Chamber and committees

Applications for the 2016 Single Applications forms closed on 15 June 2016. The regulatory payment window is from 1 December 2016 – 30 June 2017 for 2016 CAP Payments.

The 2016 National Basic Payment Loan Scheme was designed to provide certainty for farmers and crofters over winter 2016 and seek to inject up to £300 million into the rural economy. Farmers and crofters have been able to apply for a loan of 80% of their CAP Basic Payment and Greening 2016 entitlement, up to a maximum of 150,000.

The licensing of fishing vessels in Scotland is undertaken under the provisions of the Sea Fish Conservation Act 1967. Systems for the allocation and management of fish quotas in Scotland and the UK are administrative and not statutory. Neither system relies upon EU law.

There are currently no plans to centralise control of all roads from local authorities to Transport Scotland.

The Scottish Government is fully supportive of current local authority efforts to form regional partnerships to explore how their resources can be combined to best manage the condition and safety of their networks.

The Road Collaboration Programme is jointly funded by national and local government and demonstrates the Scottish Government’s commitment to ensuring integrated service delivery and the provision of efficient public services.

The Scottish Government is committed to delivering more efficient and resilient road maintenance services, against a backdrop of reducing public sector budgets. Only through improving the level and nature of collaborative working between road authorities, including Transport Scotland, can this be achieved. We are currently developing the next generation of our Trunk Road Operating Company contracts and will continue to engage with local authorities to explore opportunities for council involvement.

The Forth Road Bridge will be open for traffic until the Queensferry Crossing opens, while existing traffic arrangements will remain in place until the new Crossing is open to traffic.

We are currently considering the full range of options available to commemorate the opening of the Queensferry Crossing.

Further information will become available from early 2017, as plans are finalised, ahead of the Queensferry Crossing opening in May 2017.

The Scottish Government has given a commitment to dual the A96 between Inverness and Aberdeen by 2030. Transport Scotland has completed preliminary engineering and environmental assessment work on the dualling programme.

As for all Transport Scotland’s major infrastructure projects, consultation is an integral part of the design process. As part of this consultation Transport Scotland will consult with key stakeholders, including Scottish & Southern Electricity Networks to discuss their proposed Blackhillock to Kintore Reinforcement project and any potential interface there may be between it and the A96 Dualling.

It should be noted however that the Scottish Government has no direct involvement in the Scottish & Southern Electricity Networks project until consent under Section 37 of the Electricity Act 1989 is sought after a preferred option is identified.

The Scottish Government plans to make the vast majority of payments under the 2017 Basic Payment Scheme within the regulatory window which is from 1 December 2017 – 30 June 2018.

The Rural Payments & Services system is delivered in phases. The next major phase is early in the new year for enabling the processing of applications for the 2016 scheme year payments.

As with any large IT system, there will always be further development and enhancements, in line with business and regulatory changes.