Questions and answers

Question reference: S5W-14372

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 20 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how many vessels have applied to participate in the scientific trial of electro-fishing for razor clams.

Question reference: S5W-14373

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 20 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) location and (b) total area is that is being used for the scientific trial of electro-fishing for razor clams.

The trial of electro-fishing for razor clams will be undertaken in 11 specified areas around the Scottish coast. A map of these areas is shown at annex A of the Marine Scotland letter of 27 June 2017, which can be viewed on the Scottish Government website (http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0052/00527863.pdf). These areas are likely to be subject to some further minor refinement as a result of discussions with Scottish Natural Heritage about steps necessary to protect priority marine features. Two areas in particular (Luce Bay and the Sound of Barra) have not been included in the trial from the outset while appropriate assessments are completed in relation to potential significant effects upon the marine environment in those areas. The total area that is intended to be used for the trial (including Luce Bay and the Sound of Barra) is 5,410 square kilometres, which is equivalent to 8.7 per cent of the total area of inshore Scottish waters (where the inshore is bounded by the area12 miles from the coastline).

Question reference: S5W-14374

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 20 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what scientific protocol is being used to regulate the trial of electro-fishing of razor clams.

The scientific trial of electro-fishing is being conducted under carefully controlled conditions. Participant vessels are subject to limits on catch and on days at sea. The electrical equipment that may be used in the trial is only that which is specified by the Scottish Government in the trial terms and conditions, and which was subject to independent laboratory and at sea trials by Marine Scotland Science in 2014, where it was shown not to have any short-term lethal effects or prolonged behavioural effects on vertebrate or invertebrate species exposed to the electric field generated. Vessels are also being inspected prior to their participation in the trial. As the trial develops, these starting conditions will be supplemented in due course with further arrangements that may include places where landings may be made, arrangements for monitoring of vessel position and obligations for catch recording in addition to the statutory requirements.

Marine Scotland is also working closely with Scottish Natural Heritage to ensure that particular steps are taken to avoid interaction with priority marine features, such as sea grass, and for such features to be reported where they are encountered. The Scottish Government will provide further updates on the progress of the trial as it develops.

Question reference: S5W-14124

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 7 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful applications Creative Scotland received for the Regular Funding Network 2018-21, broken down by local authority area.

Decisions on the Regularly Funded Organisations are a matter for Creative Scotland. Details of the 116 organisations in the 2018-21 Network, and their Local Authority areas, are available on the Creative Scotland website http://www.creativescotland.com/funding/latest-information/funded-organisations/regularly-funded-organisations-2018-21/the-regular-funding-network-2018-21. Creative Scotland’s Board are due to review their decisions and I have asked Creative Scotland's Chief Executive Janet Archer to respond to the member with details including about unsuccessful funding applications.

Question reference: S5W-14110

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 7 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made in establishing an advisory group to consider fiscal and other measures to reduce waste and boost the circular economy, as mentioned in its Programme for Government 2017-18.

Question reference: S5W-13777

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 25 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government by what date the second national flood risk assessment will be published, and how the methodology used in compiling this differs from previous versions in how the needs of small communities are addressed.

Work is currently underway by SEPA to review and update the National Flood Risk Assessment and, through it, the Potentially Vulnerable Areas. These will be subject to a three month public consultation and the outputs will be published by 22 December 2018. To support the assessment in relation to communities, SEPA is considering:

The scale of impacts within a community, to help identify those smaller communities where the collective resilience of the community is impacted.
A wider range of community facilities in the revised assessment, to reflect the services that are important to community functionality.
The Mapping Flood Disadvantage in Scotland project outputs to identify where communities at risk have an elevated vulnerability to flooding.
The risk in rural areas, where the remote location may compound flooding impacts.
Improving the property data which underpins the assessment in terms of completeness, classification and counting.

Question reference: S5W-13916

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 25 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what impact the European Parliament vote to ban electric pulse fishing will have on the planned trial in Scotland of electrofishing for razor clams.

The recent vote in the European Parliament was concerned with the proposal for a new EU Technical Conservation regulation. No new regulation has been agreed so far through the EU co-decision legislation process.

The scientific trial of electrofishing for razor clams is being conducted under existing legislation: Article 43 of EC 850/98 and Scottish Statutory Instrument 2017/419. This legislation continues to have effect.

Question reference: S5W-13658

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 25 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what the impact will be on Scotland's (a) recycling targets, (b) local authority collection schemes and (c) levels of waste incineration of the reported Chinese import restrictions on plastic recyclate.

Question reference: S5O-01727

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 January 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether all schools should be fitted with fire alarms and smoke detectors.

Question reference: S5W-13751

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 23 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) monitoring and (b) research activity it is supporting to improve the understanding of (i) industry and (ii) decision makers of the impacts of onshore wind farms on (A) birds, (B) bats, (C) peatlands and (D) other species and habitats.

Scottish National Heritage (SNH) advises the Scottish Government and acts as a government agent in the delivery of conservation designations, i.e. national nature reserves, local nature reserves, long distance routes, national parks, Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), Special Areas of Conservation, Special Protection Areas and the national scenic area.

Planning conditions generally require bird monitoring and the data submitted to the planning authority to inform any mitigation required. The forthcoming bat guidance from SNH will also require bat monitoring on certain sites, and monitoring is underway at several sites in South Scotland. Impacts on other species and habitats are picked up from monitoring reports produced by the applicant; site condition monitoring conducted by SNH; and ad hoc monitoring of species populations by other organisations. Results from monitoring are used to inform site specific management, and to inform the assessment of future applications.

SNH recently published a survey of three species of rare and threatened bat species in Scotland to inform decisions on the location of future wind farms. This helps to inform the assessment of new applications.

The Scottish Government and SNH support the Scottish Wind Farm Bird Steering Group which encourages cooperation between NGOs, industry and Government on both monitoring and research. A workshop involving all sectors is planned for the Spring specifically to review methods of post-construction monitoring with a view to developing a method which supports both accurate reporting and informed decisions. Several research reports have already been published and inform our approach to assessing new applications.

Marine Scotland Science are undertaking research work on impacts on fish and water quality from wind farms developments.

SNH are regularly updating and reviewing their guidance in light of research undertaken. For example, their micro wind turbine guidance is based on research on impacts on bats by Stirling University. and the avoidance rates for birds are adjusted as new evidence emerges.

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