Seòmar agus comataidhean

The consultation on that scheme begins today and full details of our proposals will be contained within the consultation paper.

Copies of the consultation paper, Crofting Counties Agricultural Grant Scheme Consultation on Proposals for a Revised Scheme & the Crofting Counties Agricultural Grants Consolidation (Scotland) Scheme 2005, have been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 35085). The consultation paper is also available on the Scottish Executive website at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Consultations/Current.

The Scottish Executive has more than doubled VisitScotland’s budget since 2000, with a 28% increase in its marketing budget announced last March. In addition, some of this additional marketing funding is being matched by the private sector.

VisitScotland is using part of this increased funding to further strengthen its overseas marketing, particularly in the many countries now linked to Scotland by new air routes supported by our Route Development Fund. The results speak for themselves - in the first nine months of 2004, the number of overseas visitors to Scotland increased by 13% compared to the same period in 2003.

We awarded over £500,000 in November 2004 to Highland Council to support five community recycling initiatives in the Highlands. We are also supporting the community recycling sector through the INCREASE programme, a grant scheme worth £5 million over two years and are groups in the Highlands are eligible to apply.

I attended the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Brussels on 22 and 23 November 2004 together with Margaret Beckett, Ben Bradshaw, Ian Pearson and Carwyn Jones.

The Council, which opened on the first day in office of the new Commission, welcomed Commissioners Mariann Fischer-Boel, Markos Kyprianou and Joe Borg to their new posts.

On Agriculture, the Presidency secured qualified majority support for a political agreement on a compromise text updating the current rules on the welfare of animals during transport. The UK supported the proposal which contains significant improvements to the current rules including a strengthening of the enforcement rules in Europe, stricter rules for journeys of more than eight hours and new rules for the transport of horses. The proposal also sets out a clear timetable for the review of the new rules together with a commitment to address the issue of journey times, space allowances and rest periods no later than four years after they have come into effect.

The Council had a lengthy exchange of views on reform in the sugar sector, based on the Commission’s communication of July 2004. The Commission indicated that it would not bring forward formal proposals until May or June next year when the result of the EU’s appeal against a WTO panel ruling on the sugar regime had been received. The Commission would press for political agreement before the WTO Ministerial scheduled for Hong Kong in December 2005. A majority of member states were critical of the Commission’s approach thus far and argued for minimal change, principally aimed at maintaining production in all those areas of the EU where it is currently found. The UK argued that the current regime was unsustainable and that reform was inescapable. The EU needed to honour its external obligations and the UK welcomed the Commission’s commitment to bringing forward a draft action plan for assistance to the ACP countries by the end of the year.

In a brief discussion of the rural development and CAP financing proposals, there was general support for the rural development measures although concerns were expressed on a number of specific issues such as the proposed structure for the new regulation and the treatment of less favoured areas. The UK stressed the importance of further transfers to Pillar 2 measures, the case for a more objective allocation of funds and the need for equitable treatment of the non-euro member states. Discussion will continue at official level.

The Presidency drew attention to its initiative for member states to cooperate on agricultural research in order to avoid duplication and to maximise value for money. The UK supported this initiative and we expressed our readiness to cooperate with Luxembourg in taking it forward next year.

Under Other Business, Estonia described its problems relating to a Russian ban on imports of plant material, Spain called for collaboration with Morocco in the field of animal health, Germany asked the Commission to bring forward legislation on the marketing of seeds of plant varieties of conservation importance and Slovakia requested funding under the natural disasters heading following gales in the High Tatras national park.

On Fisheries, The Council exchanged views on the EU/Norway bilateral agreement. Negotiations over the 2005 agreement have gone well and a solution has been found to balancing the exchange of fishing possibilities between the EU and Norway. The UK supported the deal and looked forward to signing a deal which will allow vessels to fish in the Norway zone from 1 January 2005. Questions relating to transfers of anglerfish, Greenland halibut, Greenland shrimp and redfish remained.

TheCouncil held a policy debate about the reformed European Fisheries Fund (EFF) onthe basis of a questionnaire drawn up by the Presidency. Discussion centred aroundsome member states desire to reintroduce public subsidy for fleet modernisationand renewal. The Commission stood firm and rejected any return to subsidised fleetbuilding. The UK supported the Commission. On other EFF issues, thereis a general consensus that subsidiarity should be increased, particularly in relationto defining socio-economic measures to accompany fleet restructuring and the sustainabledevelopment of coastal areas. Aid for marketing and processing should not be limitedto small and micro-sized enterprises but to small-and medium-sized enterprises, according to most member states.

TheCouncil reached political agreement on a presidency compromise by a qualified majorityon the allocation of deep sea species to the new member states. The basis of thecompromise was a change in the reference period on which quotas would be based from1994–2003 to 1993–2002. The UK had argued that any allocation decision should have beenbased on the same reference period as the EU15. The Commission agreed with the Councilthat the allocations in question were made without prejudice to future allocationdecisions for other deep sea stocks. Estonia, Poland, Latvia and the UK all abstained from the vote. The UK abstaineddue to concerns about the management of the fishery and as the proposal had notbeen able to complete parliamentary scrutiny.

Discussionswere held about management measures in the Baltic Sea with a number of memberstates expressing concerns about the severity of the Commission’s recovery plan.

Under other business the EU/Comorosagreement was adopted.

The Scottish Executive has allocated funding of £1.9 million, £3.5 million and £3.5 million to Project Scotland for 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07 respectively. This includes resources for the development of new volunteering opportunities and volunteer costs. It is anticipated that other sources, including the private sector, will complement this funding in the longer term.

The Russell Commission has been asked to consider the work done by Julia Ogilvy, chair of Project Scotland, on youth volunteering, in developing its proposals. It is intended that the Russell Commission will produce a framework for volunteering which should be applicable across the UK, whilst taking into account the devolved nature of volunteering programmes. As such, the broader work of the commission may influence the implementation of Project Scotland in the long term.

Ministers are currently considering how to involve Scotland in this initiative.

We have made good progress. I am pleased to announce that we will relocate two Scottish Executive functions – the Crofting Building Grants and Loans Scheme (CBGLS) and the Central Enquiry Unit (CEU). 

The small unit administering the Crofting Building Grants and Loans Scheme will relocate to Tiree next summer. This is a small unit comprising eight full-time jobs. Tiree was chosen after an extensive scrutiny of 34 possible locations which concluded that a move to Tiree would deliver the greatest benefits.

The Scottish Executive’s Central Enquiry Unit will relocate to Kinlochleven, with the move scheduled for the middle of 2005. The Central Enquiry Unit is the Executive’s front door. It is the central point of contact for the Executive providing a switchboard service for telephone and e-mail enquiries. The CEU is currently based in Edinburgh and employs 9.5 staff.

The Executive is committed to our relocation policy and to ensuring it is a policy for the whole of Scotland. Both these small unit relocations represent a significant step forward in the Executive’s programme for moving public sector job opportunities across rural Scotland, and it is expected that these small numbers of additional jobs will make a significant difference to the social and economic conditions of both Tiree and Kinlochleven.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has published its eighth annual report and accounts today. The report contains details of SEPA’s achievements and activities during the period 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2004. Copies of the annual report and accounts have been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 33955).

The Scottish Executive will issue guidance on Part 1 (antisocial behaviour strategies) of the Antisocial Behaviour etc (Scotland) Act 2004. The guidance will make it clear that local authorities and their partners should consult relevant business organisations, particularly those in areas of significant antisocial behaviour, when developing and reviewing their antisocial behaviour strategies.