Chamber and committees

Due to the commercial nature of much of this information, the Scottish Government does not hold data on broadband coverage percentages. However, independent broadband analysis site, thinkbroadband.com, provides breakdowns of coverage percentages at Local Authority level. The following tables show coverage percentages from January 2014, when DSSB deployment began, to October 2019.

The Scottish Government remains determined to take a strategic approach to maintaining the SRDP 2014-2020 budget, ensuring that we maximise the EU funds, while continuing support for key government priorities. The success of the programme means that we expect to fully consume the financial envelope during 2021. Spending for some projects and schemes has occurred later in the programme than initially anticipated leading to payments that will fall beyond this programme. The total legacy funding arising from projects and investments under this SRDP is forecast to run until 2029 and amount to £150 million.

Following careful consideration we are currently engaged in seeking approval from the European Commission for amendments to the 2014-2020 programme. The amendments are in response to demand for certain schemes and reflects what can be delivered under this financial envelope. They also take into account the lack of clarity over our immediate future, in terms of not yet knowing when and/or if we will be leaving the EU. If Scotland does have to leave the EU, we want to be able to optimise our ability to put into effect Scottish Government proposals to provide stability and simplification between 2021 and 2024 and to commence piloting new approaches to providing rural support.

In order to allow consumption of the EU funds faster we will amend the co-financing rate to 52% EU and 48% national. This also helps to mitigate against the risk of funds not being replaced by the UK Government beyond this programme.

The revised indicative budget removes underspend for schemes such as Beef Efficiency Scheme and Environmental Co-operation Action Fund (which did not in fact commence due to technical design challenges), while also increasing funding to government priority areas including the Forestry Grant Scheme to achieve key targets.

These budgets are:

Less Favoured Area Support Scheme - £403 million

Agri-Environment Climate - £289 million

Forestry Grant Scheme - £277 million

Beef Efficiency Scheme - £20 million

New Entrants - £23.8 million

Crofters Agricultural Grant Scheme - £12 million

Small Farmers Grant Scheme - £0.4 million

Food Processing, Marketing and Cooperation Grant Scheme - £66 million

Environmental Co-operation Action Fund - £0 million

Advisory Services - £17 million

Knowledge Transfer and Innovation Fund - £6 million

LEADER - £82 million

Broadband - £0.04 million

It is important to note that these are indicative budgets, and we will continue to monitor scheme performance and demand, along with the impact of future Spending Reviews, to ensure that the SRDP continues to deliver towards our commitment to build growth all across rural Scotland.

Also included in this amendment is my decision to extend current contracts for beneficiaries that were successful in the 2015 AECS application round for a further year. These contracts were due to expire on the 31 December 2020 and will be initially extended until 31 December 2021, ensuring that this scheme continues to protect and enhance our natural capital. To conduct a further round of AECS would mean opening for applications early in 2020 but not being in a position to award any new contracts until 2021 and there being potential to create further legacy funding commitments until 2025-26.

To date, we have had no clarity nor certainty from the UK Government over the future funding envelope to replace SRDP beyond 2020. This Government is already committed through the Programme for Government to develop a new agricultural transformation programme which will encompass the now statutory commitments on whole farm emissions accounting and an agricultural modernisation fund.

Accordingly, there will not be a further round of AECS but the extension of the current contracts is likely to ensure a further £6 million is invested, adding to the £177.7 million already committed through the agri-environment schemes to support farmers, crofters and land managers to protect and enhance Scotland’s natural heritage, improve water quality, manage flood risk and mitigate and adapt to climate change.

The Scottish Government previously announced that it had met the EU deadline of making 95.24% of Pillar 1 payments by 30 June 2019. The EU also requires 98% of all Pillar 1 schemes by 15 October each year. I can advise that this target was met in August and that by 30 September, £449 million in 2018 Pillar 1 payments had been made to farmers, crofters and land managers.

In December 2018, the Scottish Government also published a payment strategy for all CAP schemes. The payment targets for all 2018 Pillar 1 and Pillar 2 payments have been met – this is the earliest point in the annual calendar that this has been achieved under this SRDP.

This includes £62 million through the Less Favoured Area Support Scheme.

For all other Pillar 2 schemes, another £34 million has been paid into the rural economy.

The Scottish Government has now supported the rural economy by paying over £545 million to Scottish farmers for all 2018 schemes providing much needed security at a time of political uncertainty. This represents 99.44% of the total claimed and demonstrates that the CAP payment system is now substantially fixed.

The following table shows how much non-domestic rates relief has saved businesses cumulatively from 2009-10 until 2017-18, based on local authority income returns. Local authority breakdowns are not currently available for earlier years.

The Health and Sport Committee’s report ‘The Governance of the NHS in Scotland’ recommended a need for greater consistency and improved national oversight regarding the management of significant adverse events. In September 2018, I asked Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) to review their role in this process and conduct a national baseline assessment exercise.

I have considered the report that HIS have published and whilst I am grateful for the baseline report, I feel more action is required to address the inconsistencies identified. We have one NHS in Scotland and I expect to see greater consistency in the way in which the NHS investigates significant adverse events.

I have spoken with the Chair of the Board of HIS and have instructed them to ensure that NHS Scotland Boards notify them of any Significant Adverse Event Review that is commissioned in response to a Category I event (as defined in the Healthcare Improvement Scotland ‘Learning from adverse events through reporting and review. A national framework for Scotland, July 2018). I have also asked them to work with NHS Boards to ensure the use of consistent definitions and terminology relating to such reviews.

I have made it clear that further scrutiny and improvement support work within HIS must be focused on changes that will deliver improved assurance. Further, I would expect support to be provided to enhance the quality of reviews and support the implementation of any local and / or national changes that such reviews identify.

I expect the introduction of the new requirement to improve understanding of the factors contributing to the variation identified by the Health and Sport Committee and confirmed by the publication of the baseline report. This will also improve the effectiveness of national scrutiny and oversight of events that may have contributed to or resulted in permanent harm (Category I events).

My officials will be receiving regular updates on progress and I have asked for further assurance to be provided to me that the new arrangements will be implemented by the end of December 2019.

A copy of my letter to the Chair of Healthcare Improvement Scotland and all NHS Board Chairs and Chief Executives is available at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/adverse-events-management-nhs-scotland