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Again, that is where the engagement that is happening right now and how we move forward with the available budget will be absolutely critical.

As I set out in one of my previous responses, 14,000 hectares’ worth of approvals are coming through. We want to make sure that we get all those hectares planted and that we utilise the available budget as best we can. That means that there could be some tweaks in how we award the funding in order to make sure that we maximise its impact as much as we can.

Ultimately, we do not want to be in a position of having really helped to drive forward the industry—whether that is nurseries, timber or the wider industry—and having encouraged farmers and crofters to do more agroforestry and riparian planting, then seeing that scaled back. We want to continue with the momentum that has been building.

You are absolutely right that we have not met all of our planting targets in previous years. That is why we had the woodland summit towards the end of last year to try to address the significant shortfall from the target of the previous year.

We have been encouraged by the level of approvals that have come through for this year, which is why I want to make sure that we utilise all the available funding. We will continue to work with the sector to ensure that we are all working together to deliver the goals that we all want. We want a thriving forestry sector because it is worth so much to our economy, as well as to our timber supply, and not least because of its climate impact. We want to make sure that we work together with the sector into the future.

Yes. I am sorry for launching myself into that question. I will touch on the point that Ms McAllan made about looking at the issue from a Marine Scotland perspective.

There was an increase in budget for Marine Scotland last year, specifically in relation to offshore wind. There has been a slight decrease in the overall marine directorate budget, but that is because a number of different recoupment controls and operational efficiencies have been considered for generating some of the savings that are required. There has also been a focus on maximising the income streams to the directorate. Obviously, revenues come into the directorate from commercial science activity, licensing fees and energy consenting fees.

It is also important to highlight the sheer scale of the work that the marine directorate undertakes. You asked about offshore energy consenting, which is a huge element of the work. Another vital component is our marine science and research. The directorate also has enforcement and compliance costs in relation to our fisheries and seafood.

I wanted to add some more to the context and to set out the overall budget position within the area.

I thank the committee for inviting me to give evidence today. My colleague the Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Net Zero and Just Transition has just mentioned the difficult financial backdrop that we face in relation to this budget. Against that backdrop, the decisions that we have taken are driven by our values, and they prioritise the three missions that we have.

In my portfolio, the impact of Brexit continues to harm Scotland’s rural and island businesses and communities, and it also creates new challenges every year for us to respond to. However, the budgets that have been allocated to my portfolio will continue to make a vital difference to our rural, coastal and island economies. As I did for the previous financial year, this year I have prioritised the vital direct cash injection of £600 million that my portfolio makes into the economy for rural, agriculture, marine and island communities.

We are now providing the most generous package of direct support for farmers and crofters anywhere in the United Kingdom, and we are committed to getting that money to people and businesses as early as we can every year to help them to meet the on-going inflationary and cost of living pressures.

As the committee will be aware, my portfolio has expanded to include responsibility for peatland, land reform and land use, and forestry and woodlands, and I have committed to maintaining our record world-leading investment in peatland. Investment in new woodland creation—planting—will continue to contribute to our climate change targets and net zero ambitions. As I said when I recently attended the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee, we have set very ambitious planting targets, and the level of funding that we can provide within the budget means that it will be extremely difficult to meet those. However, we will continue to build on the positive work that we have already done, and the planting levels that are achievable within this budget will continue to exceed those in other areas of the UK.

I have also committed to delivering agri-environment investment, including the agricultural transformation fund, which is part of an overall budget of £30 million. We also have the Scottish land fund, which will continue to support many community groups to acquire assets that will make a difference to them in tackling challenges in their communities.

By maintaining the £14 million budget for the marine fund Scotland, we are continuing to acknowledge the vital role that our seas play in supporting activity to improve and restore the marine environment, as well as supporting the wider economy in coastal communities through fishing and aquaculture.

I think that I speak for all my Cabinet colleagues when I say that this Government is committed to doing all that we can, with all that we have, to support our priorities in rural industries and sectors, through this portfolio and others.

Thank you for highlighting that. We have ambitious targets for peatland restoration. We have £26.9 million available for the coming financial year. That figure was published in the 2024-25 budget. That is a 1 per cent increase on the budget that was available last year, and it means that we should be able to plant at roughly the same level.

The approvals that are coming through for the financial year 2023-24 are for almost 10,000 hectares of planting, which I believe will ensure that we utilise the available budget.

That has been the focus. There have been some issues with peatland restoration because the industry is in its infancy. There is limited availability of contractors and restoration can take place only at a certain time of year, so trying to overcome those challenges and build up the skills pipeline has been a key focus.

We fund peatland restoration through the peatland action programme, which funds five bodies to take part in that work, but that is not the only funding that is available. There has been a big focus on skills to ensure that we enable the industry to grow to meet the challenges and to provide the scale of restoration that we will need.

Simon Fuller might want to come in to clarify the points that I have made, but I believe that, with the budget that we set out last year, the scale of restoration that we expect to see and the approvals that we have in the pipeline, the available budget for peatland restoration will be utilised. Simon might be able to provide further clarification.

I am sorry—I was not able to unmute myself. Biodiversity obviously cuts across my and the Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Net Zero and Just Transition’s portfolios quite strongly. We have outlined in previous responses the natural resources element of the budget and the specific areas that that funds.

There are probably a number of budget lines in my portfolio where we are taking action on biodiversity, not least in relation to agriculture.

Yes, I can. I hope that you can hear me okay, convener.

The natural resources part of the portfolio helps to fund areas such as wildlife management, biodiversity and other areas within that. Simon Fuller could probably elaborate further on areas within that specific budget line, but that is largely what it covers.

That is largely because it more accurately reflects the spend within that element. The key point that I forgot to mention is the Atlantic rainforest, which Simon Fuller has just pointed out, and that is where we are continuing to invest. Parts of the budget have been underspent in the past, so what is set out in the published budget more accurately reflects what the spend will be within that area.

I certainly hope that we will reach that target, and we are doing everything we can to ensure that we do. If we look at the average restoration rates over the past few years, up until 2021, the average rate was about 1,500 hectares. From 2021 onwards, we have seen big increases in the level of restoration. That goes back to my earlier point about us trying to scale up the industry, which is still in its infancy. After 2020, we saw the restoration rate increase to 6,000 hectares. Then, in 2022-23, it was 7,500 hectares, which is a 35 per cent increase. This year, we are on track to see that increase further to 10,000 hectares.

We are moving in the right direction on restoration rates, and continuing with the investment is vital in providing confidence for the industry. We will continue that funding so that the industry can continue to grow and so that we can identify and deal with some of the issues.