Meeting of the Parliament 18 December 2025
I thank my colleague Stephen Kerr.
This is the season of good will, so I want to end on a happy note, although, sadly, I have one negative point that I will bring up later on.
I thank Alasdair Allan for securing this important debate. The issue of Scotland’s share of the fishing and coastal growth fund has been discussed in the chamber before. It is ridiculous that Scotland has not received its fair share of that money. As has been said, the Scottish Government and the Conservatives have made representations about that.
I think that I could sum up Alasdair Allan’s speech simply by saying that the Scottish fishing fleet was better off under the Tories, because the Tory Government would never have done this. It is a real shame that Scottish Labour has not been able to secure the changes that are required, because Scottish fishermen do amazing and often dangerous work in our waters, day in and day out, to bring fresh fish to our communities. I thank them for that, and I wish them all a very merry Christmas.
I agree with Alasdair Allan’s points, and I think that we should continue the campaign to make sure that we get a fair part of that funding.
However, although Alasdair Allan has eloquently championed the Scottish fishing industry, I must bring up the fact that at 09:09 this morning, he lodged a Government-initiated question, the answer to which—which was issued about an hour and a half later—said that the Government was going to change the economic link requirement for landings figure from 55 per cent to 70 per cent. That has been a controversial policy, and it has upset several members of the small pelagic fleet in particular. To announce the proposed change on 18 December, a few days before it comes into place on 1 January, is, frankly, outrageous. It is a real shame—