Chamber and committees

Section 25 of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 Act requires that all planning decisions, including those made by Scottish Ministers, delegated Reporters and Local Review Bodies, are done so in accordance with the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise. The National Planning Framework (NPF4) forms part of the statutory development plan.

Information on Scottish Government involvement in planning decisions, including appeals, is provided on our website

Ministerial involvement in planning decisions - Planning and architecture - gov.scot

in a Ministerial Statement Planning applications call-in: Ministerial statement – 28 June 2023 - gov.scot and in

Circular 3/2009: Notification of Planning Applications Planning Circular 3/2009: Notification of Planning Applications.

Firstly, the landing obligation was fully implemented in Scotland on 1 January 2019. Prior to this date, the landing obligation was phased in gradually, starting with pelagic fisheries in 2015 and extending to demersal fisheries in 2016, with the final phase bringing all Total Allowable Catch (TAC) species under the obligation, except those that are exempt via de minimis or survivability exemptions.

In relation to the allocation of fish quota, the Scottish Government has taken action to promote the use of selective fishing gear and therefore help reduce discards. For 2025, the Scottish Government is primarily allocating a portion of West of Scotland cod following an application process which places the use of selective fishing gear and/or fishing methods associated with a lower environmental impact at its core. The Scottish Government has also acted to allocate a greater share of quota to the 10 metre and under non-sector fleet. This grouping of vessels (which are more limited in the time they can spend at sea and the distance they can travel than larger vessels) is associated with the use of more selective fishing gear (such as the use of handlines).

The Future Catching Policy workshops were completed in autumn last year, with a combination of industry and eNGO input across all fleet segments. The proposals for future technical measures are being finalised and further engagement with stakeholders will take place this year prior to the formal consultation.

On REM, it is our position that the use of REM will have a positive impact on illegal discarding, providing a strong deterrent and an effective monitoring tool. That is one of the reasons why we are deploying it on pelagic fishing vessels and will roll-out further in the future.

Finally, we are committed to reviewing the current penalties regime as part of our Fisheries Management Strategy and will consider the role of fines as part of that.

There are no plans to review Scotland’s Fisheries Management Strategy before the end of the current parliamentary session. This is a ten year strategy and most of its actions relate to the ongoing delivery of our management functions. The progress being made with these is in the updated Scotland's Fisheries Management Strategy 2020-2030 Delivery Plan which was published on 20 March 2025.

The delivery plan is a live document and it will continue to be updated as progress is being made.

The Scottish Government has yet to make a decision whether to attend the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4) in Seville, Spain between 30 June and 3 July 2025. Scotland recognises the importance of international cooperation and collaboration to drive progress towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly in the current geopolitical environment. As a government we continue to scope for opportunities to increase the strength and reach of our advocacy on emerging global challenges and contribute to the fight against poverty, injustice and inequality internationally, including at key upcoming international events.

Scotland aims to maintain strong leadership in our commitment to good global citizenship and our solidarity with communities acutely affected by climate disasters, disease and conflict around the world through its International Development and Climate Justice programmes, as evidenced by the maintenance of existing commitments in the current Programme for Government.

To date, the total spend on the pilot scheme, inclusive of transcription and redaction costs, is £132,898.93 as at 31 March 2025.

To note, this does not include the cost of applications which are waiting to be processed or awaiting redaction.

The Scottish Government has a range of measures to communicate information and raise awareness about the Non-Domestic Rates (NDR) reliefs which are available in 2025-26, including specific relief for the hospitality sector. This includes:

• information on the Scottish Government webpages at Non-domestic rates (business rates) - Local government - gov.scot and Non-domestic rates relief - mygov.scot;
• a Short Guide to NDR Rates and Reliefs 2025-26 which is issued to a wide range of stakeholder groups including trade representative bodies;
• Local Government Finance Circular 4/25 which provides more detailed information for local authorities on NDR reliefs for 2025-26 and is published on Scottish Government webpages; and
• regular engagement and dialogue with industry stakeholders and representatives through the consultative sub-group on Non-Domestic Rates, regular roundtable meetings with Ministers and the Scottish Ratepayer Forum. The membership of these groups includes representatives from the Scottish Hospitality Group, UK Hospitality, Scottish Tourism Alliance, Scottish Licensed Trade Association, Scottish Beer and Pub Association, and Night-Time Industries Association.

Local Authorities also publish information on non-domestic rates reliefs, including hospitality relief, on their individual websites.

Technical workshops on the Future Catching Policy were completed in autumn last year, with a combination of industry and eNGO input across all fleet segments. The proposals for future technical measures are being finalised and further engagement with stakeholders will take place prior to the formal consultation later this year.

The fishing industry is heavily regulated, with many rules in place designed to limit unwanted catch. The Scottish Government is tackling illegal discarding primarily through the enforcement of the Landing Obligation, which mandates that all catches of quota species must be landed. This is supported by monitoring and enforcement, including sea patrols, as well as technical and spatial management measures such as selective fishing gear and area closures, with the combined aim to reduce instances of unwanted catches.

The information available at Non-domestic rates relief - mygov.scot is regularly reviewed and updated and following successful passage of the legislation through the Parliament, it was updated on 1 April 2025 with information about all the reliefs, including hospitality relief, available in 2025-26.

There is no statutory deadline to apply for the 40% relief that is available in 2025-26 for hospitality premises liable for the Basic Property Rate in mainland Scotland (excluding specified remote areas), capped at £110,000 per business.