Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-05292 on 13 December 2016.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

refer the member to the answer to question S5W-05292 on 13 December 2016.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

As indicated in response to S5W-00972 on 12 July 2016 and S5W-03348 on 16 November 2016, the Scottish Government carried out an initial assessment of the Section D provisions of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement and considered it unlikely that these would, to any appreciable extent, restrict the legislation which the Scottish Parliament can pass in the interest of the public and the environment. Section D covers the Investment Protection and does not specifically cover the impact on jobs creation.

As indicated in response to S5W-003348, I wrote to the Secretary of State for International Trade re-emphasising that our ability to regulate, and our ability to determine, how the NHS in Scotland should operate should in no way be compromised by trade agreements. I have not yet received any response to this letter.

Regulation of international trade is currently a reserved matter under the Scotland Act 1998 and trade negotiations are led by the European Commission on behalf of the European Union's 28 Member States. The Scottish Government and the Scottish Parliament do not therefore have a direct say in, or direct influence on, negotiations or the ratification of any agreement

Information on the ongoing work between the EU Commission and Canada regarding the parameters of the Investor Court System in CETA can be found on the European Commission website http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/in-focus/ceta/

The UK Government response of 28 October 2015 regarding why it has not put forward any Protected Food Names for inclusion in CETA has been placed in SPICe (Bib number 58399).

There is a duty on all public authorities to comply with section 83 of the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 when making decisions on whether to permit activities that could affect a nature conservation Marine Protected Area within Scottish territorial Waters. The provisions are designed to ensure that there is no significant risk of the activity hindering the achievement of the conservation objectives of the protected features before consent is given.

We have made a number of commitments to using our new powers including abolishing the bedroom tax, reinstating housing support for 18-21 year olds, introducing a top up to the Carer’s Allowance to the same rate as the Jobseeker’s Allowance, introducing a new Job Grant for young people, extending eligibility for Winter Fuel payments to families with severely disabled children and a new benefit, the Best Start Grant which will see support for all children being increased and substantially helping families on low incomes.

The Scottish Government has published a Memorandum of Understanding with the DWP on joint working arrangements to implement the Scotland Act 2016, which describes the way in which the Scottish Government can access information and systems that belong to DWP to plan for the exercise of the devolved powers.

Vehicles used for transporting salmon morts to a disposal site must be approved or registered under the Animal By-Products (Enforcement) (Scotland) Regulations 2013 (ABPR). The operators of these vehicles must ensure that salmon morts be collected and transported in sealed new packaging or covered leak-proof containers. Transporters approved or registered under the ABPR are inspected on a risk-based basis by the Animal and Plant Health Agency and any issues would be an enforcement matter for local authorities. Information on the number of journeys made from farm to final disposal in each of the last three years is not held centrally.

Labelling for Beef produces have strict guidelines within regulation EU1760/2000. Information must be provided on country of birth, rearing and slaughtering at Member State level.

Our meat inspectors do spot check visits at abattoirs and cutting plants to ensure that all the required information is included in the labelling, and that full traceability is satisfactory.

The Scottish Government supports the objectives of the Political Declaration on Energy Cooperation between the North Sea Countries – to roll out a regionally optimised North Sea Grid that will enable electricity trading and the integration of offshore renewables in the most cost effective manner.

The work plan for the Declaration has created four sub-groups attended by North Sea Country officials. Prior to the UK Government signing the declaration on Monday 21 November 2016, Scottish Government officials attended an inception meeting and the first meeting of Support Group one as observers. Now the declaration has been signed, Scottish Government officials will be able to participate fully in the groups and work with UKG officials to ensure that Scottish views are considered when representing the UK. Regrettably, Scotland cannot present its views or negotiate as a nation state in our own right, while current constitutional arrangements persist.

The Declaration will work within the confines of the European Environmental Impact Assessment and Habitats Directives to take account of ecological impacts. The Declaration will support the further development of offshore renewable technologies by ensuring cost-efficient offshore and onshore grid development and, clearly, believe Scotland has a key role to play in supporting developing those existing technologies.

The Scottish Government supports a number of measures, both local and national, to successfully tackle air pollution and its impacts on health. These measures include the promotion of active travel and modal shift to low and zero emission transport, supporting the development of renewable energy, providing grant funding for local authority action plans, and providing advice and information through the Scottish Air Quality Website and Scotland’s Environment Web.

These initiatives will continue to be taken forward in the context of 'Cleaner Air for Scotland - The Road to a Healthier Future' - Scotland's first separate air quality strategy which was published in 2015. The strategy sets out six key policy objectives, including one for health which is for 'A Scotland which protects its citizens from the harmful effects of air pollution, reducing health inequalities'.

The Scottish Government monitors a wide range of information and sources relating to the impact of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and is engaging with the Department for International Trade on aspects of CETA and potential future trade agreements.