Seòmar agus comataidhean

We have a supplementary question from Rachael Hamilton.

That would be helpful. Before we move to questions from Jenni Minto, Finlay Carson has a supplementary question.

Rae, do you want to start off on that?

Okay. I will go to Morag.

That brings us to the end of our questions. I thank Rae McKenzie and Morag Milne for their time and their helpful evidence.

I invite members to consider the next steps on the issue. You will see from our papers that it is suggested that the committee might wish to await publication of the five-yearly review of goose management in Scotland and consider the issue again at that point. Are members happy with that course of action?

Members indicated agreement.

Our second item of business is consideration of a Scottish statutory instrument. I refer members to paper 2, which is from page 10 forwards in our meeting pack. Do members have any comments on the instrument?

There are no comments. The committee agrees to make no recommendations in relation to the instrument.

Good morning. We have spoken about the challenges and concerns, but how will the four Administrations ensure transparency in the operation of the common frameworks?

The second part of my question is about the working group meetings. When I saw the papers, I was surprised at just how many of those there are. Within the working group meetings and within each of the frameworks, how is information made available to Parliament and the public?

I am Beatrice Wishart, MSP for the Shetland Islands and the deputy convener of the committee.

Scientific evidence has been touched on in numerous answers. We need evidence, so I would like to explore evidence, data and monitoring in inshore fisheries. Is there enough or could more be done? To build on the comments that Elaine Whyte has made about neutral science, how can you ensure that there is trust in the evidence that underpins inshore fisheries? This might also be an opportunity to ask Sheila Keith to explain the Shetland Shellfish Management Organisation.

Good morning. To go back to the competitive bidding approach, some island authorities will have more expertise and capacity to bid for funding than others. How do you ensure that there is a level playing field?