Chamber and committees

A key strand of the Energy North Oil and Gas Taskforce work is to capitalise on the significant new energy port investments by Highlands and Islands Enterprise, the Scottish Government and local authorities in the Inner Moray Firth over 2009-14. Nigg and Invergordon, Caithness (Scrabster), Orkney (Hatston), Western Isles (Arnish) and Shetland (Lerwick) offer the oil and gas industry new quayside, fabrication facilities and access to experienced workforce at lower costs, and – in the case of Caithness and the Northern Isles – significantly closer to the northern North Sea and fields west of Shetland.

The Economic impact of Aberdeen Harbour Nigg Bay Development report highlights the fact that any displacement of oil and gas activity from other Scottish ports is expected to be low. This is due to the development of Nigg Bay would not be taking business from other Scottish ports but rather accommodating existing surplus demand which would otherwise be lost to other UK and European ports.

The name ‘Wave Energy Scotland’ was agreed in the latter half of 2014. However, the concept of a collaborative approach of support for this nascent sector was discussed as early as 14 January 2014 at a wave energy summit hosted by the former First Minister. The development of Wave Energy Scotland has evolved since that date.

The findings of the report are consistent with the aims of the taskforce in ensuring that we continue to have a strong infrastructure in Scotland, to assist the oil and gas industry.

The Energy North Oil and Gas Taskforce was created to ease the capacity issues that exist within the oil and gas industry in Aberdeen, by seeking to use the available skills, services and infrastructure throughout the Highlands, Islands, Argyll and elsewhere. The Scottish Government continues to remain supportive of the aims of the taskforce.

The independent report, Economic impact of Aberdeen Harbour Nigg Bay Development, was commissioned by Scottish Enterprise. The report noted that failure to expand the harbour would potentially lead to a decrease of £500 million per annum to the Scottish economy by 2034, an outcome largely attributed to likely increased competition from abroad.

Whilst the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) does not make any specific forecasts for Scottish household borrowing, its Economic and Fiscal Outlook - December 2014 included forecasts for household borrowing and debt at the UK level. The OBR projects household borrowing to continue increasing between 2014 and 2019 and that this will be a key driver of UK economic growth over this period.

The Scottish Government has long expressed concern about the sustainability of a consumption-led recovery that is not supported by wage and income growth. We have recognised the need to continue to rebalance the economy by promoting investment, innovation and internationalisation. Our Programme for Government sets out the key actions to support this objective.

As Scottish ports policy is market led, with investment decisions taken by individual ports themselves, the Scottish Government has no comment on the content of this report, including the displacement figures.

The Council of Economic Advisers is an independent advisory group to the First Minister. The council last met on 12 November 2014.

In her speech on 1 December 2014, the First Minister confirmed that the council would continue to be chaired by Crawford Beveridge, and that Professor Joseph Stiglitz would continue to be a council member. The First Minister also announced that Sir Harry Burns had agreed to join the council. The full text of the speech is available at the following address:

http://news.scotland.gov.uk/Speeches-Briefings/FM-first-major-speech-to-Scotland-s-business-sector-12ca.aspx

We will announce the full updated membership of the Council of Economic Advisers in due course.

The second meeting of the Cabinet sub-committee on climate change was held on 8 January 2015, and discussed the collective action required across government to ensure Scotland remains on track to meet our world leading target of a 42 per cent reduction in emissions by 2020.

The Scottish Government supported a research project by the University of Bristol and the Royal Veterinary College on tail injuries in working dogs across Great Britain that was conducted during 2008-09, and published in 2010. We commissioned a further research project from the University of Glasgow in 2011 to examine the incidence of tail injuries in working dogs in Scotland, specifically spaniels, hunt point retrievers and terriers. The results of this additional Scotland-specific research were published in two peer reviewed papers in the Veterinary Record on 4 April 2014.

Subsequent discussions have been held with stakeholders regarding the impact of the results of the Glasgow research on their views on the tail-docking of working dogs. In addition, the Chief Veterinary Officer for Scotland has made further investigations into how the exemptions allowing tail-docking of working dogs have worked in practice in other parts of the UK, and how any potential exemption could be genuinely restricted to working dogs if any change was to be proposed in Scotland.

Once the views and findings outlined have been properly considered a decision will be taken on what further action to take and on whether we will formally consult on a potential exemption for working dogs.

The inaugural Scottish Rural Parliament took place in Oban 6-8 November 2014 and was attended by over 400 delegates from across rural Scotland. The event was organised by Scottish Rural Action, an independent, not-for-profit organisation.

All political parties represented in the Scottish Parliament were invited to nominate a delegate and members of the Scottish Cabinet with a rural portfolio interest were also invited to attend. Additionally some elected representatives registered independently as attendees in their capacity as councillors, MPs or MSPs.

Further information relating to the Rural Parliament can either be found on the Rural Parliament website: http://www.scottishruralparliament.org.uk/ or by contacting Scottish Rural Action.

The average speed camera system on the A9 between Dunblane and Inverness became operational on 28 October 2014.