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I point to what we have already published on that. We do not have the exact details of what will be involved in a future scheme, but we have tried to share our thinking in that regard, which gives a general direction as to the measures that we will consider, including in future support. We have also set out the route map and timeline for when more information will become available to people.

Alongside the route map that we published earlier this year, we published the list of measures, but it is by no means a definitive list and it is not final. I think that there are links in the online publications for people to provide us with feedback and information. The list sets out some examples of how the different measures can interact and what that would mean for different types of business. It also outlines some of the measures that we might include as part of final support. It does not cover all sectors, because we know that more work needs to be done.

I emphasise that, as I have already stated, there will be no cliff edges in support. We have said that the schemes that people are currently on will continue until we transition at various points. That is all set out in the route map.

Although we cannot set out the detail of a scheme, we have set out what our thinking is at the moment in order to give some clarity and direction so that people know what we are considering for the future.

No, we have not.

Yes. I hear the concerns about the seasonal agricultural workers scheme. I do not think that it has ever produced the numbers that we need for the industry in Scotland. From the discussions that I have had, it seems that the availability of workforce continues to be an issue, as well as the various issues with the scheme itself.

Yes. It will be on the horizon, particularly in relation to the Subsidy Control Act 2022 and any potential impacts of that. Obviously, we are not yet at the point of bringing forward the detail of future schemes, but we will need to have those discussions further down the line. That has continued to concern us from the start of the Subsidy Control Bill process and right through it. A lot of our concerns were not really resolved during the passage of that legislation, so those concerns very much remain.

It is not anticipated that it would have any funding implications at the moment, because the strategy would not, in and of itself, require to be funded. It is more about how we better utilise the resource that we already have available in relation to science and how we use it in Scotland. Ultimately, the science and innovation strategy is about how we can work more collaboratively across the piece in Scotland.

Within the marine directorate, we have a fantastic marine science resource. We also have the aquarium and the marine lab. It is about how we can better utilise the assets and people that we have by working with other institutions and academia across Scotland. We really want to ensure, as far as we can, that Scotland becomes a global leader in marine research. It is only by collaborating better and using those resources more wisely right across the piece that we can hope to achieve that.

We believe that we have not received resource that we should, and would, have received had we remained members of the European Union. We currently have £14 million a year as part of the marine fund Scotland. However, we might consider what other nations in the EU receive through the new strand of EU funding, which is the European maritime, fisheries and aquaculture fund.

We can look, in particular, at nations that are similar in population size to Scotland—one of the better comparisons is Denmark, which has the same population but a smaller marine area, and a smaller marine industry and sector as a whole. On average, Denmark is receiving £25 million a year in comparison with what we receive. It also has seven-year continuity for that funding—it is £25 million each year over seven years, whereas we do not have multiyear funding. We simply receive the £14 million allocation, so we believe that we are being significantly short-changed in that regard.

Did that relate to the national islands plan? We talked about data collection as part of that. I think that there were five on-going pieces of work. In addition, we are still awaiting island-specific regional information from the census.

Sorry, Erica—I do not know whether you want to add more.

I am delighted to be here today. This session comes ahead of the 2024-25 annual Scottish budget, and I welcome the opportunity to hear the views of the committee as we begin that process.

The policy prospectus, which was published in March, introduced my expanded portfolio, which encompasses rural affairs, land reform and islands, and my responsibilities as set out in the mandate letter from the First Minister. The 2023 medium-term financial strategy sets out a credible approach to delivering fiscal sustainability over time, which is anchored in three pillars that illustrate the need for tough and decisive action to ensure that our finances are on a sustainable path to deliver our three central missions of equality, opportunity and community. The medium-term financial strategy, the mandate letters and the programme for government 2024-25 will shape the Scottish budget process.

We continue to feel the impacts of severe economic conditions and inflationary pressures, which are affecting households, businesses and public services. Similarly, the fiscal outlook for the Scottish Government is expected to remain challenging and subject to the considerable volatility that is arising from uncertainty around the block grant and the income tax net position. Where we have been able to do so, we have taken action to prioritise support for the most vulnerable in our communities, to attract investment, to grow our economy and to respond to the climate crisis.

My priorities in that process are clear, too. The budgets that are allocated to my portfolio will continue to make a vital difference to our nation’s wellbeing through the protection, nurture and restoration of our natural assets, ensuring that they sustain our people, our businesses and communities both now and into the future.

Although addressing, mitigating and adapting to climate change and protecting and restoring nature are challenges, they also create opportunities. The spend across my portfolio supports our rural and blue economies to make them more sustainable, productive and prosperous. Scotland’s agriculture, forestry, fishing and aquaculture sectors are at the heart of many of our communities and, when combined, contribute around £2.6 billion to the Scottish economy. Our food and drink industry is still Scotland’s largest manufacturing sector, with exports that are worth £8 billion annually.

We will continue to work to deliver more fishing opportunities and prosperity for Scotland’s coastal communities and to transform how we support farming and food production, working with the agricultural sector to co-develop and deliver on the agricultural vision. We have committed £250 million over 10 years to restore 250,000 hectares of degraded peatlands by 2030, which will support new green jobs in the rural economy and is critical to delivering Scotland’s just transition to net zero.

We are continuing to invest in the skills and infrastructure that are needed to ensure that the forestry sector can continue to grow, too. This year, we have—yet again—introduced agricultural payments to aid vital cash flow into the rural economy. The first tranche has exceeded forecasts and we have paid nearly £300 million in basic payments in the first three weeks. We have increased the Scottish land fund, providing up to £11 million to enable more communities to own land, buildings and other assets in urban and rural areas.

I hope that you can see that I am continuing, and will continue, to prioritise that direct injection into the economy for rural, agriculture, marine and island communities. That prioritisation provides much-needed economic stability locally and nationally. Our commitment to supporting the ambitions for our islands remains strong, too. We will award up to £14 million of grant funding through the marine fund Scotland to support projects in line with our blue economy vision.

Those key pieces of work demonstrate the significance of the environment around climate change mitigation and nature restoration alongside the importance of people, communities and the economies that they support. Although there are many challenges to overcome as we look to the future, I will continue to work across the Scottish Government and with our partners across Scotland to support the resilience and strength of our rural, coastal and island communities.

Yes, I would be happy to. I am aware that I recently sent the committee a letter, which outlined the progress of various projects to which we had committed in the islands programme.

We had £4 million of budget allocated to the islands programme this year, and that is supporting a number of projects across our islands, which are progressing. In a moment, I will ask Erica Clarkson to give you more information on some of the projects that we have on-going there. It is, of course, a hugely important programme that we know is making a significant difference in our island communities as well as delivering against the objectives that we have set out in the national islands plan.

In terms of value for money, it might be helpful to talk about how some of those applications are scored and about the different factors that are taken into consideration. When it comes to spend, not just in island areas but in our rural economy as a whole, we cannot look at it purely on the basis of best value and economic value in its simplest sense. We have to take into consideration the wider impact that funding in rural and island communities has. In the islands programme, there are some projects that, in the grand scheme of things, could be considered small projects but that have a disproportionately big impact in island communities. One example is the investment that we have made in an old school building in Eriskay. It is really important to bear that in mind.

On the factors that are taken into account in scoring applications, 40 per cent of the scoring is about how a project is delivering against the objectives that we have set out in the national islands plan, but a huge element of the process is about the community impact. How have communities been involved in the project? How will they be included? What will be the impacts on the community throughout? It is right that we put value on those particular areas and that we have that strong community focus, as well as ensuring that projects are delivering against the national islands plan.

Erica Clarkson will be able to provide more information.

There is no one simple solution to address all of that, especially when it comes to depopulation. It is about the action that we take on a number of different fronts to address that.

Thinking about other parts of the portfolio, there could be opportunities in relation to what we take forward with land reform. We want to see more community ownership, engagement, involvement and transparency throughout the whole process. I think that there will be opportunities within that. I also mentioned the remote, rural and islands housing action plan, which is under development and should be published soon. I hope that the funding that I announced for key workers will have a positive impact in rural and island areas as well. That is not to forget the wider work that we are doing to address some of the issues through the addressing depopulation action plan.

We have undertaken a number of other initiatives, the funding for which has come from the islands team as well as from the population team in the Scottish Government, and we have seen a positive impact there, which it is important to highlight. Together with local authorities—and, I think, with HIE, although Erica Clarkson will correct me if I am wrong—we have been co-funding community settlement officer posts, and we have seen an impact of that in relation to Uist. Some 200 families were looking to move there, and the settlement officer has helped about 25 families to relocate there so far. I know that that might not seem like a huge number in the grand scheme of things, but it is hugely important to the island.

We are seeing positive work through those actions, and it is important that, where we see the positive impacts of initiatives, we continue and embed that work as we tackle depopulation challenges.