Questions and answers

Question reference: S2W-02062

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 August 2003
Current Status: Answered by Allan Wilson on 11 September 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications have been made under the #2.5 million fund of the European Union LIFE Nature programme and the match funding made available by the Executive for the conservation of capercaillie, detailing (a) the name of the applicant, (b) the purpose of each application, (c) whether the application was successful and (d) the amount (i) sought and (ii) awarded; what the benefit of each successful application will be to capercaillie conservation and how this benefit will be monitored.

One application has beenmade under the European Union LIFE nature programme. The Scottish Executive has made available direct match funding totalling 138,571 euros. Other matchfunding has been provided by other organisations involved in this Life Natureproject, which include Scottish Natural Heritage, the Forestry Commission andthe Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).

(a) The applicant is The Caledonian Partnership,co-ordinated by Highland Birchwoods.

(b) The application is aimed at benefiting andconserving the capercaillie.

(c) The application wassuccessful.

(d)The amount of match funding sought was 3,677,720euros and this sum, which represents 50% of the total project cost of 7,355,440euros, was approved.

Theapplication will be of particular benefit to capercaillie as the conservationwork includes the marking or removal of deer fencing, predator control andbrood habitat improvement. Optimal management of a key site will be achievedthrough land purchase.

A projectsteering group will monitor the overall success of the project.

Question reference: S2W-02065

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 August 2003
Current Status: Answered by Allan Wilson on 11 September 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will ensure that any audit of measures to conserve the capercaillie are carried out independently.

Question reference: S2W-02102

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 August 2003
Current Status: Answered by Allan Wilson on 11 September 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive when it received a copy of Securing the future of the Scottish Capercaillie: a trans-European approach for establishing best practice from North Highland College; on what dates it received further correspondence from the college requesting a response, and what its reasons are for not responding.

The report was received inMarch.

No further detailed writtenrepresentations were made by the North Highland College and the Scottish Gamekeeper’s Association. I metrepresentatives of both organisations on 21 August to discuss this and otherrelated nature conservation issues and have asked officials to give a preliminaryresponse to the North Highland College's proposal by the end of September 2003.

Question reference: S2W-02068

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 August 2003
Current Status: Answered by Allan Wilson on 11 September 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made any representations to the Swedish Government regarding the numbers of capercaillie in Sweden and the measures that the Swedish Government employs to protect capercaillie, and whether the Executive has made any representations on these issues to the European Commission.

Question reference: S2W-02066

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 August 2003
Current Status: Answered by Allan Wilson on 11 September 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive how many capercaillie have there been in each year since records began.

The Petty Report lodged inthe Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 29055) contains references topast population records. The first national survey conducted in 1992-94estimated the population to be 2,200 individuals (1,500-3,200, 95% confidencelimits) (Catt et al. 1998). A similar national survey was performed inthe winter of 1998-99 and produced a population estimate of 1,073 individuals(549-2,041, 95% confidence limits) (Wilkinson et al. 2002).

The above reports are in thepublic domain:

Catt, D.C., Baines, D., Picozzi, N.,Moss, R. & Summers, R.W. (1998). Abundance and distribution of capercaillieTetrao urogallus in Scotland1992-94. Biological Conservation 85: 257-267.

Wilkinson,N.I., Langston, R.H.W., Gregory, R.D., Summers, R.W., Gibbons, D.W. &Marquiss, M. (2002). Capercaillie Tetrao urogallus abundance and habitatuse of in Scotland, in winter 1998-99 BirdStudy 49(2): 177-185.

Question reference: S2W-02067

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 August 2003
Current Status: Answered by Allan Wilson on 11 September 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking to prevent the predation of capercaillie by pine martins and whether it will consider introducing legislation to allow for the control of pine martins under license in areas where capercaillie are present.

Question reference: S2W-02069

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 August 2003
Current Status: Answered by Allan Wilson on 11 September 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made any representations to the European Commission on its responsibilities under the EU LIFE programme to control the predation of capercaillie.

Question reference: S2W-02304

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 01 September 2003
Current Status: Answered by Allan Wilson on 10 September 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive on what date it invited Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) to produce a proposal to address the detail of the relocation of SNH's headquarters to Inverness; whether it has received such a proposal from SNH and, if not, whether it will impose a deadline for its submission; how many staff of SNH will remain in Edinburgh and how many will be relocated to the new headquarters, and whether it expects the SNH proposal to address this matter.

Ross Finnie wrote to the Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) Chairman on 2 September and a ministerialdirection, under section 11 of the Natural Heritage (Scotland)Act 1991, was issued on the same day. The direction requires SNH to produce aproject plan for the relocation andsubmit this to the Scottish ministers by 31 October 2003.The costed project plan will set out allthe stages, dates and progress to be achieved in making the relocation to Inverness happen.

Inresponse to Ross Finnie’s invitation of9 July, SNH has put forward a case to retain a number of staff in Edinburgh,or nearby. No decision has yet been taken on this matter. I expect that detailsof the number of staff remaining in the Edinburgh area will be included in theproject plan.

Question reference: S2W-02054

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 August 2003
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 9 September 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received any representations from any potential new owner of the Ardtoe Marine Farming Unit for assistance; if so, on what date any such request was first made, when it responded, and what its response was.

Question reference: S2W-02057

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 August 2003
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 9 September 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Minister, or Deputy Minister, for Environment and Rural Development have visited the Ardtoe Marine Farming Unit and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

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