Chamber and committees

Since the Scottish Government bought Glasgow Prestwick Airport (GPA) in 2013, we have been clear that it is our intention to return the business to the private sector when the time is right. The senior management team at GPA has continued to engage with potential buyers and investors to discuss proposals for developing the business under new ownership.

Good progress continues to be made by GPA to increase revenue; deliver operating efficiencies; and pursue exciting opportunities for the future including Spaceport. In light of that progress, GPA will shortly place an advert in the Official Journal of the European Union inviting expressions of interest in GPA. Any proposals submitted as a result of the advert would be considered carefully before any decision was taken to divest our shareholding in GPA or any part of it. We will provide an update to Parliament should any credible expressions of interest be received, while respecting the need to maintain confidentiality for commercial reasons.

The Scottish Government’s strategy to protect and restore biodiversity and save rare flora and fauna from extinction is based on the three pillar approach of species conservation, site protection and wider environmental policies and measures.

Taking each of these in turn, a number of projects for rare and threatened species are underway across Scotland. These include targeted action for Scottish wildcats, red squirrels, golden eagles, hen harriers, farmland waders, sea birds and freshwater pearl mussels. In addition, the Scottish Parliament recently agreed to grant European Protected Species status to the Eurasian beaver in Scotland.

We are also continuing to take action against wildlife crime. To-date, this has included the introduction of a new vicarious liability provision, restrictions on the use of General Licences where wildlife crime is suspected, setting up a poisons disposal scheme, providing additional resources for Police Scotland, setting up an independent group to consider options for regulating grouse moor management, and working to implement increases to penalties.

Invasive non-native species pose one of the biggest threats to Scotland’s flora and fauna and we are working with partners across Scotland to tackle this major risk. This includes the Scottish Invasive Species Initiative (SISI) which is a four year project to specifically tackle invasive non-native species alongside rivers and watercourses in northern Scotland.

Scotland’s new Forestry Strategy supports the restoration of our native woodlands, which support over 1,000 species including 172 protected species such as twinflower and black grouse, and the UK Forestry Standard and associated Biodiversity Guidelines provide a benchmark to ensure that all our woodlands are sustainably managed for our flora and fauna.

These examples of more targeted action sit alongside the designation, protection and management support for Scotland’s extensive network of protected areas with approximately 15% of our land mass and over 22% of our seas protected under statute for our most important species and habitats. Focussing on the marine environment, steps are being taken to develop a UK Dolphin and Porpoise Strategy, a Scottish Seabird Conservation Strategy and review the protection afforded to vulnerable species and habitats outside of the MPA network.

We provide funding support for Scotland’s flora and fauna under a suite of measures including the new Biodiversity Challenge Fund (£2 million over two years), the Agri-Environment Climate Scheme (£167 million committed since 2015 to fund a range of agri-environment and organic activities that help to maintain and enhance our rich and varied natural environment), the Forestry Grant Scheme (£20 million committed in 2019-2020 for woodland creation and management benefitting biodiversity), the Water Environment Fund (£5 million per annum to improve the physical condition of water bodies that have been damaged by historical activities including the removal or easement of barriers to fish migration) and Peatland Action (£3 million committed so far this financial year). We have also committed £10 million over 5 years to restore open cast coal mining impacts on the Muirkirk and North Lowther Uplands Special Protection Area.

The Scottish Biodiversity Strategy provides the strategic focus for all of this work, setting out the major steps we need to take in order to halt the loss of biodiversity and improve the state of nature in Scotland. It is also the primary vehicle for delivering the Aichi targets set internationally by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

The First Minister recently outlined that we are considering carefully the findings of the recent report of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). This report identified climate change as one of the top three causes of damage to global biodiversity; Scotland has declared a climate emergency and we are looking across the full range of our policies to identify areas where we can go further and faster in making the necessary transformational changes.

The report is a significant step on the way to the Conference of Parties to the CBD to be held in China in late 2020, where governments will agree their response to the new evidence. Scotland is playing a role in the development of that response and we have agreed with the CBD that a key conference of regional governments, which will help develop the response, will be held in Scotland early in 2020 in the lead up to the China Conference of Parties.

The Scottish Government is clear that violence of any kind is totally unacceptable. Every person should feel safe and protected from abuse and violence regardless of where they work and we encourage anyone who experiences violence or abuse, be that in work or outside of work, to report it. Any immediate threat or danger should be immediately reported to the Police.

Scotland’s justice system provides for protection for all workers under our common law of assault, threatening and abusive behaviour and breach of the peace.

In those areas without Citizen Advice Bureaux services neighbouring bureau deliver advice provision for many national services such as; Welfare Mitigation, Financial Health Checks, Patients Advice & Support Service, Armed Services Advice Project, Pension Wise and Help to claim. Additionally, webchat and telephony services are available on a national basis along with information, advice and signposting on the CAB website.

Scottish Government also funds other independent advice providers either directly or through local authorities to provide advice services on a wide range of citizen issues, We also directly fund Advice Direct Scotland to provide the consumeradvice.scot service. This service provides free multi-channel, impartial advice on a broad range of consumer issues including mobile phone and internet providers, shops, airlines, rail operators, banks and insurance firms, restaurants, delivery companies, public bodies and other organisations, across the whole of Scotland.

Deciding when, and if, to have children is largely a matter of personal choice. The Scottish Government is working hard to create a country that is the best place in the world to grow up, through a variety of initiatives aimed at supporting pregnant women, children and families.

The decreasing birth rate is not new but part of an on-going trend. Whilst not unique to Scotland, it reflects broader societal changes, such as an increase in the average age of women and couples starting a family, the average family size has reduced over the past few years and possibly economic uncertainty influencing decisions around starting a family.