Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government continues to engage with the UK Government on the designation of food and drink products as geographical indications through its status as a constituent member of the UK GI scheme panel.

The operation of the UK GI schemes is reserved and is run by The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), where all applications are submitted directly to them for consideration. It is for producers themselves to apply for protection under these schemes, and the Scottish Government seeks to support and promote applications from Scotland.

The final decisions on whether to grant a GI are made by the Secretary of State. However, a panel made up of representatives from Defra and the devolved administrations reviews all applications (including third country applications) and makes a collective decision as to whether they should proceed to the Secretary of State for consideration.

Scotland’s Future Catching Policy (FCP) will see concrete action taken to support fishers to avoid catching fish and other species which they don’t want to land, or catch in the first place, including decreasing instances of accidental bycatch of protected marine species.

The FCP proposes to introduce a range of technical and spatial measures, designed in partnership, which will reduce levels of unwanted. This might mean, for example, some types of fishing vessel requiring to use additional selectivity measures as part of their nets, or to move on from certain fishing grounds. The purpose of this is to reduce levels of unwanted catch as far as possible, with discarding rules and exemptions following any measures that are put in place to account for discards that will still occur due to the mixed fishery nature of Scottish waters but will enable us to account for these in a more robust manner increasing accountability and transparency.

By introducing these measures through legislation we are ensuring a level playing field in Scottish waters for all fishers regardless of origin.

The Marine Directorate owns/operates a fleet of three Marine Protection Vessels (MPVs), and two small inshore craft.

• MPV Minna since 2003 (42 metres in length)
• MPV Jura since 2006 (84 metres in length)
• MPV Hirta since 2008 (84 metres in length)
• Small craft Ailsa and Iona since 2022 (7.8 metres in length)

Marine Directorate owns two surveillance aircraft, Reims Cessna Caravan II F-406 (Watchdog Alpha and Watchdog Bravo) since 2008.

https://www.gov.scot/publications/marine-and-fisheries-compliance-fleet-and-aircraft/

Remote and rural communities can be hugely impacted by wildfire incidents, which can cause significant environmental and economic damage. SFRS works closely with a number of key partners to establish a common understanding of the risk, prevention measures, and response procedures to wildfire in Scotland. The Service works closely with land managers, communities and other safety partners to prevent these incidents ever occurring.

SFRS will always maintain fire cover and ensure it continues to attend at every emergency. As a national service, SFRS also has the capacity and flexibility to operate as a network. SFRS has strategically placed wildfire resource capability within the following tiered locations, and these resources can be deployed as a network to support rural areas where required.

Tier 2 Stations

New Galloway, Langholm, Fort Augustus, Kingussie, Aviemore, Kyle of Lochalsh, Fortrose, Gairloch, Dunbeath, Insch, Alyth, Callander, Coldstream, Lauder, Lybster, Balintore, Cromarty, Carrbridge, Newtonmore and Spean Bridge.

Tier 2 Wildfire Stations with 4x4 Support Vans

Alford, Oban, Galashiels and Dornoch.

Tier 3 Stations

Helensburgh, Kilwinning, Ballater, Elgin, Invergordon, Ullapool, Dunblane, Pitlochry, Stornoway and Musselburgh.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s (SFRS) wildfire strategy was created with partnership at its heart. The strategy was launched in 2023 and is supported by a planned spend of around £1.6 million over the course of three years. The strategy considers the increased risk of wildfire and changing climate in Scotland; the latest developments in wildfire management; training and operational procedures; and the advances in technology that have been made in PPE and equipment.

SFRS responds to wildfires using a tiered system that includes latest technology and techniques, such as those in use in new Mediterranean-style specialist wildfire units, to safely bring an incident to a conclusion. The Service’s approach uses 4 Tiers:

• Tier 1 Stations: General first responder firefighting, hose, beaters, water backpacks;
• Tier 2 Stations: Sprinter vans with wildfire suppression and management equipment. This includes leaf blowers, excavation tools, beaters and lighting;
• Tier 3 Stations: Ford Ranger with Polaris All-Terrain Vehicles with fogging lance unit on trailer; and
• Tier 4: Wildfire Tactical Advisors.

In terms of training, all staff are trained to Tier 1. New equipment, PPE and vehicles are being rolled out on a phased and risk assessed basis and while much work in this area has already been delivered, SFRS intends to have fully implemented its wildfire strategy during the course of 2025.

Wildfires in rural communities can burn for days and often involve hundreds of staff and many resources, a large proportion of which are provided by SFRS’s on-call staff in rural communities, to bring these incidents to safe conclusions. This is why SFRS has bolstered its response to these incidents with more specialised equipment located at its network of dedicated fire stations strategically placed to safeguard the public.

Efficient and effective dissemination of wildfire prevention information to the public is key to preventing wildfires. Before igniting any flames in a rural or outdoor setting, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) encourage everyone to check which area of Scotland may be at threat of wildfires. If a threat is in place, the key prevention advice from SFRS is that people should refrain from igniting any flames.

When Scotland is at a high threat of wildfires, SFRS works in partnership with the Scottish Wildfire Forum (SWF), to alert the public and partners to the threat of wildfires by issuing Wildfire Danger Assessments. SFRS issues alerts through its social media channels, its website and local media outlets, and requests assistance from Local Authorities across Scotland to share safety messaging to seek engagement with as many members of public as possible. These warnings detail which areas across Scotland are most likely to be affected. SFRS also alerts the Scottish Government who proactively re-issue these warnings across digital and social media platforms.

The Scottish Government’s Ready Scotland marketing campaign can be activated at any time, using geographically targeted digital and local radio channels to inform the public about forecast extreme weather. In 2023, digital assets were developed for the campaign so that it can also be deployed in any area of Scotland at times of heightened risk of wildfires.

When areas are at risk from severe weather or severe wildfires, the Scottish Government, responder organisations and other resilience partners all work closely to share public safety advice through a variety of channels. Well-established processes are in place to consider the most appropriate methods of communication based on the specific circumstances.

Ensuring resilience and capacity to be able to respond effectively to adverse events, including weather, are operational matters for our emergency services.

We continue our commitment to support the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) to deliver the high standard of services required to keep Scotland safe. The draft budget for 2025-26 provides SFRS with an additional £18.8 million in support of front line services, which will bring the total budget to £412.1 million.

It is for the Chief Constable, working with the working with the Scottish Police Authority, to determine how to allocate its budget to meet policing priorities including how adverse events are managed. In 2025-26, the Scottish Government will increase police funding to £1.62 billion to support police capacity and capability. This includes almost £57 million in additional resource funding – an increase of 4% compared to 2024-25 published budget.

In terms of the Scottish Ambulance Service, costs involved in ensuring this resilience and capacity will be covered through the existing operational budget. In 2025-26 NHS Boards will receive record funding of £21 billion. This includes an increase to the Service of more than £88 million, which takes the Scottish Ambulance Service’s overall funding for 2025-26 to £437.2 million.

Permanent FONE Group Membership

The Acquisition of Land (Authorisation Procedure) (Scotland) Act 1947 governs the making and confirmation of compulsory purchase orders (CPOs). It sets out requirements relating to the issuing and publication of notices regarding the making of a CPO, its submission to Scottish Ministers for confirmation, opportunities to object to it, and as regards the decision on whether to confirm a CPO. Guidance on the process is contained in Circular 6/2011: Compulsory purchase orders: https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-planning-series-planning-circular-6-2011-compulsory-purchase-orders/.

In addition, the Scottish Government publishes a register of CPOs submitted to the Scottish Ministers for confirmation since 2012, which is updated quarterly. The current register, published in December, includes CPOs received up until the end of October 2024: https://www.gov.scot/publications/compulsory-purchase-order-register/.

Yes. The FONE group meets on a quarterly basis and members are routinely provided the opportunity to share what promotional material, including guidance, support, case studies and signposting for new entrants and the next generation is being offered. Additionally, agricultural opportunities are regularly signposted on the individual stakeholders’ websites, such as:

New Entrants resources for farmers from Farm Advisory Service

Inspirational Stories | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service

Farmers sign up | Scottish Land Matching Service