Chamber and committees

I have a wee supplementary question. One of the questions in the Scottish Government’s consultation was about restricting the sale of foods with high levels of fat, sugar and salt within 2m of the checkout. What Sandesh Gulhane said about product placement in supermarkets is valid. There are challenges for us in Scotland when it comes to marketing and advertising; we cannot control what Ofcom does about advertising on television, because that is a reserved matter. However, with regard to supermarkets, we can certainly advocate for restrictions on product placement at the end of the aisle or within 2m of a checkout. Is that something that we could support?

I am looking at the Food Standards Scotland website. The “Eatwell Guide” is available in British Sign Language—there is a wee video—so it is probably worth us sharing that on our social media.

I have a question on food crime. That is another area where people seem to be unaware of the work of Food Standards Scotland. I know that time is tight—we might need to get more information by writing to you—but that work is really important and I am interested to hear a quick word on the food crime prevention strategy and what that means.

We have also not really talked about food for cattle and the role of Food Standards Scotland in the regulation and monitoring of feed for animals that end up in our food supply chain. However, food crime is something that you were probably expecting to be asked about, so I am happy to hear about that.

Good morning, Dr Cass. Thank you for being here this morning. I am interested in the recommendation that young people should remain within the young people’s service from the age of 17 to the age of 25. The recommendation says that NHS England should ensure that each regional centre has

“follow-through services for 17-25-year-olds ... either by extending the range of the regional children and young people’s service or through linked services”.

I am interested in hearing about how that recommendation means that those young people should stay under the care of the same service from the age of 17 to the age of 25 and how that would work in practice. I think that there has been some misrepresentation of the recommendation as meaning that no one would be able to transition before the age of 25.

I want to pick up on what you said about the misrepresentation of that recommendation or other parts of the report. You talked about a holistic assessment for young people for the whole process. One of the comments that have been made is that the recommendation is based on “dubious science”. Can you solidify for us your advice or your recommendation around having a whole process for young people right up until the age of 25?

The latest announcement about the cyberattack displays the very real implications for staff and the public of cyberattacks, with personal details now bring freely published on the dark web. We also saw just yesterday that China successfully hacked the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence. Such attacks will continue to happen and will have serious consequences. Can the cabinet secretary give a commitment that the Scottish Government is examining the cyber resilience of all our public institutions to protect the public and those who work in those vital services? Can the cabinet secretary also reconfirm that the Government is adequately supporting NHS Dumfries and Galloway to have the resources that are needed to assess and act on the cyberattack?

A recent report, from April last year, on seasonal migrant workers in Scottish agriculture found that most seasonal workers come to Scotland because working here has been “personally recommended to them” and that 87 per cent of those who were surveyed were satisfied with the accommodation. Does the minister agree that Scottish agriculture needs access to the people who want to come to Scotland and make a vital contribution, and that the main route to doing that is to undo the damage of a Brexit that was forced on Scotland by Westminster?

I have a final quick question. We talked earlier about how retailers were supporting the implementation and use of the REM systems. Will the Government seek to engage with retailers to get more direct feedback about how they endorse REM as part of sustainable fishing?

Good morning. You mentioned that some scallop boats already have remote electronic monitoring. I think that that has been implemented since January 2023. Have you already been getting data from those boats? How is that working with regard to compliance, data and engagement, for instance? My understanding is that the scallop boats have been doing that voluntarily already, so a wee bit of feedback about that would be helpful.

I can roll the next point into my final question.

We have heard some feedback on concerns about other boats fishing in the waters, in particular Spanish and Danish boats, and about what they will be required to do, or not. The idea of a level playing field has come up. How do we help ensure that Scottish fishers will not be disadvantaged by the implementation of remote electronic monitoring?

So, I could go out and speak to constituents and reiterate that the regulations are about ensuring that we have a level playing field for our boats fishing in our waters.