Chamber and committees

Any form of human trafficking or exploitation is completely unacceptable. Police Scotland’s National Human Trafficking Unit (NHTU) continues to work closely with partners to monitor the threat, risk and harm posed by those exploiting vulnerable workers in the fishing sector. Police Scotland have collaborated with other law enforcement partners to target those responsible for Modern Slavery in the fishing industry, with several companies subject to both criminal proceedings and also Trafficking Exploitation and Risk Orders (TERO). The first Order of this kind in Scotland related to an investigation in the fishing industry, which is closely monitored by Police Scotland to ensure compliance, mitigate risk and prevent further exploitation. Between 2022 and 2025 we have allocated £480k to the charity Justice and Care who provide specialist Victim Navigators to work alongside the NHTU. Navigators play a vital role in focusing on the victims of human trafficking operations investigations, and are able to offer strategic advice to police officers. This enables our law enforcement organisations to focus on bringing perpetrators to justice in the knowledge that immediate victim support is available. A current fishing industry police investigation is on-going, led by the NHTU, and the services of Victim Navigators are being utilised to fully support the victims.

Any form of human trafficking or exploitation is completely unacceptable. Police Scotland’s specialist National Human Trafficking Unit continues to work closely with partners across the UK and internationally to tackle human trafficking. This includes the International Trade Workers Federation, Home Office, and HM Maritime and Coastguard Agency. The Scottish Government has consistently opposed the inappropriate use of transit visas as means of accessing non-UK labour in the fishing industry, and reports of migrant labour exploitation within the sector are concerning. The Scottish Government does not support an immigration system which increases the risks for forced labour and exploitation of migrant workers. Sector specific concessions and visa routes are only temporary fixes adding unnecessary complexity to the immigration system. The Scottish Government wrote to the previous UK Government last year, outlining concerns regarding the immigration system’s poor suitability in addressing skills shortages within the fishing industry. We will continue engaging with the new UK Government on the need for a fair immigration system that meets Scotland’s unique economic and demographic circumstances.

The Scottish Government does not have a procedure in place to report collisions between its Marine Protection Vessels and cetaceans, basking sharks and other marine mammals. There have been no known incidences of collisions and so no procedure has been developed. Should an incident occur, our crews would assist where possible and report to the British Divers Marine Life Rescue and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, both of which crews have worked with before to assist stranded cetaceans.

All Scottish quota is issued in line with the requirements of the UK Fisheries Act 2020.

On 7 June 2024, the Scottish Government published the outcome of its consultation on the allocation of Additional Quota. Additional Quota is the extra quota the UK receives following EU exit.

As part of Scotland’s Fisheries Management Strategy 2020-2030, the Scottish Government committed to the maintenance of FQA system as the primary method of allocating Exiting Quota (the UK’s established share of quota prior to leaving the EU) following stakeholder feedback.

Section 25 of the UK Fisheries Act 2020 obliges the Scottish Government (and other UK national fisheries authorities) to utilise objective and transparent criteria related to social, environmental and economic factors when allocating quota. It also requires that national fisheries authorities seek to incentivise the use of selective fishing gear and the use of fishing techniques that have a reduced impact on the environment.

The Fair Work First policy applies fair work criteria to grants, other funding and public contracts awarded by and across the public sector. In distributing fishing quota, the Scottish Government is not making an award of a grant, contract or other funding, so this policy is not a direct consideration.

In our recent consultation on the allocation of Additional Quota, we sought views on crew welfare as a criterion for distributing quota. In the consultation outcome report we recognise that the ILO188 Work in Fishing Convention, enforced by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, is the appropriate framework for monitoring crew welfare.

For the Scottish Government to meet our commitment of ensuring that at least 1000 people receive public funding for their stay in Residential Rehabilitation, it is largely dependent on capacity in the residential rehabilitation providers who provide the service, rather than the alcohol and drug partnership workforce.

Since 2020 Marine Directorate have issued thirty Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) totalling £95,000 in relation to suspected fishing in restricted areas where the fishing method involved was prohibited. Of those thirty incidents, four were specifically within Marine Protected Areas which are protected by a Scottish Statutory Instrument implemented under powers provided by the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 and/or the Inshore Fishing (Scotland) Act 1984.

Fines totalling £20,000 were issued for these four cases, one of which was paid and no further action taken. The remaining three cases, following non-payment, were subsequently reported to Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) for consideration of prosecution. Two of these cases were convicted in court and fined £2,000 and £5,000 respectively. The third case has recently been submitted to COPFS and has not as of yet proceeded to trial.

In addition to these four cases where Fixed Penalty Notices were issued by Marine Directorate, One further case was not offered an FPN and was referred directly to the Procurator Fiscal resulting in a conviction and fine of £2,075.

Despite the real terms budget cuts introduced by the previous UK Government, in 2024-25 alone we have committed £4.7 billion to support the delivery of our climate change goals.

We are committed to tackling climate change through the existing actions we have set out as part of government policy, and through the development of our next Climate Change Plan. Work has already started on planning and delivery of a number of measures in key areas of the Climate Policy Package.

We continually review staffing and resourcing, to support Programme for Government and forthcoming Budget commitments to ensure that the government’s ambition for climate change is delivered.

Our Net Zero Assessment aims to assist Ministers and public sector leaders to make better informed decisions on budgets and policies by providing information on impact on climate targets and signposting areas for enhanced emissions reduction effort. The intention is, on completion of the current pilot within Scottish Government, to roll the pilot out across all significant new Scottish Government expenditure decisions from the end of 2024.

The Assessment will support an enhanced formal advisory role for the Global Climate Emergency Programme Board and the Cabinet Sub-Committee for the Climate Emergency on the climate impact of future Scottish Government proposals.

The Scottish Government funds the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS) at the University of Glasgow to provide a coordinated approach to the surveillance of marine species (e.g., cetaceans, seals and basking sharks) stranded around the Scottish coast. As well as investigating major causes of death, the scheme also helps identify any substantial new threats to the conservation status of these species as well as assisting in the identification of other pressures and threats.

This information is used by the Scottish Government and NatureScot to take forward action that can help to prevent strandings in the future and to meet its commitment to achieve and maintain Good Environmental Status for cetaceans. This includes delivering action to minimise, and where possible eliminate, bycatch of sensitive marine species, including cetaceans, to ensure the sustainability of our fisheries, as well as supporting ongoing work to ensure the coherence of our marine protected areas network.

Much of this work is supported by the Scottish Marine Environmental Enhancement Fund and Scottish Government's Nature Restoration Fund which is managed by NatureScot.

As the Bill is currently passing through the UK Parliament, we do not yet know what its final provisions will be.

However the Scottish Government welcomes the objectives of the Bill as introduced, which we believe align with the policy of Scottish Ministers that a fully publicly owned and integrated railway will deliver the best service for Scotland. Scottish Rail Holdings Ltd. is required to follow this policy.