The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.
All Official Reports of meetings in the Debating Chamber of the Scottish Parliament.
All Official Reports of public meetings of committees.
Displaying 995 contributions
Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee
Meeting date: 18 May 2022
Jenni Minto
That moves us on to a report that our Economy and Fair Work Committee carried out on the supply chain. It looked at—
Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee
Meeting date: 11 May 2022
Jenni Minto
As Ariane Burgess said, the bill, as introduced, requires Scottish ministers and relevant authorities to
“have regard ... to the scope for food-related issues to affect”
matters that are listed in sections 1(5) and 7(6). Those matters currently include social and economic wellbeing, the environment, health and economic development.
My amendments 37 and 51 would add animal welfare to the lists, and amendments 36 and 50 would expand the outcome of health, such that it would read:
“health and physical and mental wellbeing (including in particular through the provision of health and social care services)”.
My amendments reflect evidence that was given to the committee at stage 1 that there should be specific reference to animal welfare and to all types of health, as well as to the impacts on the provision of health and social care in the lists of outcomes. I believe that my amendments address those concerns and I therefore urge the committee to support the amendments in my name.
Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee
Meeting date: 4 May 2022
Jenni Minto
I have the privilege of representing Argyll and Bute, which includes lots of amazing islands. You mentioned the Kerrera road project, which has made a huge difference. The island communities are working together to find different solutions to their problems, whether they be with housing, renewables or community land and asset ownership. Many of those issues fall under different ministerial portfolios. How do you work with your colleagues to ensure that the specifics of the islands are included in all policy areas?
Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee
Meeting date: 4 May 2022
Jenni Minto
That is very helpful.
When I was on Islay at the weekend, I visited the Bowmore distillery. I spent a couple of hours with the distillery manager, who told me about the increasing time that he spends on greening the process. The distillery has looked at transportation, water usage and power consumption, and it is trying to improve the heating in the adjacent swimming pool. There are lots of projects going on. I know that other distilleries on the island are also following plans. Whisky is a really important industry for Scotland and contributes billions of pounds to the UK Treasury. What engagement has the Scottish Government had with the UK Government to ensure that places such as Islay get appropriate investment to support the important and immediate work that is needed to reduce carbon footprints?
Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee
Meeting date: 4 May 2022
Jenni Minto
Ariane Burgess asked about housing, which was also raised as an issue when I was on Jura. I know that you have visited Colonsay, where a fantastic partnership exists between the community, the Scottish Government and the salmon business there. One suggestion that was raised by people on Jura was about how to raise funds for housing through community share ownership or wider share ownership of housing. There are lots of innovative ideas, and I am pleased to hear that you hope to get out and listen to communities. I would hope that the listening process is the short part and that the action is the big part. I would be interested to know how you plan to move forward with the ideas that communities have suggested about those issues.
Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee
Meeting date: 4 May 2022
Jenni Minto
I feel that I am kind of giving you a road trip round the islands in my constituency, cabinet secretary.
On Friday, I was on Jura, which is experiencing population growth and attracting younger populations. Quite rightly, the development trust and the community council there are incredibly proud of the work that they have been doing. However, they raised concerns about volunteer fatigue and who will take the island on to the next stage. Given that islands are not the same and that each has its own unique character, how is your work focusing on the differences across the islands? We can also talk about learning from other islands, as well as those in our own communities.
Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee
Meeting date: 4 May 2022
Jenni Minto
In your introduction, you mentioned the impact of Covid-19 on island communities. Like the whole of Scotland and the rest of the world, we have had negative impacts, but important lessons have been learned, with islanders recognising their resilience.
Last week, I was at a Community Land Scotland event that involved considering how asset management and asset ownership help communities to pull together and find solutions. That is really positive but, on the flipside, when I visit islands, I often hear concerns that other stakeholders that are incorporated into the way that islands operate perhaps put up barriers to prevent innovative ideas from coming from islanders. What can the Scottish Government and the islands team do to help to reduce that?
Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee
Meeting date: 4 May 2022
Jenni Minto
I want to move on to the issue of carbon neutral islands. My colleague Dr Allan mentioned the differences in transmission charges. The other side of that is that our islands are brilliantly situated to contribute to the blue economy and renewable energy, whether we are talking about tidal power, community wind turbines, small hydro power schemes, the community heating network scheme in Iona or the big W1 project off Islay and Tiree. I would like some information on how the Scottish Government is working and what it is doing to ensure that islands are supported in their drive to carbon neutrality.
Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee
Meeting date: 27 April 2022
Jenni Minto
Earlier, you talked about the five-year review that is coming up. How do you plan to get involved in that? What conversations have you had with NatureScot to date?
Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee
Meeting date: 27 April 2022
Jenni Minto
I represent Argyll and Bute, and I recognise the goose issue, as it is an issue on some of the islands in my constituency. You are correct to say that Islay produces whisky; it is also, over the winter, home to about 15,000 barnacle geese and Greenland white-fronted geese. Of course, it is also home to farmers and, importantly, crofters. We must consider the whole range of users.
I want to go off on a slight tangent. Driving around Argyll and Bute, I can see that there is a vast increase in the number of Canada geese. Given the increase that there has been in the number of greylag geese since the petition was first lodged, I am interested in how other things have changed around goose numbers—I am thinking specifically of Canada geese, which are not indigenous to Scotland.