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Mr. Maclennan
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the number of known cases of poisoning of protected birds of prey in Caithness and Sutherland during each of the last five years; and if he will give the comparable figures for (a) all other districts of Highland region,(b) Grampian region, (c) Tayside region, (d) the Borders region and, (e) Dumfries and Galloway region.
Mr. Ancram
All wild birds are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 but some birds of prey are protected by special penalties. In the last five years the number of incidents where specially protected birds were killed as a result of misuse of pesticide or poisoned bait investigated by DAFS were as follows:
| Region | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 |
| Highland | 2 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Grampian | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — |
| Tayside | — | — | 1 | — | — | — |
| Borders | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Dumfries & Galloway | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — |