Wildlife and Natural Environment (Scotland) Act 2011 Explanatory Notes

  • Explanatory Notes Table of contents

  1. Introduction

  2. The Act – Background and Overview

    1. Part 1 – Defined expressions

    2. Part 2 – Wildlife under the 1981 Act

    3. Part 3 – Deer

    4. Part 4 – Other wildlife etc.

    5. Part 5 – Biodiversity

    6. Part 6 – Sites of special scientific interest

    7. Part 7 – General

    8. Schedule

  3. The Act – Commentary on Sections

    1. Part 1 – Definitions

    2. Part 2 – Wildlife under the 1981 Act

      1. Section 2 – Application of the 1981 Act to game birds

      2. Section 3 – Protection of game birds etc. and prevention of poaching

        1. Subsections (2) and (3)

        2. Subsections (4), (7) and (8)

        3. Subsection (5)

        4. Subsection (6)

      3. Section 4 – Areas of special protection for wild birds

      4. Section 5 – Sale of live or dead wild birds, their eggs etc.

      5. Section 6 – Protection of wild hares etc.

        1. Subsection (2)

          1. Protection of wild hares etc. - inserted section 10A of the 1981 Act

          2. Exceptions to s.10A - inserted section 10B of the 1981 Act

        2. Subsection (3)

        3. Subsections (4) and (5)

      6. Section 7 – Prevention of poaching: wild hares, rabbits etc.

        1. Subsection (3)

          1. Prevention of poaching: wild hares etc. - inserted section 11G of the 1981 Act

          2. Exceptions to s.11G - inserted section 11H of the 1981 Act

        2. Subsection (4)

      7. Section 8 – Sale, possession etc. of wild hares, rabbits etc. killed or taken unlawfully

        1. Sale etc. of wild hares etc. - inserted section 11I of the 1981 Act

      8. Section 9 – Wild hares, rabbits etc.: licences

      9. Section 10 – Wild hares, rabbits etc.: power to vary Schedules to the 1981 Act and prescribe close season

      10. Section 11 – Wild hares and rabbits: miscellaneous

      11. Section 12 – Single witness evidence in certain proceedings under the 1981 Act

      12. Section 13 – Snares

        1. Subsection (2)

        2. Subsection (3)

          1. Snares: training, identification numbers, tags etc. - inserted section 11A of the 1981 Act

          2. Snares: duty to inspect etc. - inserted section 11B of the 1981 Act

          3. Snares: authorisation from landowners etc. - inserted section 11C of the 1981 Act .

          4. Snares: presumption arising from identification number - inserted section 11D of the 1981 Act

          5. Snares: record keeping. - inserted section 11E of the 1981 Act

          6. Snaring: review etc. - inserted section 11F of the 1981 Act

        3. Subsection (4)

        4. Subsection (5)

      13. Section 14 – Non-native species etc.

        1. Subsection (2)

        2. Subsection (3)

          1. Prohibition on keeping etc. - inserted section 14ZC of the 1981 Act

        3. Subsection (4)

        4. Subsection (5)

          1. Notification of presence of invasive animals etc. - inserted section 14B of the 1981 Act

      14. Section 15 – Non-native species etc.: code of practice

        1. Non-native species: code of practice etc. - inserted section 14C of the 1981 Act

      15. Section 16 – Species control orders etc.

        1. Power to make species control orders- inserted section 14D of the 1981 Act

        2. Emergency species control orders- inserted section 14E of the 1981 Act

        3. Content of species control orders - inserted section 14F of the 1981 Act

        4. Notice of species control orders - inserted section 14G of the 1981 Act

        5. Appeals in connection with species control orders-- inserted section 14H of the 1981 Act

        6. Coming into effect of species control orders - inserted section 14I of the 1981 Act

        7. Review of species control orders - inserted section 14J of the 1981 Act

        8. Offences in relation to species control orders - inserted section 14K of the 1981 Act

        9. Enforcement of operations under species control orders - inserted section 14G of the 1981 Act

        10. Species control orders: powers of entry - inserted section 14M of the 1981 Act

        11. Species control orders: entry by warrant etc. - inserted section 14N of the 1981 Act

        12. Species control orders: powers of entry: supplemental - inserted section 14O of the 1981 Act

        13. Interpretation of sections 14 to 14O of the 1981 Act - inserted section 14P of the 1981 Act

      16. Section 17 – Non-native species etc.: further provision

      17. Section 18 – Licences under the 1981 Act

        1. Subsection (2)

        2. Subsection (3)

          1. Delegation of licence-granting power - inserted section 16A  of the 1981 Act

        3. Subsection (4)

      18. Section 19 – Amendment of Schedule 6 to the 1981 Act

      19. Section 20 – Annual report on wildlife crime

      20. Section 21 – offence of knowingly causing or permitting certain offences under the 1981 Act

      21. Section 22 – Wildlife inspectors etc.

      22. Section 23 – Offences by Scottish partnerships etc.

      23. Section 24 – Liability in relation to certain offences by others

        1. Vicarious liability for certain offences by employee etc, – inserted section 18A of the 1981 Act

        2. Liability where securing services through another – inserted section 18B of the 1981 Act

      24. Section 25 – Modifications and repeals relating to Part 2 and game licensing

    3. Part 3 – Deer

      1. Section 26 – Deer management etc.

      2. Section 27 – Deer management code of practice

        1. Code of practice on deer management – inserted section 5A of the 1996 Act

      3. Section 28 – Control agreements and control schemes etc.

      4. Section 29 – Deer: close seasons etc.

      5. Section 30 – Register of persons competent to shoot deer etc.

        1. Register of persons competent to shoot deer – inserted section 17A of the 1996 Act

        2. Review of competence etc. by SNH – inserted section 17B of the 1996 Act

      6. Section 31 – Action intended to prevent suffering

      7. Section 32 – Offence by bodies corporate, Scottish partnerships etc. under the 1996 Act

    4. Part 4 – Other Wildlife Etc.

      1. Section 33 – Protection of badgers

        1. Subsections (3) to (5)

        2. Subsections (6) and (7)

          1. Delegation of licence-granting power – inserted section 10A of the 1992 Act

        3. Subsection (8)

        4. Subsection (9)

        5. Subsection (10)

        6. Subsection (11)

      2. Section 34 – Muirburn

        1. Subsection (2)

          1. Muirburn season – inserted section 23 of the 1946 Act

        2. Subsection (3)

        3. Subsection (4)

          1. Extension of muirburn season etc. – inserted section 23B of the 1946 Act

          2. Muirburn licences – inserted section 23C of the 1946 Act

        4. Subsection (5)

        5. Subsection (6)

        6. Subsection (7)

        7. Subsection (8)

          1. Giving of muirburn notices under sections 24(2) and 26 – inserted section 26A of the 1946 Act

        8. Subsection (9)

      3. Section 35 – Offences by bodies corporate, Scottish partnerships etc. under the 1946 Act

    5. Part 5 – Biodiversity

      1. Section 36 – Reports on compliance with biodiversity duty

        1. Reports on compliance with biodiversity duty – inserted section 2A of the 2004 Act

    6. Part 6 – Sites of Special Scientific Interest

      1. Section 37 – Combining sites of special scientific interest

        1. Subsection (2)

          1. Combining sites of scientific interest – inserted section 5A of the 2004 Act

        2. Subsections (3) and (4)

      2. Section 38 – Denotification of SSSIs: damage caused by authorised operations

      3. Section 39 – SSSIs: operations requiring consent

      4. Section 40 – SSSI offences: civil enforcement

        1. Subsection (1)

          1. Restoration notices – inserted section 20A of the 2004 Act

        2. Subsections (2) and (3)

    7. Part 7 – General

      1. Section 41 – Crown application

      2. Section 42 – Ancillary provision

      3. Section 43 – Commencement and short title

    8. Schedule – Ancillary provision

  4. Parliamentary History

  • Explanatory Notes Table of contents

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