Chamber and committees

I have a question that follows on from those that Ms Boyack asked.

Dr Melo Araujo, in your submission, you talked about qualifying goods and the changes in the rules on those that were meant to be brought in in October 2021, but which have been delayed. Could you expand on that? Mr Leheny, you are also welcome to comment.

Thank you, Professor McEwen. I have a specific question on your joint submission at section 3.2:

“Policy divergence can, however, produce effects that may be regarded as adverse. Divergence in public services generates distinctive rights and entitlements within the same country which some may consider unfair.”

Can you expand on that? Clearly, our devolved Parliaments legislate a lot in that area.

In that case, I will throw back the final question that you asked in your submission. You asked:

“What sort of ‘United’ Kingdom is this?”

I would like to hear your thoughts on that.

Two weeks ago, we took evidence from scientists on the climate and nature emergencies. They raised a number of points in relation to gaps in data collection and suggested that land managers, farmers, crofters and fishers could provide that information. I would be interested to know what your bodies do with local wisdom and evidence that is captured by people within communities.

Moreover, following on from Graham Neville’s point about blended public and private funding, I note that two scientists, one of whom was Dr Tara Marshall, told us that, when industries are decommissioning or changing things, they capture a lot of data that could be used more widely. Do we need to ensure wider access to such data to let us move forward in tackling the climate and nature emergencies?

There are two sides to my question: the local gathering of data and the data gathered by corporations.

That is great. I wonder whether David Signorini can answer my initial questions.

It is interesting that you mention Norway. Are you learning anything from the national parks in America? I believe that you met representatives from those parks at COP26.

That is really helpful. I certainly recognise that point in my community—I know that someone feeds in information about dead dolphins and porpoises on our beaches. However, it is about knowing the person to go to, and how to capture that information.

Does Andy Wells have anything to add from the Crown Estate’s perspective?

Could Graham Neville comment on accessing data from other organisations and businesses?

Danny Renton, do you have any thoughts on what I said about not being able to keep oceans in one state because nature will take over?

I thank members of the panel for their informative evidence.

Two weeks ago, we heard evidence from a panel of academics, who suggested—this follows on from what my colleague Rachael Hamilton was asking about and, to some extent, what Danny Renton has just said—that we cannot keep oceans in one particular state, as nature will take over. They also said that we need to look at the overall protection of ocean areas instead of focusing on just one area. I wonder whether you can expand on those two ideas from your perspectives.

As an aside, I say to Dr Rennie that I believe that the St Andrews Links Trust is using old Christmas trees to stabilise the sand dunes at St Andrews. However, I would be interested in hearing his thoughts on looking at the ocean as a whole.