- Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 05 December 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 13 December 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what assistance it can provide to the primary care sector in Scotland in response to the impact of the increase in employer national insurance charges.
Answer
The Scottish Government has published its estimates of the direct costs to the Scottish public sector from the employers NI change, looking across our health and social care services, education providers, the third sector and others. We have shared those costs with the Treasury and have asked it for urgent clarification on the level of compensation that Scotland will receive.
If the chancellor does not fund that in full, it could be, that despite costs of more than £700 million across all sectors, at best £380 million would be forthcoming; leaving a shortfall of around £400 million. We continue to press for clarification.
- Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 December 2024
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 11 December 2024
To ask the Scottish Government how much it will allocate in its Budget to housing associations, including to support them to meet their aids and adaptations targets.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 11 December 2024
- Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 November 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Fairlie on 20 November 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what (a) consideration had been given to and (b) action it will take regarding Dogs Trust's calls to raise the minimum legal age for dogs travelling non-commercially into the UK to help tackle any illegal puppy smuggling.
Answer
The Scottish Government continues to support measures to raise the minimum legal age for dogs travelling non-commercially into the UK, having obtained legislative consent from the Scottish Parliament for this to be taken forward under the UK Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill before this was withdrawn by the UK Government in May 2023, and having agreed in principle to seek legislative consent for the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill before this fell due to the dissolution of the UK Parliament in May 2024.
The Scottish Government maintains that to ensure consistency of approach and the most effective outcomes, these measures would best be delivered by a UK Parliament bill. To this end, Scottish Government officials continue to engage with DEFRA on the possibility of legislation in the UK parliament to raise the minimum legal age of dogs travelling non-commercially into the UK, along with other animal welfare measures relating to the transport of pets.
- Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 November 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Fairlie on 20 November 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what the most recent data it holds regarding the number of puppies and dogs illegally imported into Scotland at Cairnryan ferry port.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold any such data.
- Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 November 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Fairlie on 20 November 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to calls from Dogs Trust to ban the (a) non-commercial transport of pregnant dogs in the last 30% of their gestation period, meaning more than 42 days pregnant, as a minimum, and (b) commercial movement of pregnant dogs, to tackle any illegal puppy smuggling.
Answer
The Scottish Government continues to support measures to restrict the transport of pregnant dogs into the UK, having obtained legislative consent from the Scottish Parliament for this to be taken forward under the UK Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill before this was withdrawn by the UK Government in May 2023, and having agreed in principle to seek legislative consent for the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill before this fell due to the dissolution of the UK Parliament in May 2024.
The Scottish Government maintains that to ensure consistency of approach and the most effective outcomes, these measures would best be delivered by a UK Parliament bill. To this end, Scottish Government officials continue to engage with DEFRA on the possibility of legislation in the UK parliament to restrict the transport of pregnant dogs into the UK, along with other animal welfare measures relating to the transport of pets.
- Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 November 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Fairlie on 20 November 2024
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-07245 by Mairi Gougeon on 18 March 2022, which agency is responsible for (a) the authorised pet checkers and (b) enforcement of puppy smuggling offences, at Cairnryan ferry port.
Answer
Persons undertaking basic checks on pets travelling with their owners on the Cairnryan ferry route are ferry employees and are, therefore, responsible to the ferry operator. These staff are not however authorised pet checkers as movements from Northern Ireland are within the UK. Where ferry staff on the Cairnryan route suspect a commercial movement or otherwise non-compliant activity, they will inform the harbour police and/or local authority to enable appropriate action to be taken.
Authorised pet checkers on official Pet Travel ferry routes into England from the EU are also ferry operator personnel responsible to their employer, but they have been specifically trained by the APHA to undertake checks on documentation and conduct visual inspections of animals. Authorised pet checkers will alert APHA or the local authority where issues are identified either with travel documentation or with the animals.
In terms of enforcement responsibility at Cairnryan where puppy smuggling offences are suspected, this generally sits with the local authority and/or Police Scotland. However, either may request that the Scottish SPCA intervene to take appropriate action under the Animal Health & Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006.
- Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 November 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Fairlie on 20 November 2024
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the non-commercial movement of pets into Great Britain, what assessment it has made of (a) the current procedure in relation to stop and searches of vehicles entering Scotland via ferry and (b) Dogs Trust's calls to implement visual checks for all dogs entering Scotland via Cairnryan ferry port.
Answer
The Scottish Government has undertaken no such assessments. It is the responsibility of the enforcement agencies to plan and execute any stop and search of vehicles entering Scotland by ferry. On the call from the Dogs Trust for visual checks on all dogs entering Scotland, we consider this impractical, as it would require significant resources to be permanently deployed. Additionally, it should be recognised that it is a small minority of individuals that are involved in the smuggling of puppies from NI to Scotland and so visually inspecting every dog arriving in Scotland would be disproportionate. We consider intelligence-led, targeted checks to be the most effective approach.
- Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 November 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Fairlie on 20 November 2024
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-07415 by Mairi Gougeon on 29 March 2022, regarding the potential impact in Scotland, what assessment it has made of Dogs Trust's recommendation that the number of pet animals able to travel to Great Britain be reduced from five to three per vehicle, in light of the UK Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill being withdrawn.
Answer
The Scottish Government continues to support measures to reduce the number of dogs per vehicle which can be transported non-commercially into the UK, having obtained legislative consent from the Scottish Parliament for this to be taken forward under the UK Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill before this was withdrawn by the UK Government in May 2023, and having agreed in principle to seek legislative consent for the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill before this fell due to the dissolution of the UK Parliament in May 2024.
The Scottish Government maintains that to ensure consistency of approach and the most effective outcomes, these measures would best be delivered by a UK Parliament bill. To this end, Scottish Government officials continue to engage with DEFRA on the possibility of legislation in the UK parliament to reduce the number of dogs per vehicle which can be transported non-commercially into the UK, along with other animal welfare measures relating to the transport of pets.
- Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 November 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Fairlie on 20 November 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what the main barriers are to implementing visual checks for all dogs entering Scotland via Cairnryan ferry port.
Answer
The visual checking of all dogs entering Scotland via Cairnryan, would require deployment of additional human resource when there are already significant demands being placed on local authority and other enforcement agency staff.
Many commercial movements of animals are already inspected at Border Control Posts, and pet dogs travelling with their owners on ferries will often be checked by APHA trained ferry staff. The movements of concern, i.e. puppies being smuggled, happens under the radar, and is best addressed through intelligence-led targeted enforcement action.
- Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 November 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Fairlie on 20 November 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what steps are being taken to tackle any smuggling of puppies into Scotland at Cairnryan ferry port.
Answer
The Scottish Government continues to work closely with DAERA NI officials and key agencies through the Paws for Thought Puppy Trafficking Group to disrupt and target those involved in the smuggling of puppies into Scotland from Northern Ireland. The collaborative actions of this Group are delivering significant reductions in the number of pups being trafficked into Scotland, mainly as a consequence of intelligence-led targeting of known or flagged transporters. The Group also continues to raise awareness among ferry passengers of puppy smuggling through the use of flyers, posters and social media, with anyone seeing suspicious activity encouraged to immediately report it.
More widely, the Scottish Government continues to work with the multi-agency Pet Trade Taskforce to share intelligence and target those involved in the illegal breeding and smuggling of puppies for sale in Scotland.
