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 444 contributions
Rural Affairs and Islands Committee [Draft]
Meeting date: 5 February 2025
Rhoda Grant
I was hosting the “Coastal Testimonies” exhibition this week in the Parliament, and I will quote from it because I think that it makes the point better than I could.
One of those who gave a testimony was Bailey Dacker, who is a creel fisher. He says:
“I don’t feel like I have a say in the decisions made about the sea, but I’d like to. A lot of the decisions by the government aren't taking into consideration the fishermen’s thoughts at the moment. If I were to make one request of political decision-makers, it would be to come and ask us younger fishermen.”
He goes on to say:
“Whatever you manage right now, the likes of myself or my mates don’t ever hear about anything or get asked any questions about what we think about this. We just see it happening and have to adapt to it.”
That does not sound like co-management to me. For someone like Bailey, how will the situation change under the review?
Rural Affairs and Islands Committee [Draft]
Meeting date: 5 February 2025
Rhoda Grant
There has been a lot of chat about co-management. Given what you have said, I am keen to learn what co-management means in practice and how—or whether—it will lead to decentralised decision making.
Rural Affairs and Islands Committee [Draft]
Meeting date: 5 February 2025
Rhoda Grant
It seems to me that there is a source of free information that is being totally ignored. The fishers want to be part of decision making, but they also have a huge amount of information that would be useful to you. How do you capture that? People who are working for themselves do not often have time to go to association meetings or join associations. Your job must be to make it easier for them to engage, and I wonder how that can happen.
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee [Draft]
Meeting date: 4 February 2025
Rhoda Grant
Would there be a greater chance for communities to have the right to buy, for example, landholdings that were not being managed in the public interest, in the form of compulsory purchase?
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee [Draft]
Meeting date: 4 February 2025
Rhoda Grant
I have a slightly niche question about crofting. Should the bill include a provision to compel landowners to put more land into crofting and to transfer small holdings into crofting legislation, rather than creating a whole bureaucracy around small holdings?
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee [Draft]
Meeting date: 4 February 2025
Rhoda Grant
I will try to keep my questions short—I do not know about the answers.
A number of you have talked about compulsory sale orders. In what circumstances should those be used? Who should be able to exercise that power? Sarah, do you want to comment on that?
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee [Draft]
Meeting date: 4 February 2025
Rhoda Grant
If I may, I have a tiny question for Rob Carlow about a public interest test. If an investor invested with you to offset polluting behaviour elsewhere—investing in forestry to make themselves look less polluting—would that be in the public interest? Would that pass a public interest test? Do you collect that information from investors?
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee [Draft]
Meeting date: 4 February 2025
Rhoda Grant
First, I will address a couple of questions to Sandra Holmes. You talked about the community right to buy. How could we make that easier? Are there simple things that we could introduce to the bill that would make it easier for communities to buy?
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee [Draft]
Meeting date: 4 February 2025
Rhoda Grant
Many of you have talked about a public interest test. Should that apply to anyone who seeks to buy land, and not just communities? Should a private purchase of land be subject to a public interest test, too?
Rural Affairs and Islands Committee [Draft]
Meeting date: 29 January 2025
Rhoda Grant
What do we need to do?