to have on such journeys.
Answer
The information requested at point (i), (ii), (iii) and (iv) could only be obtained at disproportionate costs.
The recently launched Active Travel campaign aims to encourage the Scottish public to reduce the number of short journeys made by car. The campaign raises awareness of the benefits of walking and cycling in terms of wellbeing, environment and financial cost.
The Scottish Government continually looks for ways to minimise the use of cars for official journeys and Ministers take their responsibility to travel sustainably very seriously and aim to use more sustainable forms of transport whenever possible.
Where practicable, Ministers are encouraged to use public transport or walk to their engagements.
You may be interested to know that all Ministerial journeys by Car and public transport are published on the .
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 May 2013
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Burgess on 29 May 2013
To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of landlords had lodged all eligible deposits with tenant deposits schemes by 15 May 2013.
Answer
Not all landlords take deposits from tenants. In addition, letting agents acting on behalf of landlords will have lodged a proportion of the deposits now with one of the three approved tenancy deposit schemes. As such, we cannot confirm what percentage of all landlords have lodged eligible deposits.
Up to the end of April 2013, over 140,000 deposits with a total value of £89 million had been lodged with one of the three approved tenancy deposit schemes. These are the most up to date figures available.
Comparison with the number of properties private landlords have registered with local authorities suggests that some landlords still need to lodge deposits.
The Scottish Government will continue to work with the scheme providers and other stakeholders to encourage compliance with the law in this area.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 May 2013
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Burgess on 29 May 2013
To ask the Scottish GovernmentÌýwhat action it will take with regard to landlords that did not register their tenants’ deposits with the tenancy deposit protection scheme by the deadline of 15 May 2013.
Answer
The Scottish Government continues to work with the scheme providers and other stakeholders such as Citizens Advice Scotland and Shelter Scotland to encourage compliance with the law.
The Scottish Government recently introduced the Tenant Information Pack which provides key information for tenants and landlords in an easy to read format. From May 1st, landlords have a legal duty to provide the Tenant Information Pack to new tenants. The pack includes information on tenants’ rights with regards to their deposit being protected in a Tenancy Deposit Scheme.
The launch of the pack is supported by a new website: , which offers practical renting guides for tenants and landlords in Scotland’s private rented sector. Renting Scotland is jointly funded by the Scottish Government and Shelter Scotland. The website is an industry-wide information hub for both tenants and landlords in the private rented sector in Scotland.
Private landlords have a duty to protect tenants’ deposits with one of the three approved tenancy deposit schemes. If they fail to do so the tenant may apply to a sheriff to enforce the law. The court may order the imposition of a financial penalty of up to three times the deposit on a landlord. In addition, local authorities may take such a breach of housing law into account when considering the fit and proper test for landlord registration and licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 May 2013
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Burgess on 29 May 2013
To ask the Scottish GovernmentÌýhow many landlords registered their tenants’ deposits with the tenancy deposit protection scheme by the deadline of 15 May 2013.Ìý
Answer
Up to the end of April this year, over 140,000 deposits with a total value of £89 million had been lodged with one of the three approved tenancy deposit schemes. Of these, more than 25,000 deposits had been submitted directly by landlords. Information on the number of landlords registered and deposits lodged with the schemes, as at the deadline of 15 May is not yet available.
Comparison with the number of properties private landlords have registered with local authorities suggests that some landlords still need to lodge deposits.
The Scottish Government will continue to work with the scheme providers and other stakeholders to encourage compliance with the law in this area.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 May 2013
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Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Allan on 28 May 2013
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by Richard Lochhead on 12 March 2013 (Official Report, c. 17558), how many meetings of the Still Hungry for Success working group have been held; who attended; what issues were discussed, and what future meetings are planned.
Answer
The Still Hungry for Success working group met for the first time on 14 March 2013 and again on 8 May 2013
The following table shows working group membership and attendance
| Name | Organisation | 14 March 2013 | 8 May 2013 |
| Hugh Fraser (chair) | Association of Directors of Education Scotland (ADES) | attended | attended |
| Bill Kennedy | Association of Service Solutions in Scotland (ASSIST) | attended | attended |
| Jackie Brock | Children in Scotland | attended | apologies |
| Heather Peace | Food Standards Agency | attended | attended |
| Andrew Kennedy | Association of Public Service Excellence | attended | attended |
| Julia McCreadie | Cordia | attended | attended |
| Lisa Pierotti | Glasgow CC (Secondary HT) | attended | apologies |
| Tania Mackie | Highland Council (Primary HT) | attended | attended |
| Shirley Beattie | Education Scotland | attended | apologies |
| Lesley Kirkwood | Education Scotland | apologies | attended |
| Kathy Cameron | Convention of Scottish Local Authorities | attended | attended |
| James Withers | Scotland Food and Drink | apologies | apologies |
| Claire Hislop | NHS Health Scotland | attended | attended |
| Veronica McAleaney | Scottish Govt Procurement Policy | attended | attended |
| Hugh Carr | Scotland Excel | not yet a member | attended |
| Iain Ellis | National Parents Forum | not yet a member | attended |
| Bill Scott-Watson | Scottish Govt Learning | attended | attended |
| Lyndsey Fogg | Scottish Govt Learning | attended | attended |
| Robin Gourlay | Scottish Govt Food and Drink | attended | attended |
Ìý
At the first meeting the group discussed progress since Hungry for Success launched in 2003, existing successes, challenges and barriers in relation to school food provision and education.
At the second meeting, following informal consultation by group members with their stakeholder groups, discussion centred on the potential structure and scope of the guidance document.
The working group plan to meet again on 5 June, 14 August and 5 September.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 May 2013
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 22 May 2013
To ask the Scottish GovernmentÌýhow many mountain hares are killed annually and what proportion of the national population this represents.
Answer
A report commissioned by Scottish Natural Heritage in 2006 indicated that a minimum of 24,529 mountain hares are controlled annually (mainly by shooting) on Scottish estates. This represents 7% of the 1995 published Scottish population estimate of 350,000. However, the population estimate is subject to error, and so accounting for this uncertainty, the reported level of cull would lie in the range of 3.5 to 14% of the total population. Scottish Natural Heritage are planning to undertake further studies to determine the population level either later in the current year or in the next financial year.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 May 2013
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 20 May 2013
To ask the Scottish GovernmentÌýwhat guidance it produces on the sustainable culling of mountain hares.
Answer
The Scottish government has not issued guidance on the sustainable culling of the mountain hare as the only published information on the population level of the species is an estimate of 350,000 which dates from 1995 and is subject to a 50% margin of error. Further studies are therefore required to determine the population level and to provide a more accurate assessment of the number of mountain hares in Scotland; and Scottish Natural Heritage are planning to carry these out either later in the current or in the next financial year.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 May 2013
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 20 May 2013
To ask the Scottish GovernmentÌýwhat scientific evidence it has linking disease impacts on game birds to numbers or densities of mountain hares.
Answer
The scientific evidence on this subject was reviewed in a 2009 paper in the Journal of Applied Ecology "Culling wildlife hosts to control disease: mountain hares, red grouse and louping ill virus" by A Harrison et al. The authors concluded that there is no compelling evidence to suggest culling mountain hares might increase red grouse densities.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 May 2013
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 20 May 2013
To ask the Scottish GovernmentÌýwhether it plans to introduce further regulation relating to the culling of mountain hares.
Answer
As there has been no evidence of non-compliance in respect of the mountain hare closed season, the Scottish Government has no plans at present to introduce further regulation on this subject. However, the Scottish Government remains vigilant regarding all forms of wildlife crime and should action prove necessary we will not hesitate to do so.
