Questions and answers

Question reference: S5W-08971

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 April 2017
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 10 May 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many vessels will be licensed as part of the controlled trial of electrofishing for razor clams, and on what basis they will be selected.

Question reference: S5O-00957

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 May 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 May 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address the effects of noise pollution on public health.

Question reference: S5W-08853

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 April 2017
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 2 May 2017

To ask the Scottish Government which sections of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 have not yet commenced.

Information on commencement of each section of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 is available at www.legislation.gov.uk. This shows that provisions which have not yet been commenced are: sections 25, 27 to 32 and 56, the provisions in schedule one, and paragraphs three to six of schedule two. These provisions relate to the optional establishment of a Scottish Committee on Climate Change.

Question reference: S5W-08969

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 April 2017
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 2 May 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consult (a) local community groups and (b) other non-fishery stakeholders prior to the designation of the geographical study areas for the controlled trial of electrofishing for razor clams.

Question reference: S5W-08851

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 April 2017
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 2 May 2017

To ask the Scottish Government which ministerial powers conferred by the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 have not yet been used, and which of these are for making orders or regulations by statutory instrument.

The Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009, which is available at www.legislation.gov.uk, sets out the powers conferred on Scottish Ministers. This website also contains all legislation using powers under the 2009 Act, enabling identification of ministerial powers that have not been used for making provision by orders or regulations. Sections 51, 52 and 87 of the 2009 Act confer ministerial powers that have not been used for making provision other than by orders or regulations.

Question reference: S5F-01235

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 28 April 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 May 2017

To ask the First Minister how the High Court of Justice decision to order the UK Government to publish its air pollution strategy impacts on Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-08966

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 April 2017
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 27 April 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what research into the longer-term impacts of electrofishing will be carried out, in accordance with the recommendation of its 2014 study into the short-term effects.

Question reference: S5W-08388

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 24 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 27 April 2017

To ask the Scottish Government under what circumstances (a) the Scottish Ministers and (b) another Scottish authority might be considered a competent authority for ship-to-ship transfers for the purposes of Regulation 48A of the Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994.

All matters relating to ship-to-ship transfers are reserved to the UK Government, and the Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994 (as amended) do not apply to reserved matters. The Scottish Government has requested on a number of occasions for these powers to be devolved, or at the least for the Secretary of State for Transport to name the Scottish Government as a formal consultation body under Section 2 of the Merchant Shipping (Ship to Ship) Regulations 2010.

Question reference: S5W-08967

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 April 2017
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 27 April 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many permissions to fish for razor clams there are.

Question reference: S5W-08972

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 April 2017
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 27 April 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether a stock assessment will be conducted prior to the controlled trial of electrofishing for razor clams, and whether it will include (a) measures of spawning stock biomass, (b) population structure and (c) recruitment by scientific evaluation, or whether it will be an exclusively fisheries-dependent assessment, based on landings, conducted during the course of the fishing trials.

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