Chamber and committees

None. This is an operational matter for the independent charity regulator.

It is proposed that the necessary changes to the Firefighters'' Pension Scheme in Scotland will be considered early in the New Year. The draft amendments will be subject to both consultation with stakeholders and the usual parliamentary consideration.

Like other areas of public spending, these services are subject to cuts because of the reduced funding from the Westminster Government. No final decision has been made yet on the funding to the Scottish Agricultural College (SAC) for the delivery of veterinary surveillance in Scotland. Several scenarios involving cuts to this and other public good advisory activities delivered by SAC and other organisations are being explored, and their potential impacts will be assessed jointly. A final proposal will be made taking into consideration our priorities and other factors, including the potentially unfortunate timing of changes to veterinary surveillance ahead of this report.

The rules covering contributions in the Firefighters'' Pension Scheme (FPS) in Scotland mirror those that apply in England and Wales. Following legal advice the Department for Communities and Local Government, which has responsibility for the FPS in England, has proposed changes to the FPS rules that will remove the potential discrimination for this group. The need for similar changes to the scheme in Scotland will be considered by Scottish Ministers.

The Icelandic and Faroese unilateral quotas are for catches in their respective waters. Any attempt to catch these quotas in EU waters would be in contravention of international law. There is no indication that either party has or will attempt to fish its unilateral quota in EU waters.

Scottish Government officials are in ongoing discussions with representatives of the Isle of Man and UK Fisheries Administrations about proposals by the Isle of Man Government for scallop management measures in the Isle of Man 3 to 12 nautical mile zone. Scottish scallop fishermen have an established and long-standing interest in the conduct of the fishery, in which they are important participants. 

The Scottish Government shares the Isle of Man authorities'' desire for effective management of the scallop stocks in the long-term interests of all those participating in the fishery. Our aim is to ensure that any conservation measures which may be put in place in Isle of Man waters should be non-discriminatory and take full account of the interests of the Scottish industry.

On 14 September 2010 the Scottish Fisheries Council endorsed the broad lines of a comprehensive four pillar fisheries management plan put forward by the Scottish Government. The plan will be refined in the light of discussion at the council and is designed to help secure the future of the Scottish fishing industry. 

More than £12 million is now in place to support the new plan, which includes funding for a licence parking scheme, fleet modernisation and work to maximise the value of the catch. At its heart, the plan offers actions to weather current economic conditions, prepare for the future prosperity of the fishing industry and promote Scottish priorities within Europe.

Full details of the plan can be found on the Scottish Government website at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/marine/Sea-Fisheries/ScottishFisheriesCounci/SFC140910Papers.

The Scottish Government has been working closely with the European Commission to examine every possible option to bring both Iceland and Faroes back to the negotiating table. I have twice written to Commissioner Damanaki and also spoken to her to request that she take a strong stance against the irresponsible behaviour of both countries. She has agreed to look at a variety of options.

In the course of its investigations the Food Standards Agency (FSA) traced eight animals born in the UK from eight imported embryos which were produced by a cloned cow in the USA. The cloned cow itself remains in the USA.

As part of this investigation the FSA has established that, in total, meat from three of these animals has entered the food chain without authorisation under the EU Novel Foods Regulations.

Regarding the names and addresses of the retail outlets, the agency is minded not to place this information in the public domain and has issued a public statement explaining the reasons for not doing so. A copy of this statement is attached:

The Agency has considered whether and, if so, to what extent it should reveal the identities of individuals and businesses involved in the recent investigation conducted by the Agency into the alleged sale of meat and milk from offspring of cloned animals.

The FSA is an organisation whose essential purpose is to protect the interests of consumers in relation to food and food safety. We are committed to openness as a way of gaining and maintaining consumers'' confidence. Although the Agency is satisfied that there has been no risk to human health as a result of the circumstances revealed through its investigation, we would normally wish to reveal the details of those individuals and businesses who have been involved in that investigation, recognising that these details may be of interest to some consumers.

However, in this case there are a number of other relevant factors:

some of those involved in the investigation were not aware, and could not reasonably be expected to have been aware, that the animals in question were the offspring of clones

it can be argued that a case such as this, where there has been no evidence of risk to human health, differs from other investigations conducted by the agency

in this case, some have given information to the agency with the expectation that their details will remain confidential and the agency must consider whether, in future, third parties will be less likely to co-operate with investigations if such understandings are not adhered to.

In light of the above, the Agency has decided to contact all those whose identity might be revealed following the recent investigation to tell them that, consistent with its usual practice and values, the agency is minded to disclose their identities. We will invite comments on that proposal and decide, in the light of comments received, whether, and if so to what extent, to disclose this information.

There is no need to raise this issue at Commissioner level as the European Commission have made it clear that they have no intention of allowing any member state to keep laying hens in conventional cages after 1 January 2012. However, my officials are keeping the position under review and should it appear that any member state may be allowed to retain conventional cages for egg production after January 2012, I shall raise the issue of a ban on intra-Community trade in these eggs with the Commissioner.

Eggs produced from hens kept in cages in non-European Union Countries which do not meet the current minimum EU standards or will not meet the new standards can be imported into the UK and EU. It is not possible to ban the importation of these eggs or egg products on welfare grounds as such a ban would be a breach of World Trade Organization rules.