Deer (Scotland) Act 1996

[F1 17A Register of persons competent to shoot deer S

(1) The Scottish Ministers may by regulations—

(a) make provision for the establishment and operation of a register of persons competent to shoot deer in Scotland;

(b) prohibit any person from shooting deer unless the person is—

(i) registered; or

(ii) supervised by a registered person;

(c) provide that being a registered person is sufficient to meet the requirements as to fitness and competence under sections 26(2)(d) and 37(1);

(d) require registered persons or owners or occupiers of land to submit cull returns to SNH.

(2) Regulations under subsection (1) above—

(a) may make such supplementary, incidental or consequential provision as the Scottish Ministers think fit and may, in particular, make provision (or allow SNH to make provision) in relation to—

(i) who is to keep and maintain the register;

(ii) applications for registration (or for amendment of, or removal from, the register);

(iii) the determination of applications for registration (including the criteria to be used to determine whether a person is competent to shoot deer);

(iv) the imposition of conditions on the granting of an application (including conditions about compliance with any requirement for a registered person to submit a cull return);

(v) the amendment of the register;

(vi) the removal of a person from the register (including by revocation of registration);

(vii) the charging of fees in connection with registration;

(viii) appeals against decisions to—

(A) refuse to register a person;

(B) impose conditions on the granting of an application;

(C) remove a person from the register;

(ix) circumstances in which a person shooting deer is to be regarded as being, or not being, supervised by a registered person;

(x) the information to be included in cull returns;

(xi) the periods in respect of, and within, which cull returns are to be submitted;

(xii) the form and manner in which cull returns are to be submitted;

(xiii) the repeal of section 40; and

(xiv) consequential modification of any of sections 5, 16, 18, 26 or 37 of, or Schedule 3 to, this Act; and

(b) may make different provision for different purposes.

(3) Before making regulations under subsection (1) above, the Scottish Ministers (or a person nominated by them) must consult such persons and organisations as they consider (or, as the case may be, the nominated person considers) have an interest in the regulations.

(4) Any person who shoots a deer on any land in contravention of regulations made under subsection (1)(b) above is guilty of an offence.

(5) Subsection (4) above does not apply where a person shoots a deer for the purpose mentioned in section 25 of this Act.

(6) Any person who—

(a) fails without reasonable cause to submit a cull return in accordance with regulations made under subsection (1)(d) above; or

(b) knowingly or recklessly provides any information in a cull return so submitted which is, in a material particular, false or misleading,

is guilty of an offence.

(7) In this section, “cull return”—

(a) when required to be submitted by a registered person, means a written statement showing the number of deer of each species and of each sex which to his knowledge has been killed; and

(b) when required to be submitted by an owner or occupier of land, means a written statement showing the number of deer of each species and of each sex which to his knowledge has been taken or killed on the land.]

Textual Amendments

F1 Ss. 17A, 17B and cross-heading inserted (1.1.2012) by Wildlife and Natural Environment (Scotland) Act 2011 (asp 6), ss. 30(4), 43(1) (with s. 41(1)); S.S.I. 2011/433, art. 2(1)(f)