Chamber and committees

I am sorry that anyone has had to wait to receive their transcript due to delays in the pilot scheme for transcripts. We have been working closely with Scottish Court and Tribunal Service to address the issues that have been raised in a minority of these applications. SCTS have now written to applicants to provide them with an update on their application and to advise that they will provide regular updates every three weeks. Changes have also been made to their website to provide clearer information about expected timescales and the updates that will be provided.

The Scottish Government does not hold copies of any assessments that the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has made in this area. It is SFRS policy to remove pregnant firefighters from front-line operational duties to avoid any potential risks to the mother or unborn child.

The Scottish Government requires an exemption from the United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2000 (IMA) from the UK Government (UKG) before we can effectively implement sections 1 to 5 of the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Act 2024.

The UKG have agreed to providing this exemption and we are awaiting for them to make the necessary changes to the IMA before we can effectively implement sections 1 to 5 of the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Act 2024. Scottish Government officials are engaged with counterparts in UKG regarding this change and we expect it to be made soon.

It is our intention to bring a ban on the use, supply and possession of glue traps once the UKG have made the required changes.

The Scottish Government has not made an estimate of the number of barber shops linked to money laundering. Money laundering is investigated by Police Scotland working with partners including the National Crime Agency and His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs.

With regards to the protection of wild peregrines in Scotland, the Scottish Government does not intend to make representations ahead of the 2026 peregrine breeding season to the UK Government Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs to request that transaction specific certificates are issued for peregrine declared as captive bred in Scotland.

The requirement to issue Transaction Specific Certificates (TSC) for peregrine would not improve the accountability of a captive bred peregrine being purchased should that bird not be used commercially again.

A TSC would only improve accountability, where, following a transaction, it would require a new application by the new keeper and allow for a chain of custody to be formed in instances where the specimen has been utilised for commercial purposes across different keepers.

If an Article 10 certificate is issued as an Specimen Specific Certificate (SSC) then the certificate travels with the bird and a new keeper would not need to obtain a new certificate for the bird. Registration of any wild and unsourced bird is still required.

Section 7 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 Act provides that any person who possesses or controls any bird from a species listed in Schedule 4 must register the bird with the Scottish Ministers, and identify the bird with a ring or mark. Section 7 and Schedule 4 are commonly known as the bird registration scheme. The purpose of the bird registration scheme is to provide a mechanism to help deter illegal take from the wild of birds whose populations are threatened.

Regulation 5 and the schedule of the Wildlife and Countryside (Registration and Ringing of Certain Captive Birds) (Scotland) Regulations 2009 provides that the bird registration scheme also applies to peregrine falcon and merlin if they are not already registered through the Convention on the Control in Trade of Endangered Species (CITES). It is an offence to fail to register or ring/mark a bird if required to do so.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

The SPS and the Scottish Government worked directly with Victim Support Organisations including Victim Support Scotland ahead of automatic early release under the Prisoners (early Release) (Scotland) Act 2025, to raise awareness and encourage those who were eligible to sign up to the Victim Notification Scheme (VNS).

Temporary expediated systems of registration were also introduced for both the Victim Information Scheme (VIS) and VNS, which were live throughout the tranche releases and ran to 30 April 2025. These systems meant the normal registration process was streamlined to enable victims who were not currently registered, to register quicker and find out the release date of an offender. These temporary expediated systems were agreed by SPS with the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service and with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

When victims were registered, they were notified by SPS if there was a change to the release date of the offender, ahead of the offender’s release from SPS custody.

The way in which the resilience fund will operate is being finalised. Information on the routes and/or islands that will be covered, eligibility criteria, application process and payment rates will be shared soon, including with eligible communities.

The way in which the resilience fund will operate is being finalised. Information on the routes and/or islands that will be covered, eligibility criteria, application process and payment rates will be shared soon, including with eligible communities.

The first meeting of the Glen Rosa review group was held on 10 April 2025.

The Scottish Government’s quota application initiative for West of Scotland cod has awarded quota to 35 Scottish vessels. These applications seek to incentivise the use of selective fishing gear and fishing techniques or vessels with a reduced impact on the environment.

Regarding the use of selective fishing gear: across 35 vessels there is a wide range of gear configurations, some examples of gear to be used by successful applicants include:

• Vessels greater than 12 metres in length operating with bottom trawls or nets with catches comprising more than 10% of haddock, cod and skates and rays combined using a cod end in excess of the 120mm minimum.
• Vessels with catches comprising more than 30% of Norway lobster using a mesh size between 100-119mm and a square mesh panel in excess of the 160mm minimum.
• Engaging in area-based selectivity, where if vessels encounter shoals of fish below the minimum conservation reference size, they alert other vessels and move on.
• Use of long-lines.

Regarding the use of fishing techniques or vessels with a reduced impact on the environment, successful applicants provided information covering these areas:

• Modern vessels or engine upgrades leading to improved fuel efficiency.
• The use of Tori lines, acoustic deterrents, brightly coloured nets or particular gear deployment strategies to minimise interactions with non-target species such as seabirds and cetaceans.
• Use of refrigerants with reduced Global Warming Potential.
• Use of smaller or semi-pelagic trawl doors.
• Use of shorter ground gear.
• Landing catches into West of Scotland ports.
• Litter and waste management and identifying circular economy destinations for waste products.