Chamber and committees

Earlier this year, Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS) indicated in its Scottish Forestry Strategy Implementation Plan that a sustained programme of around 10,000 hectares of new planting would be required each year to achieve the strategy aspiration of 25% woodland cover by the second half of the century. FCS estimated that the private sector would plant 80% of the annual programme, while the remainder would be planted on the national forest estate. It is therefore too early to assess progress against this programme, particularly as the incentives to help delivery, the forestry measures within the SRDP, have just been put in place after the closure of the Scottish Forestry Grant Scheme last year. Progress will, however, be monitored closely over the coming years, and the figures will be published. Planting on the national forest estate will be mainly carried out on land acquired by FCS through its repositioning programme “ the acquisition of land with potential for high public benefit, funded by the disposal of land with lower public benefit “ which was also introduced earlier this year.

In the meantime, FCS has published a discussion paper which sets out the benefits that woodland expansion can deliver and how this fits with the Government''s objectives across various portfolios. It explores a number of critical wider land use issues that affect how the aspirational target can be achieved, and discusses how the delivery mechanisms can be used. The closing date for comments on the paper is 30 September 2008.

The discussion paper can viewed on the FCS website at http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/INFD-7FWEQ5.

Details of expenditure on woodland creation in the past five years and planned expenditure in the next five years are listed in the following tables.

Details of Expenditure: Past Five Years

Woodland Creation
	2003-04	2004-05	2005-06	2006-07	2007-08
Private Sector	£10,300,000	£8,300,000	£8,000,000	£11,700,000	£8,400,000
National Forest Estate	£400,000	£430,000	£90,000	£75,000	£165,000

 

Details of Planned Expenditure

Woodland Creation
	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11	2011-12	2012-13
Private Sector	£25,000,000	£25,000,000	£25,000,000	£25,000,000	£25,000,000
National Forest Estate	£2,100,000	£2,200,000	£2,240,000	Dependent on next Spending Review	Dependent on next Spending Review

 

The deadline for written responses to our consultation was 21 August and an initial assessment indicates that our proposals have been widely welcomed.

Responses have been received from the NFFO and SFF and these are now being considered carefully along with all the others received. We will shortly produce an outcome of consultation report upon which we will seek final stakeholders'' views before it is formally promulgated.

Our proposals, which were widely welcomed, give effect to the devolution of fisheries management in the Scotland Act 1998. The principle of having a separate quota management and licensing system for Scotland is recognised in statute and we have simply consulted on the detail of what such a system might look like.

We have maintained regular dialogue with other fisheries administrations on this and other fisheries management issues.

Where we have been asked to consider fish quota transfers outwith Scotland in exceptional circumstances, and where, on the basis of information supplied, we have concluded that there are indeed exceptional circumstances, we have allowed such transfers to take place.

The moratorium was put in place to preserve Scottish fishing rights whilst work continues to deliver distinct quota management and licensing arrangements in Scotland. The moratorium has been kept under continual review during the on-going process of consultation to ensure that its continued existence in its current form is objectively justified.

To this end, I announced recently that the transfer of 10 metre and under licences/entitlements would be exempted from the moratorium provisions as well as the transfer of over 10 metre licences/entitlements where no FQA units are attached.

The moratorium was put in place to preserve Scottish fishing rights whilst work continues to deliver distinct quota management and licensing arrangements in Scotland. The moratorium has been kept under continual review during the on-going process of consultation to ensure that its continued existence in its current form is objectively justifiable.

I announced recently that the transfer of 10 metre and under licences/entitlements would be exempted from the moratorium provisions as well as the transfer of over 10 metre licences/entitlements where no FQA units are attached.

As part of the consultation on Safeguarding Our Fishing Rights: The Future of Quota management and Licensing in Scotland, my officials conducted 25 meetings around the coast of Scotland, attended by over 350 stakeholders.

The current restriction on the permanent transfer of quota and licences out of Scotland was discussed at these meetings, and provided a good opportunity to explain that the moratorium was put in place to preserve Scottish fishing rights whilst work continues to deliver distinct quota and licensing arrangements in Scotland.

The moratorium is being kept under continual review while the process of consultation continues.

The Scottish Government gave a commitment in the Abolition of Bridge Tolls (Scotland) Bill on 20 December to end the unfairness that tolling of bridges brought particularly for the people of Fife, Tayside and the Lothians.

The Scottish Government are currently reviewing various funding options available for the Forth Replacement Crossing.

I can provide a guarantee that the users of the Forth Replacement Crossing will not be charged to use the bridge.

The Scottish Community and Householder Renewables Initiative relies on the accreditation undertaken under the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS), which is owned by the UK Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR).

The Scottish Government therefore does not hold data on numbers of accredited installers, broken down by local authority area. Details of Scottish installers accredited under MCS are available on BERR''s Low Carbon Buildings Programme website at:

http://www.lowcarbonbuildings.org.uk/info/installers/find/installerfind.