Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government is committed to supporting small producers, empowering them to play a key role in delivering our Vision for Agriculture through the Small Producers Pilot Fund. Market gardens are no exception to that, and providing they meet our small producer criteria, can access funding through the £1,500,000 the Scottish Government has provided in capital funding for 2026-2027.

Further to this, the Scottish Government recognises the unique market conditions and the wider benefits of our small edible horticultural producers. The Scottish Government has therefore, commissioned research to fully understand this industry and the challenges that they face. This is expected to be completed in the beginning of 2027.

The Scottish Government is providing long term funding to support local authorities to develop and deliver their Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategies (LHEES) with funding committed for each local authority of £75,000 per year until 2027-28.

The Scottish Government is responsible for making secondary legislation under the 1964 Harbours Act such as Harbour Revision and Harbour Empowerment Orders. Harbour authorities are independent bodies and it is their responsibility to ensure compliance with legislation and codes of practice. Harbour authorities are responsible for taking their own legal advice in relation to these matters.

The Scottish Government recognises the vital importance of maritime safety. I am aware that The Oban Bay Management Group is in place to help mitigate navigational risks in the Oban Bay area prior to the establishment of a Statutory Harbour Authority covering the wider Bay. This includes the publishing of navigational guidance for vessels using the Bay.

The Scottish Government is taking a whole system approach to understanding the full implications of data centre developments.

We recognise that data centres are a rapidly evolving sector. In a response to Gillian MacKay MSP on Thursday 25 June, the First Minister set out that he is giving active consideration on whether the Scottish Government should provide planning guidance to balance the rapid expansion of hyperscale data centres with national energy and climate goals which are vital to our future prosperity.

Making a Harbour Order can be a complex and sometimes lengthy process. Following the statutory 42-day consultation period for this application, over 100 representations were received. This was followed by the Written Representations stage, which provided further opportunities for interested parties to submit their views and liaise with the applicants.

Given the volume and nature of the material submitted, it has been essential that Transport Scotland undertakes thorough scrutiny from both a policy and a legal perspective, to ensure that all relevant matters are considered appropriately and in line with the requirements set out in The Harbours Act 1964. Transport Scotland is progressing this work as a priority.

Transport Scotland has not made any estimates relating to the potential financial costs and duration of a public local inquiry or hearing.

The Scottish Government has received documentation from the Oban Community Harbour Development Association relating to their original objections to the draft Harbour Revision Order and officials are currently considering this.

Feedback will be provided to OCHDA in due course. The consideration of Argyll and Bute Council’s HRO application continues and is being taken forward as a priority.

We are committed to maintaining direct payments, to supporting active farming and food production in Scotland, and to ensuring there are no cliff edges for producers.

We are already delivering increased conditions on direct payments; this is better incentivising sustainable and regenerative practice, on-farm nature restoration and climate mitigation and adaptation efforts, while investing in our producers to produce high-quality food.

The Rural Support Plan, laid in Parliament, has set clearly how over the course of this session, budgets will change across the Tiers of the support Framework. At least 70% of funding will be allocated to the Direct Payment model of Tiers 1 and 2 and we will apply a funding split of 7:3 between Tiers 1 and 2. We will continue to work with farmers and crofters to make sure that our support is informed by their needs and experience whilst delivering on our Vision for Agriculture.

The Scottish Government has held two previous consultations, in 2007 and 2015. We had also asked the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission to consider the matter, leading to the establishment of the SAWC Dog Training Working Group in March 2021 and this has led to a number of discussions between SAWC, animal welfare charities, and scientists, facilitated by Scottish Government.