Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee

Meeting date: Tuesday, May 1, 2018

Official Report 445KB pdf

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Subordinate Legislation

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Loch Carron Urgent Marine Conservation (No 2) Order 2017 (Urgent Continuation) Order 2018 (SSI 2018/100)

Welcome back. Agenda item 3 is subordinate legislation. The committee previously considered instruments relating to the status of Loch Carron last year. I invite members to comment.

I am happy to support the order, but I would like some clarity from the Government on why we are moving from a temporary order to a temporary order with the eventual end point of a permanent order. I note that the business and regulatory impact assessment has been published for the permanent order. It would be good to have some clarity on the process and why we are going through temporary orders. There seems to be an obvious case to be made for moving to a permanent order and protecting this important site.

I am encouraged that Marine Scotland and the Scottish Government have acted so quickly. That should serve as a warning to anyone who wants to flout the regulations. Anyone who fishes should be aware of where the relevant places are and make sure that they do not impinge on protected features.

Following up on that very good point, perhaps we should also ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken on the back of what happened at Loch Carron to remind fishing interests of their responsibilities to the marine environment. What happened was not illegal at the time but, nevertheless, it was deeply damaging to the environment.

Might it also be worth while to ask the Government for an update on the situation? Has it stabilised? Has it been retrieved? Is there betterment of the damage that has been inflicted on the site? I am not asking for an in-depth investigation, but perhaps the Government will have some knowledge of the situation following the imposition of the order.

Are we agreed that we should write to the Government on the issues that members have raised?

Members indicated agreement.

Having agreed that, are we content that we should make no recommendations on the order?

Members indicated agreement.

Thank you. At its next meeting, which will be on 8 May, the committee will hear from the Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform and the Minister for UK Negotiations on Scotland’s Place in Europe on the EU environmental and animal welfare principles. We will also hear from the cabinet secretary on the advice received from the UK Committee on Climate Change on the forthcoming climate change bill.

As agreed earlier, the committee will now move into private session.

11:00 Meeting continued in private until 12:52.