Chamber and committees

It is anticipated, at this stage, that the report will be submitted by the Directorate for Planning and Environmental Appeals in the first week in October.

It is anticipated, at this stage, that the report will be submitted by the Directorate for Planning and Environmental Appeals (DPEA) in the first week in October.

Scottish Planning Policy 1: The planning system seeks to ensure that 80% of all applications called-in for determination by Scottish ministers are determined within two months of receipt of the report from the DPEA and 100% of cases within three months.

The Scottish Government does not have to alter current policy, in light of the recent bad weather conditions because the Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC) measures for Scotland were drawn up to reflect Scottish conditions and the country''s wide variability of soils, habitats and farming systems.

The Scottish Cross Compliance regulations make provision for the effects of adverse weather conditions such as are being experienced this year.

In the first half of December. NFU Scotland and the Scottish Agricultural College have agreed to conduct test runs with selected farmers before the revised guidance is published. It is planned that the guidance will be put on the Scottish Government website in early November and that copies of the guidance will be sent to all farmers in the nitrate vulnerable zones in early December. In addition, the Scottish Agricultural College will conduct a number of workshops to explain the new rules and procedures.

Several actions are being taken to assist farmers who may be affected by the revised Nitrate Vulnerable Zone Action Programme. In particular, they may be eligible for funding from the Scotland Rural Development Programme towards the costs of manure and slurry storage. We will be issuing guidance on the new requirements, and the Scottish Agricultural College is preparing a series of workshops. We have established the Nitrates Directive Stakeholder Group to identify ways in which farmers can most effectively make the transition from the current to the new action programme requirements. This will reduce the risk of fertiliser pollution in Scotland, and help farmers get more value from both organic and inorganic fertilisers.

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.

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.

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 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.