Meeting of the Parliament 04 March 2026 [Draft]
When the draft Marine Licensing (Exempted Activities) (Scottish Inshore Region) Amendment Order 2026 came before the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee, I was ambivalent about voting for it.
The Government carried out a consultation on the draft order, and there were a number of responses. Numerous people who responded, if not most, whether they agreed or disagreed with the SSI, raised concerns about the Scottish Environment Protection Agency being inadequately funded. I want to speak to that point and raise it in the chamber.
I am seeking reassurance this evening that, if we agree to the SSI and expand the scope of SEPA’s regulation workload, the agency will be adequately funded for the work. I know from what we heard at the committee that SEPA will not be regulating that many types of things at the moment, but that could increase. I want to ensure that SEPA is adequately funded to carry out that work, given that it is heavily impacted in other areas of its work at this time.