Current status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 24 March 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what seed funding has been allocated to the Scottish Marine Recovery fund in its Budget 2026-27 to allow its establishment.
The Scottish Government has not allocated seed funding for the Scottish Marine Recovery Fund (MRF) within the 2026–27 Scottish Budget as development of a comprehensive suite of compensatory measures to be used by the MRF has to be completed first. This work is progressing at pace and includes the advancement of wider and more strategic measures enabled by the Conservation of Habitats and Species (Offshore Wind) (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Scotland) Regulations 2026, which will come into force on 25 May 2026.
The policy and legislative developments enabled by these regulations will directly inform future decision-making on budgetary provision to seed fund measures, operate the Scottish MRF, and set the charging structure developers will use to apply to the fund.