Chamber and committees

Forestry and Land Scotland submitted an application for a translocation licence to NatureScot on the 3 August 2023 and currently await a formal response.

The Salmon Interactions Working Group report recommended that one lead body takes responsibility for interactions between wild and farmed fish. In response to the Group’s report, the Scottish Government identified that SEPA would become the lead regulator responsible for managing sea lice and the interactions between wild and farmed fish.

SEPA consulted on its detailed proposals for the new sea lice risk assessment framework from 31 May to 15 September 2023, including a proposed timeline for implementation in phases from the end of 2023. The timeline for implementation will be informed by SEPA’s assessment of the consultation response.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-21441 on 27 September 2023. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .

The Scottish Government are funding partners of the UK Bycatch Monitoring Programme, which deploys dedicated observers onboard UK fishing vessels, with the purpose of recording protected species bycatch across UK fisheries. Numbers of bycaught cetaceans are reported in the programme’s annual reports. Reports from 2012-2017 can be accessed on the MB5203 project webpage: Science Search (defra.gov.uk) and reports from 2017 onwards can be accessed on the ME6004 project webpage: Science Search (defra.gov.uk) .

The Marine Directorate and Scottish Fishermen’s Federation also operate a Joint Observer Monitoring Programme, which records numbers of protected species bycaught in specific fisheries across Scottish waters. Between 2015 and 2022, this programme observed one incident of harbour porpoise bycatch.

In addition to at sea monitoring programmes, information collected through the Scottish Marine Animal Strandings Scheme (SMASS) can be valuable in investigating the cause of death of marine animals stranded around the Scottish coast. While the scheme has recorded bycatch and entanglement as a cause of death in some strandings, it can be difficult to distinguish between active and lost or discarded fishing gear. Annual reports can be found on the SMASS website: Published Reports - SMASS (strandings.org) .

The Scottish Government recognises that bycatch and entanglement in any type of fishing gear can pose a risk to our iconic marine life and we remain committed to continuing to tackle this issue in our waters through our various domestic and international obligations. Relying on observer monitoring programmes and mandatory reporting already underway to record bycatch and entanglement events across the fishing fleet, we will build on the proactive steps that industry has taken in this area to explore effective measures that can be taken to minimise such instances. The Future Catching Policy will review technical measures which are already in use through both regulation and voluntary good practice as well as any promising, innovative solutions to determine potential improvements.

Using our core stakeholder engagement group, FMAC and our dedicated Future Catching Policy Subgroup, we intend to host technical and spatial workshops to develop a suite of measures in step with Scotland's unique and diverse geographical and fishing challenges and on a fleet segment basis, to avoid blanket approaches to technical measures and ensure a more tailored and effective suite of measures which match the unique issues faced by each fleet segment. Once we have developed a suite of measures collaboratively with stakeholders we will then consult again before taking forward legislation to implement these measures.

The Scottish Government is open to the use of technological advances to improve the selectivity of fishing gears, including static gear, within our inshore waters. We intend to use the fora of our FMAC Group and the RIFG network to explore how use of such technologies could compliment policy currently being developed.

The Scottish Government is currently supporting the development of a European standard for recyclability and circularity in fishing and aquaculture gear, (CEN/TC 466). This standard will provide guidance and encourage designers, makers and users to adopt best practice and available technologies to ensure that gear stays in use for as long as possible, including retrieval in the event of it being lost.

Assessments of risks related to reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) are underway across the housing sector. Representatives from local authorities, the Scottish Housing Regulator, the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations, the Chartered Institute of Housing Scotland and Homes for Scotland are participating in the cross-sector working group. The group includes stakeholders covering both social and private housing. Discussions have primarily covered investigation and reporting within the social sector, but will also consider what is necessary to understand the extent of RAAC present in the private sector.

Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) payments are not specifically allocated to the horticulture sector. However, our Census Data does identify holdings that are either of specialist horticulture and permanent crop type or which have at least 2 hectares of horticultural crops on the holding. In 2022, BPS payments worth approx. £22.6 million (8.13% of total BPS expenditure) were paid to businesses using these holdings.

It should be noted that as BPS payments are issued at a business level, some of these payments will be to businesses with additional farming activity which is not considered as horticulture.

Transport Scotland are in regular discussions with a range of operational partners, including Police Scotland and local road authorities, to explore ways to enhance road safety in the north of Scotland. This includes discussion through the Road Safety Framework Local Partnership Forum which last met on 15 June 2023.

Over the summer months additional and targeted safety camera and police officer resources have been deployed across the road network, including the North Coast 500, to encourage good driver behaviour and enhanced levels of speed limit compliance.

The second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2) was published in December 2022 and will inform the Scottish Government’s transport investment programme over the next 20 years and help to deliver the National Transport Strategy. STPR2 recommends a potential Sound of Harris/ Sound of Barra fixed links as well as another between Mull and the Scottish mainland.

STPR2 included a considerable programme of engagement activities at a national and regional level with participation from local stakeholders, communities and businesses throughout the process. All of Scotland’s local authorities with island and remote communities were represented on at least one regional transport working group which helped to inform STPR2.

The STPR2 Delivery Plan is currently being progressed and will provide further insight on the programming and delivery of all 45 recommendations including the potential for the 3 fixed links. In the preparation of the Delivery Plan, Transport Scotland officials are currently considering how best to consult and engage with all stakeholders including islands, remote communities and other interested parties.