Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 29 June 2023
29 Jun 2023 · S6 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Highly Protected Marine Areas
There appears to be a real conflict in Scottish Labour’s position. Mercedes Villalba seems to reflect and remember the manifesto that she stood on, which committed not to HPMAs covering 10 per cent of our seas, as we have consulted on, but to double that, whereas her colleague Rhoda Grant seems to have entirely forgotten that.
In my statement, I mentioned the suite of other actions that we will continue to take forward, not least management measures in the MPA network, the protection of priority marine features and our work on the sand eel fishery. I hope that some of the space that the statement will create in relation to marine protected areas will allow us to progress those matters.
Mercedes Villalba mentioned the need to manage shared space. We have begun, and are in the very early days of, the next national marine plan. I expect that matters relating to shared space and how best to share space will feature heavily in the development of that plan.
In the same item of business
The Presiding Officer (Alison Johnstone)
NPA
The next item of business is a statement by Màiri McAllan on highly protected marine areas. The cabinet secretary will take questions at the end of her state...
The Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Net Zero and Just Transition (Màiri McAllan)
SNP
I begin with a reminder of why we are discussing this subject: the world’s ecosystems are rapidly degrading. That is not a remote or abstract problem; it is ...
The Presiding Officer
NPA
The cabinet secretary will now take questions on the issues raised in her statement. I intend to allow around 20 minutes for questions, after which we will m...
Rachael Hamilton (Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con)
Con
Over the past few months, my Scottish Conservative colleagues and I have been engaging extensively with fishermen and industry representatives the length and...
Màiri McAllan
SNP
I will leave it up to Rachael Hamilton, but I suspect that she will have to correct the record at some point on some of the assertions that she has just made...
The Presiding Officer
NPA
Before I move to Ms Grant, I ask that the temptation to make comments that can be audible is resisted.
Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab)
Lab
I welcome the statement. I hope that it represents a genuine change of heart and signals a very different working relationship with our fishing communities. ...
Màiri McAllan
SNP
Rhoda Grant mentioned the relationship between the Scottish Government and the fishing industry. I ask her not to be under any misapprehension that we have e...
Alasdair Allan (Na h-Eileanan an Iar) (SNP)
SNP
The news that the Government will not seek to progress the HPMA proposals represents a very welcome change of tack, which will be greeted with relief along t...
Màiri McAllan
SNP
Dr Allan is absolutely right. Our marine sectors, including the fishing industry across the country, depend on a healthy marine environment. Fishers understa...
Finlay Carson (Galloway and West Dumfries) (Con)
Con
I was minded to welcome the apparent scrapping of HPMAs, but the statement is no more than a last-minute effort to pacify the rebels on the Government’s back...
Màiri McAllan
SNP
I hope that my conduct and contributions on this matter in the chamber have demonstrated how seriously I have always taken it. I understand the absolute impe...
Kenneth Gibson (Cunninghame North) (SNP)
SNP
It is disappointing that, for some members, no compromise on the issue appears to be acceptable. Enhancing marine protection will safeguard invaluable marine...
Màiri McAllan
SNP
I thank Kenneth Gibson for his very robust support of proposals for enhanced marine protection. I will continue to liaise with him on the matter in order to ...
Mercedes Villalba (North East Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
The status quo in Scotland’s waters is not working. Last week, the Court of Session ruled that ministers unlawfully ignored the national marine plan when dec...
Màiri McAllan
SNP
There appears to be a real conflict in Scottish Labour’s position. Mercedes Villalba seems to reflect and remember the manifesto that she stood on, which com...
Emma Harper (South Scotland) (SNP)
SNP
I welcome the announcement, which will certainly alleviate Galloway fishers’ concerns and will be welcomed by fishing communities across Dumfries and Gallowa...
Màiri McAllan
SNP
The gist of what I am saying today is that I intend to take time to gather views from people throughout Scotland on how we can improve the state of our marin...
Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (LD)
LD
Like Alasdair Allan, I warmly welcome the Government’s retreat from the arbitrary approach to HPMAs, which has caused real alarm in the island communities th...
Màiri McAllan
SNP
I thank Liam McArthur for his question, although my view is that 10 per cent is not an arbitrary figure—10 per cent mirrors the level of strict protection th...
Ruth Maguire (Cunninghame South) (SNP)
SNP
Last week I met my constituent Willie Kennedy, who is chair of the Scottish Sea Angling Conservation Network. He painted a pretty distressing picture of the ...
Màiri McAllan
SNP
I thank Ruth Maguire for her question. I might be hearing cries of “Nonsense” from Tory members, but scientific evidence from temperate locations around the ...
The Presiding Officer
NPA
Could you give me a moment, cabinet secretary? Mr Carson, I can hear you rather too clearly. I would be grateful if you could allow the cabinet secretary to...
Màiri McAllan
SNP
As I was going on to say, enhanced marine protection can lead to a wider range of sea floor species, larger populations and increased resilience to disturban...
Ariane Burgess (Highlands and Islands) (Green)
Green
I welcome the constructive approach being taken to protect our marine environment and fish stocks for current and future generations. The new timeframe will ...
Màiri McAllan
SNP
I thank Ariane Burgess for her question and, indeed, for her engagement with me on this matter. She has touched on how willingly communities feel able to com...
Edward Mountain (Highlands and Islands) (Con)
Con
I remind the chamber of my entry in the register of members’ interests. I am a joint proprietor of an inshore fishery for migratory fish. The statement is p...
Màiri McAllan
SNP
Political deflection is all that we get from the Conservatives, I am afraid. The Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands and I are taki...
Karen Adam (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (SNP)
SNP
I thank the cabinet secretary for her constructive dialogue and for taking the time to listen to the concerns of the coastal communities and the fishers I re...
Màiri McAllan
SNP
Co-management is at the heart of how we manage fisheries in Scotland. As I hope I have made clear in my statement, it will be part of how we take forward a p...