Seòmar agus comataidhean

In dealing with the UK Government, we have had proposals for quite some time in relation to some of the labour issues that exist across Scotland, particularly in our rural communities. We had put forward plans for a rural communities visa pilot, which had been largely endorsed by a number of different political parties as well as the Migration Advisory Committee, which saw merit in that idea. I hope that, given the reset in our relations with the UK Government, we can start to look at some of our previous ideas, so that we can improve the situation.

I will not know much about that until after the meeting on Monday. However, again, I hope that this is the start of a new relationship with the UK Government in which we can hope to progress some of these matters.

Very hot off the press.

Do you mean the rural delivery plan?

Absolutely. I do not have any forestry colleagues with me today, so I am happy to follow up with more information on that.

We would have to look at the report before we determined any future approach. As soon as I receive it, I will be happy to keep the committee updated and informed on the next steps.

I set out that timescale because I believed that the report could be completed within that time. Yesterday, NatureScot published an online page that will provide all the information about the engagement that it will be undertaking and how people can make their views known. Again, I am happy to circulate that information to the committee.

Engagement is critical in this process, as we want to know what people in Galloway think about all sorts of issues, including the boundary, governance, any potential powers that the park might have and, indeed, whether people in Galloway want a national park, which is one of the key questions that we want to get to grips with. I have been perfectly open and transparent about that. I do not have any agenda here; I genuinely want to know what people think, and I really hope that people will engage in that process.

As I said, the information was published yesterday and I will circulate it to the committee. Although there might be a formal consultation period, there will be further engagement opportunities throughout that process. I am not going to commit today to extend the consultation period. If it transpires through that process that more time is needed, I will have to consider that. However, I encourage everyone to ensure that they make their views known throughout the process.

I have made my position on that clear, too. I understand that a petition has been lodged with the Scottish Parliament’s Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee in relation to that. However, national parks are already accountable to their boards and to the Scottish Government. They can report to the Parliament, too. We already have mechanisms in place that assess whether our national parks are achieving their outcomes, and I believe that that process is thorough enough.

The development of what could be a new national park in Galloway will not involve a like-for-like process with our two existing national parks, which are very different from each other. The proposal for Galloway would be very different again. Assuming that they want a national park, it would be for the people in Galloway to decide what they want that to look like. That is why the exercise that NatureScot is undertaking is a hugely important part of the process.

The review of the national outcomes will be helpful. In relation to the indicators for the national outcomes, it has sometimes been hard to disaggregate rural data from urban data, so we have introduced a rural data dashboard, which helps us to deal with some of the issues that we have experienced. It is important to highlight that the information that we are gathering through the rural data dashboard is helping us with the rural delivery plan, which we touched on in earlier discussions. We will, of course, set out how we are delivering against each outcome, because that is intrinsic to our work and what we do. We have to deliver against the existing frameworks, and improving the data will enable us to do that.

All that I have is what is being set out in relation to the Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Bill right now. The advice on the carbon budget is expected to come out around spring next year. All of that will depend on the passage of the bill and what comes out of that process, but that is what is anticipated at the moment. Again, I am not the lead minister on the bill. Gillian Martin is, and she is offering an information and advice session next week.