Parliamentary questions
Tim Eagle
1,487 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
21 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Shetland Fisherment's 2024 report, Trends in the Abundances of North Sea Fish.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Marine Directorate is aware of this report and recognises its findings. The conclusions of the paper are very similar to those presented annually in the Scottish Sustainable Fishing Index (SFI, Sustainability of Fish Stocks | National Performance Framewor…
21 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government on how many occasions the current (a) Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands and (b) Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity has met with the Mallaig & North West Fishermen’s Association Ltd since they were appointed to their role.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Myself and the Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity have not met formally with the Mallaig & North West Fishermen’s Association Ltd since we were appointed to our roles.
21 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what evidence it has gathered in relation to a “qualitative insight into experiences of other underrepresented groups in fisheries”, as referenced in the June 2022 publication, Women in Scottish Fisheries: A literature review on experiences, challenges and opportunities …
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government is aware of the importance of engaging with under represented groups across the fishing industry. Where research is conducted, this is designed with the aim of trying to include those who are less well engaged.
21 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it can provide details of what progress it has made to “strengthen rural childcare provisions through training more practitioners and developing pilot childcare programmes that suit specific needs of fishing communities”, as referenced in the June 2022 publication,&nb…
Answer · Natalie Don-Innes: The Scottish Government recognises that high quality, accessible and affordable early learning and childcare is vital in rural and island areas, including fishing communities, to support children’s outcomes and to enable parents or carers to train, work…
21 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government it what ways it has helped the fishing industry safely recycle end-of-life gear.
Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government has prioritised improving the collection and recycling of end-of-life fishing and aquaculture gear in our Marine Litter Strategy published in 2022 in order to protect our environment from plastic pollution and support the growth of our…
21 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many incidents of gear (a) theft and (b) vandalism on fishing vessels have been reported in each year since 2021.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Details of gear theft and vandalism which were reported to Marine Directorate.(a) how many incidents of gear theft on FVs(b) how many incidents of gear vandalism on FVs2021 – 02022 – 32023 – 82024 – 82021 – 02022 – 52023 &n…
21 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what organisations it consulted when producing the 2022 document, Strategy for Seafood.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Strategy for Seafood was developed in discussion with key stakeholders across the seafood sector. This was primarily via meetings with producer organisations, regional fisheries groups, representatives of the processing industry and a number of further or…
21 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many fishing vessels have used port waste reception facilities to dispose of end-of-life gear since it published its marine litter strategy in September 2022.
Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government conducted an internal review and mapping exercise of port waste reception facilities relevant to the fishing sector in Scotland in both 2023 and 2024 in order to inform future policy development. Of the 18 main ports and harbours surve…
21 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government in what ways it supports the fishing industry to (a) monitor and (b) tackle gear conflict.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Through our network of 18 Coastal Offices, as well as the Regional Inshore Fisheries Group (RIFG) network, the Scottish Government encourages the fishing industry to work together and develop voluntary codes of conduct to reduce instances of gear conflict.In …
21 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what “quantitative evidence on the representation of women across the sector, especially related to onshore work in sales/finance for which there is little data” it has gathered, as referenced in the June 2022 publication, Women in Scottish Fisheries: A literature review…
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: We acknowledge that there is an overall lack of data and evidence on women in fisheries for a number of reasons, and we agree that steps are needed to improve this. This is an important issue and many of these gaps will need to be filled in collaboration with…
21 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made to “develop incentives to encourage better work-life balance", as referenced in the June 2022 publication, Women in Scottish Fisheries: A literature review on experiences, challenges and opportunities for women working in the Scottish fishing industry.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: In 2023 we carried out further research into factors affecting fishers’ decision making and the report is available here - What factors influence the strategies and choices of Scottish fishers? A feasibility study.This research found that family life, w…
21 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it can provide details of what progress it has made to “provide financial security and support for fishers’ spouses”, as referenced in the June 2022 publication, Women in Scottish Fisheries: A literature review on experiences, challenges and opportunities f…
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Fishing can be a challenging and unpredictable livelihood, and we recognise the importance of supporting our fishing communities.No specific support has been targeted at fishers' families or partners, however, we have continued to make funding available throu…
21 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made to “develop comprehensive research and action plans to assess and address the situation for women in fisheries”, as referenced in the June 2022 publication, Women in Scottish Fisheries: A literature review on experiences, challenges and opportun…
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Scotland's Fisheries Management Strategy 2020-2030 seeks to recognise the important role that all parts of society make to the fishing industry, and to promote involvement across all genders and equalities groups in a positive and inclusive way.We would be ha…
21 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made to “develop a sector wide network that connects women within the industry, including training and networking opportunities, mentorship schemes, and a space to raise concerns", as referenced in the June 2022 publication, Women in Scottish Fisheries: A …
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Women in Scottish Fisheries report provides a thorough overview of the importance of women across the industry and specifies that creating an attractive, safe and supportive environment for women, might direct us towards achieving a more equitable, and su…
21 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it supports domestic seafood producers to get their products into supermarkets.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: 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 retail…
21 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made to “challenge traditional succession practices and other cultural factors which influence gender inequality in fisheries”, as referenced in the June 2022 publication, Women in Scottish Fisheries: A literature review on experiences, challenges an…
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Tackling inequality is a top priority for Scottish Ministers and this is evident across much of the Scottish Government’s work.The goal of the Women in Scottish Fisheries report was to challenge and raise women’s profile, but we recognise that the…
21 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what “local-level insight into how women in fishing communities would feel best supported, including a discussion of career aspirations relative to existing opportunities” it has carried out, as referenced in the June 2022 publication, Women in Scottish Fisheries: A lite…
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Women in Scottish Fisheries report provides a thorough overview of the importance of women across the industry and specifies that creating an attractive, safe and supportive environment for women, might direct us towards achieving a more equitable, and su…
21 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how much end-of-life (a) fishing and (b) aquaculture gear has been recycled in each year since 2021.
Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government has prioritised improving the collection and recycling of end-of-life fishing and aquaculture gear in our Marine Litter Strategy published in 2022 in order to protect our environment from plastic pollution and support the growth of our…
21 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it encourages NHS boards to include more domestic seafood products in hospital catering.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government is using its legislation and policies to maximise the impact procurement can have for public bodies, local suppliers and the Scottish economy.To promote local and sustainable produce public bodies have the flexibility to:Design menus t…
21 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made on its commitment to undertake a review of its co-management groups in partnership with its Fisheries Management and Conservation Group during 2022, as set out in Scotland’s Fisheries Management Strategy 2020-2030 Delivery Plan, published in September 2022.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: We carried out a survey from 1 August to 6 September 2024 to ask the Fisheries Management and Conservation (FMAC) group members, and some wider stakeholders, their views on the current functioning and effectiveness of the group. A summary of responses alongsi…
21 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what evidence it has gathered on the “updated quantitative evidence on the gender pay gap in fisheries across the sector”, as referenced in the June 2022 publication, Women in Scottish Fisheries: A literature review on experiences, challenges and opportunities for women …
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Information on the gender pay gap is collected by the Office for National Statistics and this includes information on the fisheries and aquaculture industry in Scotland. Further info can be accessed via this linkhttps://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarke…
21 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of active fishermen are classified as "young fishers".
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government does not hold information on the age of active fishers. However, Seafish, a public body that collects and analyses data on the UK commercial fishing fleet, has published information on fishers employment by age. Their latest employment…
21 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it enforces the protected geographical indication for Scottish salmon.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: 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 geograph…
21 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what “qualitative insight into how women in fisheries were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic” it has carried out, as referenced in the June 2022 publication, Women in Scottish Fisheries: A literature review on experiences, challenges and opportunities for women working i…
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: There is an overall lack of data and evidence on women in fisheries for a number of reasons, and we agree that steps are needed to improve this. However, many of these gaps will need to be filled in collaboration with the industry and the wider research commu…
21 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government in what ways it feeds the views of the Regional Inshore Fisheries Groups into fisheries policy-making.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Our six national RIFG Chairs regularly meet both with fishing industry stakeholders throughout their respective areas, as well as Marine Directorate officials. Outputs of these meetings help ensure that the views of Scotland’s small fishing businesses, …
21 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to update its approach to dealing with gear conflict, in light of the last Marine Scotland report of the Task Force on Gear Conflict being published in 2015.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: In June 2020 the Scottish Government built on the findings of the Task Force on Gear Conflict by introducing the Marking of Gear (Scotland) Order 168/2020. This order introduced restrictions on how buoys should be used to mark static gear, aimed at reducing g…
21 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the Scottish Fishing Safety Group (a) last met and (b) will next meet.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: 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.
21 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful applications there have been each year for Marine Scotland Fund payments, broken down by applicant type.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Many applications do not proceed to assessment due to them either being withdrawn by the applicant or because they are identified as ineligible. No data is held on the numbers or types of these applications.Of those eligible applications which are fully asses…
21 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it supports women into the fishing industry.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government recognises and values the very important role that many women play in Scotland’s fisheries sector.Scotland's Fisheries Management Strategy 2020-2030 seeks to recognise the important role that all parts of society make to the fish…
21 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has plans to update its 2022 document, Strategy for Seafood, and, if so, by what date it will do so.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Our commitment to Scotland’s seafood sector was reflected in the publication of the Strategy for Seafood in October 2022. While there are no current plans to update this document, Scottish Government will continue to work with industry to realise our am…