8 August 2008

David Stewart : To ask the Scottish Executive what role the Scottish Agricultural Wages Board has played in preserving the conditions of service and minimum pay rates of agricultural workers.

Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Agricultural Wages Board has taken account of the specific needs of the agricultural workforce, including part-time, seasonal and migrant workers, in determining their pay and conditions of service.

David Stewart : To ask the Scottish Executive why its consultation, Agricultural Wages in Scotland: The Scottish Agricultural Wages Board, was launched, given the role of the board in protecting wages and conditions of service for agricultural workers.

Richard Lochhead: We are committed to delivering more effective government and to continuous improvement of public services. As part of this it is important to regularly review whether individual public organisations continue to be the best way to deliver services for which they are responsible; and how these +services might be improved in the future.

When the Scottish Agricultural Wages Board was last reviewed in 2005, a decision was taken to retain it, but with provision for a further review no later than 2010. In bringing forward this review of the board, we are seeking views on whether it should retain its statutory powers, be replaced by an advisory body or be disbanded altogether, without any replacement body.

25 July 2008

David Stewart : To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish the results of its first stage consultation on banning electric shock training devices in Scotland; when the second stage of the consultation will be issued; whether it will make a ministerial statement on the issue, and when it is likely that the Executive will bring forward regulations under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 to ban the sale and use of electric shock collars and similar animal training devices.

Richard Lochhead: This issue was the subject of a consultation at the end of last year. A large number of responses were received but there was no consensus view. This is a complex issue and the consultation responses and research papers, many very detailed, are still being considered, along with ongoing research. A decision on whether to introduce legislation which would ban or regulate electric shock training devices in Scotland will be made

24 July 2008

David Stewart : To ask the Scottish Executive what communication and discussion has taken place with the European Commission about the possible effects of the re-introduction of beavers on the Atlantic Oakwoods special areas of conservation and what the view of the commission is.

Michael Russell: SNH provided advice to the Scottish Government regarding the Atlantic Oakwoods Special Area of Conservation in line with the requirements of Article 6.3 of the Habitats Directive as transposed by regulation 48 of the Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994, as amended. The outcome of these considerations meant that reference to the European Commission was not required.

21 July 2008

David Stewart : To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to archive all Scottish Government websites via the National Library of Scotland’s Trusted Digital Repository Programme.

18 July 2008

David Stewart : To ask the Scottish Executive what the total spend on the Clinical Negligence and Other Risks Indemnity Scheme has been in each NHS board area in the last three years.

Shona Robison: The sums reimbursed to NHS boards in respect of claims submitted to the Clinical Negligence and Other Risks Indemnity Scheme in each of the last three financial years were as follows:

The figures above reflect the dates when reimbursement claims were paid to NHS boards from the Clinical Negligence and Other Risks Indemnity Scheme, and not the dates when each individual case was settled.

David Stewart : To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to introduce periodic payment orders under the Clinical Negligence and Other Risks Indemnity Scheme.

Shona Robison: Periodical payments are permitted in Scotland, with the consent of both parties, under the Damages Act 1996 as amended by the Courts Act 2003. The Executive is currently considering several areas of the law on damages, including periodical payments, pending the availability of a future legislative opportunity.

17 July 2008

David Stewart : To ask the Scottish Executive how many civic amenity sites there are in each local authority area.

Richard Lochhead: The information requested is provided in the following table.

Number of Recycling Centres (previously known as Civil Amenity Sites)

17 July 2008

David Stewart : To ask the Scottish Executive what action is planned to encourage individual householders to reduce waste and increase recycling.

Richard Lochhead: At a local level local authorities are primarily responsible for delivering campaigns to encourage recycling and waste reduction.

On a national level the Scottish Government provides funding to the Waste Aware Scotland programme as part of our commitment to a Greener Scotland. This national programme encourages the people of Scotland to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle their household waste. Further information about what is being done at a national and local level can be found at:

The Scottish Government is fully committed to high levels of recycling and waste prevention. To help achieve this I announced in my parliamentary statement on waste policy earlier this year that the Scottish Government will be preparing a new National Waste Management Plan for Scotland. This plan will be prepared in consultation with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and other key stakeholders. We will be consulting widely on future waste policy initiatives as we develop the plan.

David Stewart : To ask the Scottish Executive whether any reports have been commissioned or consultation undertaken on how to improve recycling rates by individual householders.

Richard Lochhead: Yes.

Waste Aware Scotland have published guidance on effective campaigning at local level to promote reduce, re-using and recycling waste. This guidance can be found at:

Waste Aware Scotland are also producing a Recycling Advisers Report that will be published soon.

Remade Scotland have prepared two Best Practice Reports on the collection of recyclate from the kerbside. One has been published and is available on their website while the second report is due to be published soon.

David Stewart : To ask the Scottish Executive how individual householders can be incentivised to recycle more and how this can be monitored.

Richard Lochhead: The Waste Aware Scotland (WAS) brand, marketed by the Scottish Waste Awareness Group (SWAG) aims to make the reduce, reuse, recycle message easy for householders to follow through attractive, simple, consistent messages and advice. It also provides essential information about local recycling services through the on-line "sort-it" tool. Levels of household recycling are monitored by local authorities and the WAS programme itself is evaluated by SWAG through periodic national surveys of public attitudes to the reduce, reuse, recycle message.

14 July 2008

David Stewart : To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to underwrite the costs for the trial re-introduction of beavers should sufficient funds not be raised for the project by the Scottish Wildlife Trust.

Michael Russell: There are no plans for the Scottish Government to underwrite the cost of the trial reintroduction of beavers should insufficient funds be raised by the project partners, the Scottish Wildlife Trust and the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland.

David Stewart : To ask the Scottish Executive why it is not fully funding the costs for the trial re-introduction of beavers, with the Scottish Wildlife Trust being responsible for the management and fundraising for the project.

Michael Russell: This trial reintroduction of beavers is a project that was devised and proposed by the Scottish Wildlife Trust and the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland. It is right therefore that these organisations should bear the cost of the project. Scottish Natural Heritage are funding some of the costs associated with monitoring the project. There was no question of the Scottish Government funding the project itself.

David Stewart : To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it will take to ensure that the re-introduction of beavers does not adversely affect the Atlantic Oakwoods special areas of conservation.

Michael Russell: The licence given to the SWT and RZSS includes 31 conditions. A significant number of these conditions were included as a result of an appraisal of the beaver trial undertaken by Scottish Natural Heritage in relation to the special area of conservation (SAC) and the special protection area (SPA). If the beaver trial is undertaken strictly in accordance with the licence conditions, then the trial will not adversely affect the integrity of the SAC/SPA.

David Stewart : To ask the Scottish Executive, in view of the fact that the beaver is protected and cannot therefore be culled, how beavers would be removed if serious problems emerge during their trial re-introduction.

Michael Russell: Guidance from the European Commission makes it clear that small populations of an animal species introduced deliberately or accidentally by man to locations where they would not have spread to naturally in the foreseeable future should be considered to be outside their natural range and consequently not covered by the Habitats Directive. Similarly, the beavers would not be protected under Scots law as they are not considered to be ordinarily resident in the wild in the UK during the trial reintroduction period.

David Stewart : To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment has been made of the risks of beavers carrying diseases which may affect the wild salmon population and what specific measures are in place to minimise the risks.

Michael Russell: Gyrodactylus salaris (G. salaris) is a parasite of fish which requires a fish host to survive. Beavers are considered to be only potential external carriers of the parasite (i.e. G. salaris does not parasitise beavers).

While in the statutory six months rabies quarantine, the beavers will also undergo a series of health checks and health screening, tests. Additionally, while in quarantine, and as an extra precaution, the beavers will have access to baths for them to swim in, containing a solution of full strength sea water. The ectoparasite cannot survive in sea water, which is why infection cannot be spread through the natural migration of fish, through the sea.

Furthermore, beavers will be taken from a Norwegian population which is currently reported as being in an area free of G. salaris.

David Stewart : To ask the Scottish Executive what the best estimates are of the (a) direct, (b) staff and (c) ancillary costs to Scottish Natural Heritage for each year of the beaver re-introduction trial.

Michael Russell: Scottish Natural Heritage’s (SNH) participation in the beaver trial is set out in the conditions of the licence. SNH is currently identifying the core elements that need to be monitored during the trial. However, although it has the key role in coordinating such work, it does not necessarily have to provide all the resources. SNH therefore intends to hold further discussions with the licence applicants, together with other parties who may be involved with the monitoring, to discuss resourcing issues.

Therefore, at this stage, details of the direct, staff and ancillary costs to SNH for each year of the beaver re-introduction trial have still to be worked out.