Chamber and committees

I met with representatives of Graham's Dairy on 5 December 2014, at which various issues were discussed, including development proposals.

The Scottish Government has carried out an initial assessment of Section D investment protection provisions and has made clear to the UK Government and the European Commission that trade agreements must not adversely affect the delivery of public services, lower standards, or limit the government’s right to regulate in the public interest.

The former Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Food and the Environment wrote to the UK Government's Secretary of State for Agriculture, Rural Affairs and the Environment about protected food names in the comprehensive economic and trade agreement in September 2015. Scottish Government officials met with trade representatives from the Canadian High Commission in March and May 2015 and had high level discussions on the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement.

The Scottish Government carried out an initial assessment of the Section D provisions of Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement and considered it unlikely that these would to any appreciable extent restrict the legislation which the Scottish Parliament can pass in the interests of the public and the environment. Since then, it was announced on 29 February 2016 that the European Commission and the Canadian Government have agreed to include a new approach on investment protection and investment dispute settlement, the investor court system in the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement.

Scottish Natural Heritage have not made any Species Control Orders (as provided for in Section 14D of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981) relating to giant hogweed. One species control agreement is in place for giant hogweed.

There are currently no plans to alter the existing arrangements for the distribution of stable iodine tablets to households close to a nuclear facility.

In Scotland as part of the planning for, and response to, a potential incident at a nuclear power station, supplies of stable iodine tablets are routinely distributed to households within a designated emergency planning zone around the power station.

The office for nuclear regulation are responsible across the UK for setting the area where the local authority is required to provide an adequate off-site emergency plan, and ensure that it is reviewed and tested at regular intervals. Part of this planning process includes the distribution of stable iodine tablets to households within this zone.

The contents of discussions of the Scottish Cabinet are not routinely disclosed. Ministers are briefed at the highest level on civil contingency matters including nuclear.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-00298 on 14 June 2016. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

Nuclear security is a reserved matter. The Department for Energy and Climate Change works closely with the home office to ensure that security at all UK civil nuclear sites, and for civil nuclear material in transit, remains robust and effective. A threat assessment is prepared for the civil nuclear industry on the basis of intelligence, and security measures which the independent regulator requires to be in place in the industry reflect this.

Robust emergency response arrangements are in place, and the Scottish Government works closely with the UK Government, office for nuclear regulation, industry and responder organisations on these.