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The Scottish Government has committed £10m over 2023–2025 to support delivery of Scotland's food and drink strategy, Sustaining Scotland, Supplying the World. This funding facilitates a range of activities and direct engagement with grocery retailers to help increase the volume of Scottish food and drink on retail shelves, including Scottish seafood. Activity includes: hosting regional Sourcing Scotland Meet The Buyer events to connect retailers and producers; participating in various sales exhibitions; placing graduates within retail and wholesale buying teams to drive sales; and working with the Scottish Wholesale Association and Scottish Grocers’ Federation to increase sales through wholesale and convenience channels.

Furthermore, the Scottish Government is providing Marine Fund Scotland funding towards Seafood Scotland’s Market Development Project, which involves work to ensure Scottish seafood’s profile grows in UK markets. This includes specific activity with various stakeholders throughout the supply chain to look at ways of increasing the amount of Scottish seafood within retail settings.

Marine Directorate Marine Protection and Research vessels range in age from between seventeen and twenty-seven years old. A zero and 'low carbon' fuel is generally associated with zero or low emissions at point of combustion onboard a vessel. Low emission fuels being explored by the shipping industry and its regulators include Ammonia, Methanol, Biofuel and Hydrogen. Each of the Scottish Governments (a) marine protection vessels, and (b) marine research vessels are fuelled with Marine Gas Oil (MGO), but low carbon fuelling options will be a key factor in any vessel replacement moving forward to meet emissions regulations and targets.

Geographical indications are a reserved matter. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is the competent authority for the geographical indication schemes in the UK.

To ensure compliance with product specifications for protected geographical indications, regular inspections are carried out by control bodies, such as local authorities or UKAS-accredited organisations.

The last Scottish Fishing Safety Group (SFSG) meeting was held on 17 December 2024. There is no date for the next meeting at this time.

The Marine Directorate owns/operates a fleet of three Marine Protection Vessels (MPVs), and two small inshore craft.

• MPV Minna since 2003 (42 metres in length)
• MPV Jura since 2006 (84 metres in length)
• MPV Hirta since 2008 (84 metres in length)
• Small craft Ailsa and Iona since 2022 (7.8 metres in length)

Marine Directorate owns two surveillance aircraft, Reims Cessna Caravan II F-406 (Watchdog Alpha and Watchdog Bravo) since 2008.

https://www.gov.scot/publications/marine-and-fisheries-compliance-fleet-and-aircraft/

Scotland’s Future Catching Policy (FCP) will see concrete action taken to support fishers to avoid catching fish and other species which they don’t want to land, or catch in the first place, including decreasing instances of accidental bycatch of protected marine species.

The FCP proposes to introduce a range of technical and spatial measures, designed in partnership, which will reduce levels of unwanted. This might mean, for example, some types of fishing vessel requiring to use additional selectivity measures as part of their nets, or to move on from certain fishing grounds. The purpose of this is to reduce levels of unwanted catch as far as possible, with discarding rules and exemptions following any measures that are put in place to account for discards that will still occur due to the mixed fishery nature of Scottish waters but will enable us to account for these in a more robust manner increasing accountability and transparency.

By introducing these measures through legislation we are ensuring a level playing field in Scottish waters for all fishers regardless of origin.

The Scottish Government continues to engage with the UK Government on the designation of food and drink products as geographical indications through its status as a constituent member of the UK GI scheme panel.

The operation of the UK GI schemes is reserved and is run by The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), where all applications are submitted directly to them for consideration. It is for producers themselves to apply for protection under these schemes, and the Scottish Government seeks to support and promote applications from Scotland.

The final decisions on whether to grant a GI are made by the Secretary of State. However, a panel made up of representatives from Defra and the devolved administrations reviews all applications (including third country applications) and makes a collective decision as to whether they should proceed to the Secretary of State for consideration.

The Scottish Government works with local authorities in several ways to improve access to active travel, primarily through our ‘Active Travel Infrastructure Fund’ (ATIF) that supports infrastructure building, and our ‘People and Place Programme’ that supports behaviour change services tackling barriers to using that infrastructure. Through these programmes Aberdeenshire’s councils received over £4.2m of support in 2024-25.

In terms of infrastructure, in 2024-25 Aberdeenshire Council received £1,232,393 for their ATIF Tier 1 allocation, and Aberdeen City Council received £1,557,324. These funds are used to design, develop and deliver active travel infrastructure according to local needs and priorities. Both councils have used their funding across a number of current projects as well as designing future works, creating a construction pipeline

In terms of behaviour change, in 2024-25 Aberdeenshire Council received a direct grant of £210,141 through the Local Authority Direct Award (LADA) , and Aberdeen City Council received £178, 622. In addition, Nestrans, the Regional Transport Partnership for Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, received £1,113,240 through the People and Place Programme. These funds are used to support active and sustainable travel behaviour change interventions that improve the uptake of walking, wheeling, and cycling for short everyday journeys.

The evidence of the relationship between increased uptake of active travel and positive health outcomes, including maintaining a healthy weight, is proven beyond doubt. This is why active travel is a key Strategic Delivery Outcome in the Physical Activity for Health Framework published on 4 October 2024. This framework applies a systems-based approach with all parts of government, including transport and health, joining the call to action behind the collective aim and ambition of promoting the crucial role of physical activity in improving the health of people in Scotland.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-32584 on 14 January 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

I can confirm that I have written to the Chief Constable to draw the attention of her and her colleagues to the recent range of questions lodged on the use of e-bikes and e-scooters.