Committee
Rural Affairs and Environment Committee, 16 Sep 2009
16 Sep 2009 · S3 · Rural Affairs and Environment Committee
Item of business
Public Services Reform (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
Some of those questions are about internal matters, which are for SNH to resolve. I am not in the business of giving specific directions about staff and where they might be located—that is not really my job. SNH is managed by an extremely efficient and competent set of people who are better placed than I am to make some of those decisions.We want to ensure that there is no loss of expertise. It would not be in SNH's best interest for us to come back in two years' time and say that there was a problem. SNH will not want to produce a set-up that will contribute to a loss of expertise. A lot of work has been done over the past year to ensure that that does not happen. There has been a lot of to-ing and fro-ing. When I was at the SNH office during the Easter recess, I met DCS officials, so that work was already in progress. Both bodies have been working closely with stakeholders to identify future ways of working that will allow their joint expertise to be fully used.In addition, an appointments round for the SNH board is just about to start. Up to four new members are sought. In recruiting to the board of SNH, we recognise the importance of wildlife management. Given that that includes deer, we have an opportunity to ensure input of expertise in that regard.It would not benefit us to deliver a perceived dilution of expertise when we are trying to strengthen expertise through a two-way process. The work that is done on the DCS side of things will be contributed to enormously by the pool of expertise that exists in SNH. I go back to what I said about ecosystems. We are moving into an era when we will take a whole ecosystem approach. It will no longer be appropriate to isolate one species and deal with it on its own. We will have to look at the impact across all species and ecosystems.
In the same item of business
The Convener:
SNP
The committee has been designated to scrutinise sections of the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Bill that fall within its remit, specifically sections 1 an...
Professor John Milne (Deer Commission for Scotland):
We work in partnership with the deer management sector. We attend all deer management group meetings, provide advice when it is requested, and have liaison m...
Ian Jardine (Scottish Natural Heritage):
For some time, the public bodies concerned—primarily the Deer Commission for Scotland, SNH and the Forestry Commission Scotland—have been co-operating closel...
The Convener:
SNP
What has been Robert Balfour's experience of working with the two bodies?
Robert Balfour (Association of Deer Management Groups):
As Professor Milne said, we have had a good close working relationship with the Deer Commission for Scotland. That does not mean that we do not disagree at t...
The Convener:
SNP
What do you mean when you say that your relationship with SNH has been fraught? What is the context of that?
Robert Balfour:
In rural land management, it is well known that Scottish Natural Heritage's relationship with farmers and landowners is difficult. I am a farmer and landowne...
The Convener:
SNP
Mr Orr-Ewing, what has been your experience?
Duncan Orr-Ewing (Scottish Environment LINK):
It is worth noting that we are dealing in Scotland with a much more diversified land-ownership structure these days. There are communities that own land and ...
Alasdair Morgan (South of Scotland) (SNP):
SNP
I will follow up Mr Balfour's remarks about SNH. The submission from the Association of Deer Management Groups also says that"SNH's record of delivery is not...
Robert Balfour:
I cannot give you a specific example off the top of my head.
Alasdair Morgan:
SNP
I did not ask you to. You would need to give me lots of specific examples, because that is a fairly general statement about the organisation's record, as is ...
Robert Balfour:
After the meeting, I will send you details of evidence that supports what I said. I cannot give it to you off the top of my head because I do not have the in...
Alasdair Morgan:
SNP
Would it be reasonable for somebody who comes to the matter cold to say that the reason for the statement might be that the relationship between the Associat...
Robert Balfour:
I refute the assertion that we have too cosy a relationship with the Deer Commission. We have had disagreements with it, but that does not mean to say that w...
Professor Milne:
I refute the idea that we have a cosy relationship: that is completely wrong. It would have been the truth 15 years ago when the Red Deer Commission existed,...
Ian Jardine:
It would be silly to pretend that SNH's relationship with all landowners and land managers has always been sweetness and light. I take Robert Balfour's point...
Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD):
LD
I wonder whether Mr Balfour agrees with the suggestion in SNH's submission that the relationship between the two organisations was "firm". I think that that ...
Ian Jardine:
We highlighted it as a risk because we think that it is something that we need to keep an eye on, not because we think that it undermines the argument for th...
Liam McArthur:
LD
Do you see the functions being handled in a different way in terms of personnel?
Ian Jardine:
Initially, I think that mainly the same personnel will be involved; the staff who currently perform those functions in the Deer Commission will continue to d...
Liam McArthur:
LD
That suggests that fewer resources would be needed because of efficiencies that could be made.
Ian Jardine:
Overall, we expect that the merger will create efficiencies.
Professor Milne:
One of the risks that Ian Jardine was alluding to—and one of the DCS's concerns—is that the role of the DCS board is quite different from that of the SNH boa...
Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab):
Lab
I have a question for Ian Jardine, and I want to pick up on the point that Liam McArthur made. I should make it clear that I was an SNH board member a number...
Ian Jardine:
I am happy to say what we are planning for. Of course, we hope to hear very soon exactly what our budget for next year will be. At the moment, we are scenari...
Peter Peacock:
Lab
SNH's budget is around £63 million or £64 million. You may receive around £1.7 million, but you are considering scenarios in which there may be reductions of...
Ian Jardine:
There is no policy view on that in SNH. We will ultimately be guided by whatever we are told the priorities are in grant-in-aid letters. That will determine ...
John Scott (Ayr) (Con):
Con
I want to ask Ian Jardine about the loss of expertise with the loss of the Deer Commission for Scotland board, and about uncertainties about the future role ...
Ian Jardine:
I shall start and John Milne might add something from his own perspective.I think that the steps that we have taken will minimise the risk that John Scott ha...