Chamber and committees

NatureScot published a summary of beaver management licences issued in 2019 in May 2020: https://www.nature.scot/naturescot-beaver-licensing-summary-1st-may-31st-december-2019

NatureScot will publish a further report covering the period 1 January to 31 December 2020 later this year, once they have completed the final checks on licence returns and a full data analysis.

The report will include details of the number of dams removed, the number of beavers killed, trapped and translocated under licence in 2020, alongside details of other mitigation works. It will include an assessment against the results of a beaver population survey carried out over the winter of 2020-21 and due to report in July 2021.

Together, this package of information will include analysis of data and provide comprehensive details of the range of actions under the beaver management framework along with recommendations for future management.

The 2021-22 total operating budget allocation for beaver advice and mitigation is £91,000. This excludes staff costs (currently one full-time member of staff at £35,000 but due to increase to two full-time staff members).

The Scottish Government has not received any requests or expressions of interest from parties in England and Wales looking to acquire beavers.

Requests for the supply of beavers to populate projects in England and Wales do not routinely come directly to NatureScot. However, NatureScot works in collaboration with a beaver consultant and with Natural England and Natural Resources Wales.

The following projects have been granted release licences from Natural England and Natural Resources Wales, with NatureScot agreeing that animals can be sourced from Tayside.

NatureScot supports an adaptive management approach to wildlife management and, in consultation with stakeholders through the Scottish Beaver Forum, keeps the Beaver Management Framework under constant review through application of their processes and guidance.

(a) When beavers became a European Protected Species in May 2019, NatureScot undertook to conduct a review of licensing after two years of operation. This review is underway, with the input from the Scottish Beaver Forum. In addition, the trialling of innovative mitigation measures and discussion on future rural support payments is intended to reduce the need for lethal control in the future.

(b) Work is ongoing to reduce the need for lethal control and NatureScot have announced that they would be open to applications under the Scottish Code for Conservation Translocations for the movement of beavers from conflict areas to other suitable locations within or on the edge of range of their existing their current range.

We are discussing with NatureScot the circumstances, including the experience with beaver management, which might allow the policy on translocation of beavers to include release sites outside their current range in Scotland.

NatureScot operates a beaver advice and mitigation scheme for land managers experiencing significant detrimental impacts from beavers.

The operating budget for this in the financial year 2020-21 was £91,000. However, due to the impact of the Covid pandemic the progress of some key projects has been delayed and the actual spend is therefore likely to be approximately £40,000.

Under Article 17 of the European Union (EU) Habitats Directive, the UK was required to assess and report on the conservation status of species listed in Annexes I, II, IV and V. The most recent report was submitted in 2019 and the UK assessments can be found on the Joint Nature Conservation Committee website. The assessments set out the criteria and data taken into account in determining whether or not a species is considered to be in Favourable Conservation Status.

See https://jncc.gov.uk/our-work/article-17-habitats-directive-report-2019/ for details.

Regulation 3ZA of the Conservation (Natural Habitats) Regulations 1994 places a duty on Scottish Ministers to continue publishing assessments of conservation status every six years. There are no current plans to change the assessment methodology used.

We will be working with our local authority partners to expand provision of universal free school meals to all primary children. The amended Regulations governing the nutritional requirements for food and drink served in schools will come into force on 8 April 2021, and all meals served as a part of our universal expansion programme will be required to meet these standards.

We have supported the Soil Association’s Food For Life Programme since 2012. Our support has helped 16 local authorities to achieve accreditation for their school meals under the Food for Life Served Here award framework. We will continue to support the Food for Life programme and encourage local authorities to sign up to it.

The ScotWind lease option structure is currently under review and the timeline for completion of ScotWind is under consideration as part of that review.

The Scottish Government is committed to delivering a successful offshore wind sector in Scotland. Our Offshore Wind Policy Statement and Sectoral Marine Plan set out our ambitions and identified the key barriers to consents. The offshore wind plan also provides key information for developers preparing applications through detailed assessments and regional locational guidance.

Scottish Ministers regularly engage with officials on matters in relation to the consenting system for offshore energy, including demands arising from ScotWind.

We are also taking steps to increase efficiency in licensing/consenting processes and, in line with our response to the report by the Advisory Group on Economic Recovery, to optimise consenting and planning resources ahead of ScotWind applications. In addition, our extensive Scottish Marine Energy Research Programme (“ScotMER”) is actively seeking to tackle difficult evidence gaps and is working collaboratively with industry and other regulators to reduce uncertainty in consenting decisions.

Marine Scotland, a part of core Scottish Government that is responsible for marine licensing and consenting, also stresses to all offshore renewables applicants the importance of submitting a well-evidenced application, supported by a thorough, concise environmental impact assessment covering the pertinent issues. The Marine Scotland consenting and licensing guidance , available on the Scottish Government website, can help facilitate this.

Under Article 17 of the European Union (EU) Habitats Directive, the UK was required to assess and report on the conservation status of species listed in Annexes I, II, IV and V. The most recent report was submitted in 2019 and the UK assessments can be found on the Joint Nature Conservation Committee website. The assessments set out the criteria and data taken into account in determining whether or not a species is considered to be in Favourable Conservation Status. See https://jncc.gov.uk/our-work/article-17-habitats-directive-report-2019/ for details

Regulation 3ZA of the Conservation (Natural Habitats) Regulations 1994 places a duty on Scottish Ministers to continue publishing assessments of conservation status every six years. There are no current plans to change the assessment methodology used.