Chamber and committees

Scotland’s approach to annual fisheries negotiations is informed by the best available evidence, taking into account scientific advice, socioeconomic factors, and the dynamics of fisheries. Our key priority throughout negotiations is always to protect Scottish interests by securing sustainable catching opportunities. Officials engaged closely with colleagues in UK Government in the lead up to and throughout the negotiations, to discuss the scientific advice and negotiating approaches. The Scottish Government continued to play an active role in the UK delegation throughout negotiations, striving to be a constructive partner, and seeking balanced agreements to protect Scottish interests.

The majority of our annual fisheries negotiations with the EU and Coastal State partners, to set catch limits and management measures for jointly managed stocks in 2025, have now concluded. We will issue a letter to the Scottish Parliament’s Rural Affairs and Islands Committee in early 2025 to outline the outcome of all of the negotiations, including the potential benefits these can bring to Scotland.

The Scottish Government has prioritised improving the collection and recycling of end-of-life fishing and aquaculture gear in our Marine Litter Strategy published in 2022 in order to protect our environment from plastic pollution and support the growth of our circular economy. There are currently very few relevant recycling facilities in Scotland or the rest of the UK due to the low-value, bulky, contaminated and degraded nature of the waste. We are therefore working across the four nations to increase more sustainable waste management opportunities, coordinating our research and policy analysis and we will work with industry towards effective solutions in the long term.

Details of gear theft and vandalism which were reported to Marine Directorate.

The Scottish Government conducted an internal review and mapping exercise of port waste reception facilities relevant to the fishing sector in Scotland in both 2023 and 2024 in order to inform future policy development. Of the 18 main ports and harbours surveyed, nine of these have dedicated collection facilities for the disposal of end-of-life fishing gear. The provision of adequate waste facilities available to all vessels, including fishing vessels, encourages responsible disposal behaviour. Information on the individual numbers of fishing vessels using these facilities was not collected.

The use of corporate mobile phones is covered by our IT Code of Conduct and Mobile Services Employee Agreement.

Transport Scotland invests in a variety of transportation projects and initiatives aimed at improving Scotland's transport infrastructure and promoting sustainable travel. This will include supporting bus services, including investing in zero-emission buses, developing and improving ferry services and investing in active travel infrastructure like cycle paths and footpaths.

Further details on these investment plans are contained in the Strategic Transport Projects Review page on Transport Scotland’s website.

The National Transport Strategy, published in February 2020, sets out our long-term vision for a sustainable, inclusive, safe and accessible transport system in Scotland. The vision is underpinned by four interconnected priorities: Reduces Inequalities, Takes Climate Action, Helps Deliver Inclusive Economic Growth and Improves our Health and Wellbeing. In December 2024, we published our fourth Delivery Plan which outlines the actions being taken by the Scottish Government to deliver these priorities, alongside a Monitoring and Evaluation report.

These initiatives will help to improve access to hospitals, health centres, pharmacies and other key health facilities across Scotland, however we do not directly invest in transport infrastructure for patients travelling to medical appointments.

The Scottish Government recognises that more could be done to bring health planning and transport planning together, in order to support this closer working, we published the Transport to Health Delivery Plan on 30 October 2024. This plan includes Commitment 12: ‘Transport Scotland will encourage Regional Transport Partnerships to have appropriate stakeholder groups with a remit on Transport to Health, which includes appropriate representation from local NHS Boards. In reviewing Partnerships’ Regional Transport Strategies, Transport Scotland will seek appropriate consideration of Transport to Health issues in their strategies’.

All Scottish Government mobile phones are securely wiped and disposed of in line with National Cyber Security Centre guidance when they reach end of life.

All corporately managed Scottish Government mobile phones align with National Cyber Security Centre standards.

The Scottish Government is prioritising longer term reform so that Employment Injury Assistance better meets Scotland’s needs. This is the option which was supported by the largest number of responses to our public consultation held last year.

Our work on Employment Injury Assistance has taken longer than initially intended due to the Covid-19 pandemic and associated delays to the development and delivery of social security benefits. Furthermore, we have prioritised the delivery of Scottish Child Payment, Child Disability Payment and Adult Disability Payment, in line with the expectations of disabled people and stakeholders.

The Industrial Injuries Scheme has undergone minimal reform by successive UK Government’s since it was introduced more than 75 years ago. While reform will therefore take time, a like-for-like replacement would have been complex, not offered value for money and would not meet the needs of people in the modern workforce.

This information is not held centrally.