Seòmar agus comataidhean

Will the member take an intervention?

I thank Carol Mochan for taking an intervention. As someone who was born and bred in Kirkcaldy, which had at one end the Frances, which was commonly known as the Dubbie, and at the other, the Seafield, I know that the communities there were rich in culture, heritage and wealth. However, Mrs Thatcher’s legacy is 40 years of deprivation in those areas. Would the member agree with that?

Will the minister outline how the Scottish Government will look to support the social care sector in light of new concerns, which have been highlighted by stakeholders, that the UK Labour Government’s plan to increase employer national insurance contributions could be catastrophic for many voluntary sector care providers?

I welcome the Government’s continued work on that. It is vital that we press ahead with Scotland’s energy transition, replicating the success of projects such as the Aventus Energy and Sumitomo developments.

Does the cabinet secretary agree that to build on the Scottish Government’s progress, the UK Government needs to urgently match our ambition for Scotland, and match the £500 million just transition fund?

Westminster promised funding to communities across Scotland, and now, in the face of further austerity, Dunfermline’s projects hang in the balance. Does the Deputy First Minister agree that that funding cannot be another of Labour’s abandoned promises and that, rather than bypassing Scotland’s elected Parliament, any funding should be for this Parliament to deliver for communities?

A strong workforce is vital in the delivery of high-quality social care, which is why a key part of a national care service is the improvement of working conditions for carers. Alarmingly, over the past few weeks, we have loudly and clearly heard concerns from stakeholders such as the Coalition of Care and Support Providers in Scotland about the United Kingdom Labour Government’s plans to increase employer’s national insurance contributions, which the coalition says could be “catastrophic” for many voluntary sector care providers. Can the minister provide an update on the estimated impact that the UK Government’s increases in national insurance contributions will have on the care sector in Scotland?

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its work to reform the victim notification scheme in the coming year, to ensure that it operates in a more trauma-informed way. (S6O-03954)

The independent review of the victim notification scheme heard directly from victims and their families about their experience of the justice system and the scheme itself. Does the minister share my gratitude for their participation and strength, and does she agree that we must continue to listen to their voices as we progress with these reforms?

I camp with the scouts, holiday in the Highlands and explore the countryside with my dogs. Our environmental heritage is there for us to see, but a walk on a woodland path and a stroll on a beach is at risk from biodiversity loss caused by—

Presiding Officer, I apologise to you and members as I will have to leave the chamber shortly after delivering my speech.

I thank Audrey Nicoll for bringing this topic to the chamber for debate, and I thank Scottish Environment LINK, which produced the report that is highlighted in her motion. Both Audrey Nicoll, by bringing the topic to the chamber, and Scottish Environment LINK, by producing such a strong and compelling report, have clearly expressed the need for comprehensive action to be taken to combat invasive non-native species.

The invasion of non-native species is a serious threat to the environment and heritage of our country. To see the effects, no one need look further than their local patch of woodland. The rhododendron, which was brought to the UK as a decorative garden plant in the late 18th century, not only invades our local countryside but is even found in spectacular temperate rainforests. It flourishes, dominating the woodland environment to the detriment of native flora and fauna.

To many, the grey squirrel might seem harmless, yet this invasive non-native species is a great threat to our native red squirrel population. The grey squirrel’s size and aggressive nature allow it to dominate available resources and habitats. That has caused the native red squirrel population to plummet, with sightings of red squirrels becoming less and less frequent. Where forests full of native trees once grew and thrived, the Sitka spruce now invades our ancient woodlands.

I was reminded of that crisis when Audrey Baird and Fiona Baker submitted a petition to the Public Petitions Committee in 2020. As a member of the committee, I was inspired by their work to protect their local woodland. The petition calls on the Scottish Government to deliver legislation to give Scotland’s remaining ancient native and semi-native woodlands full legal protection. That led me to visit one of Scotland’s unique temperate rainforests, where I witnessed for myself the devastating effect of Sitka spruce and other invasive non-native species on our precious natural heritage.

Although the tangible and visible examples of the danger of invasive non-native species are compelling, they represent only the tip of the iceberg. Below the surface, aquatic life is arguably the most at risk. Managing invasive non-native species plays a major part in Scotland’s economy, because our rivers, wetlands and coastlands are particularly at risk of biodiversity loss and of coastal erosion that affects our local coastal communities. Invasive non-native species also pose a risk to our coastal industries.

Restoration Forth, which is a collaborative project funded by WWF, works in partnership to protect native species in our local waterways. That major marine restoration programme works with communities to restore seagrass habitats and the European flat oyster population in the Firth of Forth. The Ecology Centre, which is based in Kinghorn in my constituency, is a partner organisation on the project. I was pleased to visit the centre during recess to engage with the programme. With a focus on reintroducing native seagrass and oysters to the seabed of the Forth estuary, Lyle Boyle, the seagrass officer, knows only too well how important it is to carefully manage invasive non-native species.

One example of that is the project’s strict oyster biosecurity protocol. Lyle Boyle explained that, although oysters are native, individual oysters and oyster reefs can also be a habitat for a range of other species. To guard against invasive non-native species, the organisation trains volunteers to rid each oyster of any encrusted living animal before moving it to a new environment, thereby getting rid of any suspected hitchhikers.

When working in the Forth, those working for the organisation protectively manage accidental spread using footbaths. Before planting and during the monitoring process, they actively search and remove invasive non-native species. Tank water is eradicated by ultraviolet light, seed-bearing shoots are quarantined and native species are planted and protected alongside a robust monitoring protocol.

As Audrey Nicoll highlights in her motion, the Scottish Government’s nature restoration fund has been pivotal in funding community-based organisations to combat non-native invasive species in Scotland. Continued funding is necessary to help those organisations to continue their efforts to improve Scotland’s biodiversity. Like many here today, I find great joy in the outdoors—