Hansard

The Convener Con

Our remaining agenda item is consideration of the Natural Environment (Scotland) Bill at stage 2. As we have quite a few groups to get through, I ask everyon...

The Convener Con

Amendment 201, in the name of Ross Greer, is grouped with amendments 122, 314, 61, 123, 202 to 204, 62, 124, 206, 63, 315, 64, 65, 207, 208, 316, 126, 127, 3...

Mark Ruskell Green

As members know, I am standing in for Ariane Burgess, so I will speak to her amendments, Ross Greer’s amendments—because he is at the Education, Children and...

Sarah Boyack (Lothian) (Lab) Lab

Part 3 of the bill provides a welcome opportunity for us to update Scotland’s national parks so that they can better respond to our nature and climate crises...

The Convener Con

We will support Sarah Boyack’s amendments. Does she agree that, had those aims been in the original act, the issues and concerns—about housing, employment an...

Sarah Boyack Lab

That is the point that I was making in relation to lessons to be learned. When we established the first national parks, making sure that people could afford ...

Tim Eagle Con

I now have to try to argue that my amendment is stronger—we will see how we get on. Part 3 of the bill outlines the aims of national parks. My amendments 31...

The Convener Con

I call the cabinet secretary to speak to amendment 61 and other amendments in the group.

Mairi Gougeon SNP

There are a number of amendments in the group, and I will work through them as best I can. Although I understand the rationale for Ross Greer’s amendment 20...

Sarah Boyack Lab

Could you give us an example of the kind of problem that you think might be created? We are looking for joined-up thinking that supports communities, individ...

Mairi Gougeon SNP

I absolutely agree with that. I will have to follow up with a specific example of what that could look like. We have tried to strike the right balance in the...

Mark Ruskell Green

I am thinking about the primacy of the national park plan. If public bodies are engaging in the national park plan, surely they are actively furthering that ...

Mairi Gougeon SNP

However, there could be conflict in the future. I agree with what you say about how public bodies interact with the parks and park plans, and there is close ...

Rhoda Grant Lab

I understand the point about security issues, but it seems a bit strange that there is not at least an email address from which board members could pick up t...

Mairi Gougeon SNP

Again, all that that would do is add more pressure to the way that the system is handled. Potentially, those addresses would still be centrally monitored, wh...

Rhoda Grant Lab

I am not suggesting that it would be an official park email address. It would be an individual email address in the same way as we all have email addresses i...

Mairi Gougeon SNP

I have not heard from the boards that they would seek to have that arrangement. I believe that the parks are broadly content with how correspondence is manag...

Mark Ruskell Green

These are not new issues. The cabinet secretary might recall that there was much debate about setting the boundary of the Cairngorms national park. In fact, ...

Mairi Gougeon SNP

I appreciate what you set out and the genesis of the amendment, but I have to be clear that this just has not featured among the issues that have been raised...

The Convener Con

I call Mark Ruskell, on behalf of Ross Greer, to wind up and to press or withdraw amendment 201.

Mark Ruskell Green

This is a huge group of amendments that cover so many different issues, and it is very difficult to unpack them all in a single debate. Sarah Boyack perhaps ...

Sarah Boyack Lab

That is a really important issue. We do not want public bodies cutting across national park plans. We want the national park plans to reflect the views of ot...

Mark Ruskell Green

That was very well put. It cuts both ways: the park plans need to reflect the wider public objectives that public authorities are working towards, but they a...

The Convener Con

The question is, that amendment 201 be agreed to. Are we agreed? Members: No.

The Convener Con

There will be a division. For Carson, Finlay (Galloway and West Dumfries) (Con) Eagle, Tim (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Grant, Rhoda (Highlands and Isla...

The Convener Con

The result of the division is: For 4, Against 5, Abstentions 0. Amendment 201 disagreed to. Amendments 122 and 314 not moved.

The Convener Con

I remind members that, if amendment 61 is agreed to, I cannot call amendment 123 due to pre-emption. Amendment 61 moved—Mairi Gougeon.

The Convener Con

The question is, that amendment 61 be agreed to. Are we agreed? Members: No.

The Convener Con

There will be a division. For Allan, Alasdair (Na h-Eileanan an Iar) (SNP) Grant, Rhoda (Highlands and Islands) (Lab) Harper, Emma (South Scotland) (SNP)...

The Convener Con

The result of the division is: For 7, Against 2, Abstentions 0. Amendment 61 agreed to. Amendments 202 to 204 not moved. Amendment 205 moved—Tim Eagle.