Seòmar agus comataidhean

There is a key need to improve the safety culture within the industry. We need to make sure every fisherman is aware of safety issues and the risks involved in what is an inherently dangerous occupation. We therefore propose to make available up to £0.5 million in each of the next three financial years to promote the delivery of safety training for fishermen in Scotland.

That will include courses to update safety awareness; training in accident prevention and risk assessment, and safety training for new entrants to the industry. Discussions about course development and delivery are already underway and consultation on the detail of implementation will continue. Delivery will be via the Sea Fish Industry Authority and is planned to commence from 1 April next year.

We also propose to make available grant funding, of up to 40% of project costs, to support trials and testing of innovative or experimental equipment designed to help prevent accidents and improve safety at sea. Funding under that scheme will be made available as soon as possible around the end of this year.

I am grateful to the industry representatives and others who have contributed to the development of these proposals. In particular, this initiative was driven forward with great enthusiasm by my predecessor, John Home Robertson. I share his determination to build a safety culture and I hope these measures will be welcomed and that fishermen will take advantage of the opportunities they offer. We have a common interest in improving safety. I believe these measures will contribute significantly towards that.

The latest scientific work carried out by Fisheries Research Services indicates that nephrops stocks in the Torridon area are reasonably healthy and a mixed gear fishery appears to be sustainable.

The Executive has maintained that any change to the existing closures would be best decided by local dialogue and agreement. The two groups have worked up proposals which are broadly acceptable to the Executive and which we consider offer the best opportunity for progress in the area.

We have therefore decided to implement the following measures to be monitored by Fisheries Research Services subject to review after five years in operation:

An all-year closure to mobile gear fishing in the area between Red Point, including Loch Torridon, and the south end of the BUTEC Range in the Inner Sound;

Remainder of area to retain existing seasonal closure to mobile gear vessels;

No multiple gear to be used in existing closure area;

Demersal trawlers fishing the area limited to under 12 metres registered length;

Consideration to be given to a creel-free zone in area to enable parallel trials with trawl-free area.

We will also give further consideration to the case for HIFA to be represented in the Scottish Inshore Fisheries Advisory Group (SIFAG). This would require consultation with SIFAG members.

We aim to include measures related to the proposed closures in the forthcoming inshore fishing Order. The creel-free measure will be subject to discussion between creel and trawl interests, FRS and the department.

I hope this will promote better relationships between all fishing interests in the area. I also welcome the additional voluntary measures which creeling interests in Loch Torridon are promoting.

The Beattie Committee examined post-school provision for young people with additional support needs. The Scottish Executive has established a National Action Group chaired by Nicol Stephen to implement action in response to the Beattie Report.

Scottish Enterprise together with other agencies are developing post-school provision for disadvantaged young people.

As well as ACRE, the Scottish Executive has also received advice from the Health & Safety Executive, the Food Standards Agency and Scottish Natural Heritage, who were all satisfied that the trials did not give rise to environmental concerns. In addition to this formal advice, nine representations were received from the public about the farm scale evaluations generally, following notification of the proposed sites on 3 August.

To ensure that the data collected through these evaluations is representative of UK agricultural conditions an independent Scientific Steering Committee selected sites with a wide range of geographical, ecological and agricultural conditions. By selecting the Munlochy site, the committee (which includes members from the RSPB and the natural heritage agencies) has ensured that the distinctive ecology of the area is included within the research programme. As winter oilseed rape is widely grown in the north of Scotland, the site will provide valuable data on the possible impact on biodiversity, whether positive or negative, of growing a GM variety on a commercial scale in this region.

The scientific information obtained from the Munlochy trial, together with data from the UK evaluation programme, will enable informed views to be reached before decisions are taken on possible wider commercial use.

Separation distances have been put in place around the trial crop to minimise the possibility of cross-pollination with other related species. These distances are increased between the respective GM crop and a certified organic crop of oilseed rape. There is no safety or scientific justification for an organic farmer losing his organic status as a result of a farm-scale trial in the vicinity.

Once completed this will provide a computerised record of all bovines in Scotland with unique identification numbers - which is the starting point for a fully electronic system.

I announced on 22 June a short consultancy to identify the industry's key data requirements and I have today put a copy of the final report into SPICe. It identifies industry key data requirement and also the arrangements necessary to allow electronic access to the CTS database. I am pleased to report that access systems, consistent with those recommended in the report, are already under development. I will be able to announce introduction of the new system within the next few months.

In parallel, work has been progressing on electronic identification. So far this has concentrated on detailed technical aspects of the systems themselves, to ensure that workable and durable arrangements are identified. Again I will be able to make an announcement about these arrangements within the next few months.