Chamber and committees

Thank you very much. I have some questions on a theme and then some supplementaries on evidence that was given previously, so bear with me if I appear to be dotting about a wee bit.

First, I will ask about urban land reform. Because of the way that land is defined in the bill, it means that urban land reform cannot really happen under this bill. What are the benefits of extending land reform to urban areas and how could that be done in practice?

Thank you. There was discussion about a public interest test, which seems to fit quite well with this topic. What are the implications of our divergence from that internationally recognised test? What effect could that have on the bill?

Thank you.

Does Jon Hollingdale have anything to add?

I was not going to come in with a question, but it strikes me that some of the folk who might not have been totally happy with the move are those who already produce barn eggs. They will be sitting there, saying, “We are producing eggs in exactly the same way as those who would have normally produced free-range eggs, and they’re getting a premium for their eggs, even though they are all being produced the same way.” Were such concerns expressed?

I have a supplementary question to Ben Hadfield’s response. I understand that companies are investing in housing and infrastructure, which is welcome. My one concern is that, in the past, we have had issues with tied housing in rural areas. I would worry if our only solution to accommodation was tied housing, because, as David Brown said, we want to bring people into the community and we want them to live there. We want local people to be able to stay, but if the housing is tied to the job they cannot then move around as they would naturally within a community.

The Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee’s report looked at issues that are common to many industries in rural Scotland, such as the lack of digital infrastructure and housing for staff in the industry. Recommendation 6 asked the Scottish Government to work with enterprise agencies and local authorities to look at how that could be addressed. What progress has been made on that recommendation? What is your experience of digital infrastructure and housing for staff?

Kimberley McKinnell, this question is about the Bakkafrost processing site in Stornoway. We are obviously concerned that it has closed. Can you give us the reasons for that happening? What issues caused the closure, and are they likely to arise in processing more widely? Can we expect more closures?

Salmon Scotland has lodged a service complaint to SEPA about the timeframes for dealing with licensing applications. Obviously, they were expected sooner. Has the issue been resolved, or is it on-going?

Fisheries Management Scotland told the committee that it continues to receive reports about escaped juveniles from freshwater farms appearing in rivers, yet no escapes have been reported to the fish health inspectorate. Can you explain that discrepancy, and what action the industry is taking to prevent such escapes?