Chamber and committees

The rural renewal bill will marry together with more than just the rural support plan. It will go into areas that potentially will have an impact on many portfolios, which is another thing that I need to keep in mind. As I am formulating my plans for the rural renewal bill in consultation with stakeholders, I need to have discussions across portfolios in the Cabinet to get buy-in for some of the things that I want to do.

I reiterate Mr Fairlie’s point that the plan is a living document. Obviously, we need to have a starting point, which is what has been laid out. We will have a period of five years for each plan, but that does not mean that it is static, it sits on the shelf and we just adhere to it no matter what. Technology, thinking and financial situations change, and world events can have an impact on everything that we are talking about, as we have seen this year.

From my perspective, I have to be agile when looking at the analysis of outcomes that are associated with emissions reduction and biodiversity loss, because we have targets in place in statute that we need to reach. Agriculture is just one area of the climate change plan, but we have a delivery group in Government in which all the cabinet secretaries and ministers who are tasked with delivering on emissions reduction are round the table. Mr Fairlie is a member of that group, too. There are various ways in which we will monitor the effectiveness of all our policies, and we have the agility to be flexible.

At the moment, the marine directorate is undertaking a five-year delivery planning exercise, which is looking at the transformation of its service delivery in a changing marine landscape, with particular pressures in certain areas.

When I was the Minister for Energy, Just Transition and Fair Work in the previous parliamentary session, I had responsibility for the consents that are associated with offshore wind. At the time—I cannot remember the exact year—there was a recruitment freeze in the Scottish Government. I made the argument that the marine directorate licensing operations team, which is associated with the licensing of offshore wind and other marine activity, needed more capacity. I got agreement on that from the Scottish Government, which put in place recruitment to augment and enhance the capacity of that team by doubling its size, because there was a recognition that we had to be agile in dealing with the number of applications that were coming through from offshore wind. It was a burgeoning part of the economy, and we were able to adapt. I was able to make that argument, and as a result we have increased capacity. We had a dialogue about how those applying for licences could be better supported, and things were put in place to streamline that process.

In the planning exercise that we are undertaking, we will ensure that the short-term delivery priorities align with the support that is required now. However, we are also taking a longer-term view, because there is going to be a lot of change. The Minister for Agriculture, Marine and the Islands can come in and talk about some of the things that are happening in the marine space that mean that we have to be agile in the marine directorate with regard to where we put the expertise. We might have to recruit additional expertise in various places. However, in other parts of the marine directorate, the expertise might not be being used as much as it was, say, 10 years ago. That is part of why we are engaging in that process.

In the round, I understand why people are saying what they are saying. We are alive to it, we are listening and we are trying to adapt the marine directorate to be able to function not just today but in the longer term. The minister might want to come in on that.

A number of regulations associated with the Natural Environment (Scotland) Act 2026 are being worked on so that they can be delivered to Parliament. Mr Fairlie has responsibility for the provisions in the act that you have alluded to. I am also looking at nature restoration targets and secondary legislation that will be associated with that. All that work is happening.

The act was passed only just before the end of the previous session of Parliament, so it will take time to deliver many of its elements, particularly ones that were a result of amendments. I do not have the detail on that issue. I would like to take it away and write to the committee, as that is a very specific point.

I like to think that I am across my brief, but I do not have the detail on that particular point in front of me, because I had hoped to talk more about pre-budget scrutiny and the programme for government.

Are we talking about the MPAs?

Gosh—those are three huge, really important questions.

Your first one was about the possibility that the new body might be two faced—if you will forgive me, I will not use the word “mash-up”, because I associate that with something completely different. I would not say that we are talking about a mash-up of anything. That suggests an element of chaos, whereas the goal of amalgamation is to sustain and preserve the functions of each organisation and to enhance the potential of all of them.

Thank you, convener. I look forward to working with you all in this parliamentary session. I have a brief opening statement to discuss my priorities for the parts of my portfolio that pertain to this committee’s remit.

Scotland has some of the highest ambitions in the world for climate and nature. As the cabinet secretary with responsibility for dealing with the nature and climate crises, my priority is to ensure that we deliver the emissions reduction that is needed to meet our statutory carbon budgets and achieve net zero by 2045 while building a more climate-resilient Scotland that supports our communities, creates economic opportunities, protects and restores nature, and delivers a just transition.

The climate change plan sets out Scotland’s pathway to net zero with actions that are across the whole of Government—across transport, heat in buildings, woodland creation, peatland restoration, waste reduction, agriculture, energy supply and industrial processes. Our circular economy strategy will help us to transition towards a circular economy with sustainable levels of material use and increased resilience to withstand global supply chain shocks. Our strategic framework for biodiversity sets out our plans for nature restoration, and, under the Natural Environment (Scotland) Act 2026, the Government continues to develop statutory biodiversity targets, drawing on scientific recommendations from the biodiversity programme advisory group, alongside expertise from across Government, delivery partners and stakeholders.

The programme for government demonstrates our continued commitment to delivery, ensuring that action for climate and nature remains a core priority across Government. Bringing our environmental bodies together in a single modern organisation will build a more joined-up approach, remove unnecessary barriers and make environmental interventions more impactful. That will be a priority for the Government. I should also say that we want to make those bodies more accessible to those who use them.

My focus for this parliamentary session is firmly on implementation and delivery, which means delivering on actions that are contained in the climate change and biodiversity delivery plans, prioritising the transition to a net zero economy and ensuring that action on climate and nature supports economic growth, energy security and good jobs, and delivers wider benefits such as cleaner air, warmer homes and lower bills.

The climate challenge is not limited to reducing emissions. We are already seeing the impacts of climate change through flooding, wildfires, water scarcity and coastal erosion, which places increasing pressure on communities, infrastructure and public services. That is why nature restoration, climate adaptation and resilience must be given the same importance as mitigation of the impacts of climate-related situations.

Through Scotland’s national adaptation and biodiversity plans, we are strengthening resilience across our communities, economy, nature and infrastructure. The programme for government includes further investment in flood resilience, support for coastal adaptation and action to improve our preparedness for and response to wildfire risks. We will also build on Scotland’s strength in renewable energy. We will continue to expand peatland restoration and woodland creation and to support nature restoration alongside emissions reduction.

Given the constraints of devolution, we will continue to urge action from the United Kingdom Government on reserved matters that will have an impact on delivery—such as lowering electricity costs—and on our partners in local government. We also want progress on the Acorn project, which clearly remains important to Scotland’s decarbonisation ambitions.

The scale of the challenge means that the Government cannot act alone. Success depends on partnership across business, communities, the public sector and government at all levels.

Our approach is clear. Tackling the twin climate and nature crises is an environmental necessity but also an economic opportunity. The challenge is significant, but the opportunity is significant, too. Our task is to turn ambition into measurable outcomes that keep Scotland on track for net zero while improving lives, strengthening resilience and supporting sustainable economic growth. I look forward to discussing all the elements of that in this evidence session and over the years to come.

I do not have any particular timeframe. It is important to make it clear that the programme for government set out the initial proposals, and that is what they are—proposals. When we came into government, we had a great deal of discussion about what public sector reform would look like, and we were tasked by Ivan McKee and, indeed, the First Minister to look at our portfolios for any opportunities that might exist, particularly with regard to the bodies in each of our portfolios. Initially, SEPA and NatureScot seemed like a good fit for being put into one environmental body. Later, when we were discussing the plans and looking at associated opportunities, we felt that Zero Waste Scotland would be a good fit for that body, too.

I must stress that the proposals and the plans are not well advanced yet. Obviously, we had to put this proposal in the programme for government, and Parliament had to know first—that is the way in which things have to be done. A great deal of work will have to be done with the organisations in order to progress the plans, but we could not have had the organisations working with us on any detailed plans associated with any kind of merger ahead of Parliament knowing our proposals.

We know that business as usual is not going to cut it if we are to meet our biodiversity and climate change goals, but we know, too, that all of the organisations that I have proposed should be put into one environmental body already work very closely together. However, there is more partnership work that can be done, and there are certain backroom functions that can be shared, which will release some funding to deliver the actions that are associated with each component of the proposed environmental body. We want the aims of the biodiversity strategy to be delivered, we want to do what we can to reduce emissions and waste, and we want to recognise that, as a result of bringing these bodies into one, a lot of opportunities might arise to divert funding to the actions that they carry out.

The proposals are not well advanced, because their advancement will be done in partnership with the three organisations. There will be a single overarching environmental body, and we will appoint a shadow board chair and a chief executive officer ahead of its launch. We do not want any attention on the day-to-day functions to be diverted away from the delivery of the services that are provided by each of these organisations towards managing any merger. The shadow board will deal with making up the new body, to ensure that we take nothing away from any of the critical services and actions that the three bodies currently provide.

That is being looked into right now. We will need to go through a recruitment process for those appointments, and the remit for the board is being looked at now, but I cannot give you any firm timescale for when recruitment will happen. After all, the proposal was announced only a couple of weeks ago and we must ensure that we have everything worked out with regard to the decision on the body and the functions of the shadow board and the individuals involved with it—and, indeed, recruit the CEO—before we actually recruit the board itself.