The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.
All Official Reports of meetings in the Debating Chamber of the Scottish Parliament.
All Official Reports of public meetings of committees.
Displaying 1736 contributions
Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee
Meeting date: 4 May 2022
Mairi Gougeon
We do not want island community impact assessments to be tick-box exercises, because that would defeat their purpose. If there are any particular examples that you are aware of in addition to the one that you have mentioned, please raise them with me in writing. I would be happy to look at them in more detail.
I do not have the detail of that particular community impact assessment before me, so I am not able to give a view on that today, but I would be happy to follow it up for the committee. There is an option available for the local authority to ask for a review of an island community impact assessment.
Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee
Meeting date: 4 May 2022
Mairi Gougeon
Finding affordable housing is increasingly an issue for people who live in our island communities. I do not know whether the officials who are here today have any further information on that, but, again, I would be happy to raise the topic with my Cabinet colleagues and get back to the member and the committee with further information and more detail. I do not have the figures in front of me.
Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee
Meeting date: 4 May 2022
Mairi Gougeon
The islands team will not have done that. I would have to check with housing colleagues about whether they have undertaken such a piece of work.
Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee
Meeting date: 4 May 2022
Mairi Gougeon
It is really important that we learn from previous rounds of funding as well as consider what is in the annual report, but it will feed into how we shape funds in the future.
Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee
Meeting date: 23 March 2022
Mairi Gougeon
I hope that I was able to explain in my previous response, even partially, how the regional inshore fisheries groups have come together. That was a means of trying to engage with fishers who have been hard to reach. It is vital that we have been able to do that work and that we established that network.
We covered stakeholder engagement a couple of weeks ago when I was at the committee talking about the co-management processes that we want and the people with whom we want to engage. Rather than their being in silos, this is about how we can bring our stakeholders together and collaborate. We are giving that active consideration. The issue is out for consultation at the moment, as are our other policies, which I hope all stakeholders will engage with. I am happy to take any feedback about the processes or any thoughts that stakeholders have about how those processes might be improved for the future.
Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee
Meeting date: 23 March 2022
Mairi Gougeon
I do not see a particular need at the moment to introduce a specific bill. Objectives were set out in the 2020 act and we are here today to discuss the framework in the JFS and the policy ambitions in that. I also set out last week how we intend to deliver on our fisheries management strategy, which was published towards the end of 2020. I do not know what other specific legal mechanisms we would need to bring forward to enable us to deliver on the policy objectives that we have set out, because I believe that we have the means to do that at the moment.
Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee
Meeting date: 23 March 2022
Mairi Gougeon
In last year’s debate in Parliament, I set out that we would be looking to introduce new economic link measurements as of the start of 2023. I will provide more detail on that in due course.
Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee
Meeting date: 23 March 2022
Mairi Gougeon
Some of what you have mentioned will be harnessed in the work that is done around the commitment in the programme for government for the blue economy action plan and the blue economy vision, which I mentioned in my opening statement. That approach recognises the breadth of sectors and interests that we have in our marine environment and ensures that all the strategies and policies across all those areas are aligned and take cognisance of each other, as much as possible. Obviously, we have been undertaking work on aquaculture, and I am sure that you will be aware of that and of the review that we have undertaken in that regard.
A number of strands of work are going on in this area. It is vital that we capture all of that and set out our clear vision for the future and say how all those interests will operate together for a sustainable blue economy.
Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee
Meeting date: 23 March 2022
Mairi Gougeon
I certainly hope so. Part of the challenge that we face is the balancing of all those different interests. Like you say, inshore fisheries, for example, are hugely important to local economies and communities. Not long ago, I had a meeting with Dr Allan and some of his constituents at which we discussed the impact of those industries on employment and population levels in some of our most remote and rural locations. As I am the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Islands, ensuring that we get a balance that enables people to live in our most remote and island communities is vital to me. I am not saying that I have all the solutions to the issue today, but I understand the complexities that we must balance, and we certainly take them into consideration when we are thinking about those issues.
Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee
Meeting date: 23 March 2022
Mairi Gougeon
The development of FMPs will be subject to consultation. We will look to develop them through discussion with our stakeholders. We use and engage with a number of fora, whether the FMACs, IFMACs or our regional inshore fisheries groups, so I imagine that they will be part of the process. We want to work with our stakeholders in the production of the FMPs. It is an integral part of the process.