Chamber and committees

The new systems are (1) an improvement in the procedure for clearing computer generated errors involving the reclassification of some automated checks, and (2) a change to the associated IT payment calculation programme to operate on a nightly rather than a twice weekly basis to ensure that authorised claims are paid quicker. These new systems were introduced on 29 June and 14 July respectively.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-35109 on 30 July 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Marine Scotland has published a list of fisheries legislation detailing the year it came in to force at:

www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/marine/Sea-Fisheries/Regulation/legislation/si.

Article 13 of Council Regulation (EU) No 1342/2008 (the Cod Recovery Plan) provides for allocation of additional fishing effort for cod avoidance measures. The Scottish Government has implemented Article 13 through the conservation credits scheme (CCS), which allows for real-time closures (RTCs) to buy back additional fishing effort for Scotland''s fishing fleet.

Marine Scotland Science submitted an analysis of these measures for consideration by the Commission''s Scientific Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF) at its plenary meeting in mid-July. The recently published STECF assessment of that analysis acknowledged the progress made by Scotland in improving the situation for North Sea cod through the CCS.

STECF also noted that the most recent stock assessment results indicated that the 25% reduction in North Sea cod mortality in 2009, required by all member states under the Cod Recovery Plan, had not been realized. STECF suggested that measures under Article 13 of the Cod Recovery Plan should be expanded to include increasing the size of RTCs and increasing the uptake of cod-selective gears that reduce the level of discards. The Scottish Government had already taken action on both fronts in early July, both by extending the scope of RTCs and by making available buy-backs for the use of further selective fishing gears in the CCS.

Training for new entrants into commercial fishing is delivered through a network of industry-led group training associations (GTAs) covering the whole of mainland Scotland and the Highlands and Islands. The GTAs are registered with the Sea Fish Industry Authority (Seafish) as their approved training providers for the statutory safety training courses undertaken by all fishermen going to sea.

The GTA network provision is supplemented by a number of colleges of further education specialising in training for fishing industry, i.e. Banff and Buchan College, North Atlantic Fisheries College, Orkney College and Lews Castle College. These colleges deliver SVQs and certificates of competency for deck and engineer officers. There are currently four learning providers supported by Skills Development Scotland for delivery of the Fishing Deckhand SVQ Level 2 through the Skillseekers national training programme.

Grant aid for capital investment in the fisheries sector is available under the European Fisheries Fund (EFF) programme for 2007-2013. EFF provides for capital grants to assist across a range of measures including assistance to young fishers (up to 40 years of age) to purchase their first full, or part, ownership of an active fishing vessel (subject to eligibility criteria).

Under the 2001 decommissioning scheme, the fixed quota allocation (FQA) units associated with the licences of decommissioned vessels could be transferred to other over 10 metre licences, licence entitlements or to fish producer organisation dummy licences. The deadline for such transfers was 31 December 2004.

By far the majority transferred FQA units to fish producer organisation (PO) dummy licences. The conditions under which such transfers took place were commercial matters solely between the vessel owner and PO.

More than five years have passed since the above deadline. It is not possible, therefore, to say now how many vessel owners still enjoy quota allocations deriving from the licences of their decommissioned vessels.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has decided, for the 2010-11 effort management period, to permit fishing vessels that it administers to transfer days at sea only to other vessels that it administers. The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in Northern Ireland has taken an equivalent decision in relation to the vessels that it administers.

It is for each Fisheries Administration (FA) to consider what steps they regard as necessary to manage the effort of their fleets within the portions of UK fishing effort limits that they are responsible for managing. The Scottish Government considers that it may well be possible to allow for some transfers of days at sea between vessels administered by different FAs, but also considers that close monitoring of any such agreements should be agreed in advance. This issue has been raised in discussions with DEFRA and other FAs, and those discussions continue.

Encouraged by the Scottish Government, the employer bodies are working with Sector Skills Council, Lantra, to construct for the industry a level 2 Modern Apprenticeship (MA) framework which could be in place by September 2010. This is being developed as a vehicle to help address the difficulties experienced in finding skilled agricultural employees. To this end the Scottish Agricultural Wages Board introduced an apprenticeship rate of pay into its Wages Order on 1 October 2009. This provision enabled employers to pay £3.50 per hour to workers for the first twelve months of a Level 2 Modern Apprenticeship in Agriculture.

In terms of addressing wider skills shortages Lantra has also supported a range of measures and activities to promote land based, agriculture and aquaculture career options.

The UK Government''s proposal to introduce an annual limit on the number of non-EEA migrants admitted into the UK is unlikely to have a significant impact on the availability of seasonal workers in Scotland.

This is because there is currently no immigration route available for unskilled workers within the UK Points Based System for managed migration, the category most seasonal work would fall within. The vast majority of seasonal work in Scotland is currently undertaken by EEA nationals whose entitlement to live and work in the UK is unaffected by this proposal.

We will announce the next tranche of funding from the new school building programme later this year.