Chamber and committees

The Gaelic and Scots Team has a sponsorship role for Bòrd na Gidhlig and meets with officers in the body regularly and consistently. The nature of the sponsorship duties combined with the Gaelic and Scots Team’s policy role requires close working at different levels and on a range of subjects. The Gaelic and Scots Team is in contact with Bòrd na Gidhlig every week and this pattern of working has been in place for the last five years and before. In addition, Bòrd na Gidhlig Chair and CEO meet with ministers at least twice a year; with Scottish Government directors at least twice a year and officials from the Gaelic and Scots Division support these meetings. Gaelic and Scots officials arrange quarterly meetings and regular media meetings with the senior team at Bòrd na Gidhlig.

The Scottish Government does not hold any such data.

The Scottish Government continues to support measures to restrict the transport of pregnant dogs into the UK, having obtained legislative consent from the Scottish Parliament for this to be taken forward under the UK Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill before this was withdrawn by the UK Government in May 2023, and having agreed in principle to seek legislative consent for the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill before this fell due to the dissolution of the UK Parliament in May 2024.

The Scottish Government maintains that to ensure consistency of approach and the most effective outcomes, these measures would best be delivered by a UK Parliament bill. To this end, Scottish Government officials continue to engage with DEFRA on the possibility of legislation in the UK parliament to restrict the transport of pregnant dogs into the UK, along with other animal welfare measures relating to the transport of pets.

To date, £174,000 of the Scottish Government's £1.5 million investment in the Outer Hebrides Food and Drink Programme has been allocated to Acarsaid Harbour Redevelopment on the Isle of Eriskay and a gear storage facility at Vatersay Pier on the Isle of Vatersay. This will be followed by the release of further funds once we are in receipt of the remaining project business cases from the Island Growth Deal's Programme Management Office and these have been reviewed and endorsed.

Through this package of support, multiple investments will preserve and enhance local markets for traditional fishing industries, enable the sustainable development of the primary food production industries in the Outer Hebrides in a socio-economic context by developing local food and drink markets and respond to sectoral opportunities linked to product diversification. This will build economic resilience, community wealth and well-being by supporting communities and businesses across the Outer Hebrides throughout the Island Growth Deal's ten-year lifespan and beyond.

Persons undertaking basic checks on pets travelling with their owners on the Cairnryan ferry route are ferry employees and are, therefore, responsible to the ferry operator. These staff are not however authorised pet checkers as movements from Northern Ireland are within the UK. Where ferry staff on the Cairnryan route suspect a commercial movement or otherwise non-compliant activity, they will inform the harbour police and/or local authority to enable appropriate action to be taken.

Authorised pet checkers on official Pet Travel ferry routes into England from the EU are also ferry operator personnel responsible to their employer, but they have been specifically trained by the APHA to undertake checks on documentation and conduct visual inspections of animals. Authorised pet checkers will alert APHA or the local authority where issues are identified either with travel documentation or with the animals.

In terms of enforcement responsibility at Cairnryan where puppy smuggling offences are suspected, this generally sits with the local authority and/or Police Scotland. However, either may request that the Scottish SPCA intervene to take appropriate action under the Animal Health & Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006.

The Scottish Government has undertaken no such assessments. It is the responsibility of the enforcement agencies to plan and execute any stop and search of vehicles entering Scotland by ferry. On the call from the Dogs Trust for visual checks on all dogs entering Scotland, we consider this impractical, as it would require significant resources to be permanently deployed. Additionally, it should be recognised that it is a small minority of individuals that are involved in the smuggling of puppies from NI to Scotland and so visually inspecting every dog arriving in Scotland would be disproportionate. We consider intelligence-led, targeted checks to be the most effective approach.

The Scottish Government continues to support measures to reduce the number of dogs per vehicle which can be transported non-commercially into the UK, having obtained legislative consent from the Scottish Parliament for this to be taken forward under the UK Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill before this was withdrawn by the UK Government in May 2023, and having agreed in principle to seek legislative consent for the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill before this fell due to the dissolution of the UK Parliament in May 2024.

The Scottish Government maintains that to ensure consistency of approach and the most effective outcomes, these measures would best be delivered by a UK Parliament bill. To this end, Scottish Government officials continue to engage with DEFRA on the possibility of legislation in the UK parliament to reduce the number of dogs per vehicle which can be transported non-commercially into the UK, along with other animal welfare measures relating to the transport of pets.

The visual checking of all dogs entering Scotland via Cairnryan, would require deployment of additional human resource when there are already significant demands being placed on local authority and other enforcement agency staff.

Many commercial movements of animals are already inspected at Border Control Posts, and pet dogs travelling with their owners on ferries will often be checked by APHA trained ferry staff. The movements of concern, i.e. puppies being smuggled, happens under the radar, and is best addressed through intelligence-led targeted enforcement action.

The Scottish Government continues to work closely with DAERA NI officials and key agencies through the Paws for Thought Puppy Trafficking Group to disrupt and target those involved in the smuggling of puppies into Scotland from Northern Ireland. The collaborative actions of this Group are delivering significant reductions in the number of pups being trafficked into Scotland, mainly as a consequence of intelligence-led targeting of known or flagged transporters. The Group also continues to raise awareness among ferry passengers of puppy smuggling through the use of flyers, posters and social media, with anyone seeing suspicious activity encouraged to immediately report it.

More widely, the Scottish Government continues to work with the multi-agency Pet Trade Taskforce to share intelligence and target those involved in the illegal breeding and smuggling of puppies for sale in Scotland.

The route is viable and is currently being served by MV Isle of Arran. The Scottish Government remains committed to ensuring the Arran ferry service is fit for the future, and to find a solution at Ardrossan that can be delivered in a cost effective way reflecting the needs of all of the partners involved.