Seòmar agus comataidhean

The actions of Iceland and Faeroes in setting unilateral total allowable catches (TACs) for mackerel in the North East Atlantic are irresponsible and risk the future sustainability of the stock, which in turn could have serious impacts for the Scottish Pelagic Fleet. The Scottish Government has received representations from the Scottish Pelagic Fishermen''s Association welcoming the positive action we have taken to address the issue; as well as concerns expressed by some Scottish fish processors that any action we take should not deprive them of raw material for their production.

Marine Scotland has objected to the Marine Stewardship Council certification of the Faroese mackerel stock. The objection has been accepted by the independent adjudicator and the outcome of her review is awaited. The Scottish Government has also written to the Government of Faeroes in response to complaints that the Faeroese vessel Jupiter was prevented from landing mackerel at Peterhead, encouraging the Faeroese Government to return to the negotiating table.

I have written twice to Commissioner Damanaki asking her to take a strong stand against the Faroese and Icelanders, and in particular to keep the issue at the fore during Iceland''s EU accession negotiations. Following my first letter, the Commissioner wrote to Commissioner Fule (Enlargement) highlighting the problems and asking him to ensure it was discussed during the accession negotiations.

My second letter was in response to the Faeroese decision to set a TAC far in excess of their previous share. Following this, the Commissioner made a statement condemning the action and outlining possible further action that would be taken against the Faeroes if they did not reconsider their approach during the next round of negotiations. I followed up the letters with a phone conversation during which Commissioner Damanaki assured me of her commitment to resolving the issue and that she would work closely with the Scottish and UK Governments.

I have maintained close contact throughout with the UK Fisheries Minister, Richard Benyon MP. He too has made parallel representations to the Commission. I have also encouraged the UK Government to explore the scope for wider diplomatic pressure to be brought to bear.

The Scottish Government will continue to work with the UK, the European Commission and other key European member states to identify how best we can ensure Iceland and Faeroes come back to the negotiating table in order to secure a deal that is fair for Scotland and protects the mackerel stock.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-35770 on 9 September 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-35770 on 9 September 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-35770 on 9 September 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-35770 on 9 September 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

The Scottish Government originally intended to publish an Energy Efficiency Action Plan (EEAP) for Scotland in 2008. However, a mandatory commitment to publish an EEAP, and set and report on energy efficiency targets, was subsequently included in the Climate Change (Scotland) Bill in late 2008, with the intention that the EEAP would be developed once the bill was enacted. This provided the statutory reporting framework which we believe energy efficiency requires.

Due to the requirement to undertake a full and active consultation on the plan, and subsequently analyse responses, it was not possible to meet a further intended publication date of 2009 after the Climate Change (Scotland) Act came into force.

It was anticipated that the final plan would be published in late spring 2010 and a draft document was developed accordingly. However, in light of the establishment of the Short Life Working Group on Annual Emissions Targets, and given the role which energy efficiency will play in meeting these targets, it was considered inappropriate to publish the plan until new targets have been agreed.

In the meantime, several actions within the draft document are already being taken forward.

The Energy Efficiency Action Plan for Scotland will be published this autumn.

This information is not held centrally. Publications by the Scottish Government can be found online at:

(a) http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases.

(b) http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Consultations/Archive.

(c) http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/Recent.

No. The delay in publishing the Energy Efficiency Action Plan has not adversely affected the take-up of energy efficiency measures across Scotland.

An increased level of emissions savings have been reported in 2009-10 by both the Energy Saving Trust and the Carbon Trust, who between them provide energy efficiency support to the domestic, business and public sector in Scotland.

Many of the actions outlined within the draft EEAP are already being progressed, to ensure that we continue to build upon our wide range of existing policies and programmes prior to publication of the plan.

We will continue to engage with key stakeholders across all sectors prior to the publication of the Energy Efficiency Action Plan (EEAP) for Scotland. This has been our approach throughout the process of developing the Conserve and Save consultation and the draft EEAP itself.