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I refer the member to the answer to the question S6W-33849 on 31 January 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at /chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

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 link

Table 5.12 provides information on the pay gap by region and industry.

During the development of the climate change plan and update there was extensive engagement across all sectors and a public consultation on the draft plan was open for everyone to provide comment. The consultation ran from 16 December 2020 to 31 March 2021.

We considered all available evidence and advice at the time in the development of the Climate Change Plan Update and will do so again in the development of the next Plan, in line with our commitment to a just and fair transition to Net Zero.

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 alongside confirmation of any changes we will make, will be published in due course.

Of those who responded specifically to the question on zonal management measures, 66% were in support and 25% were opposed (with the remaining 9% being neutral).

The full consultation analysis report was published on 31 January and can be found on the Scottish Government website.

Myself and the Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity have not met formally with the Fishing Vessel Agents & Owners Association (Scotland) Ltd since we were appointed to our roles.

I refer the member to the answer to the question S6W-33899 on 31 January 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at /chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

Scotland’s first National Marine Plan () was adopted in 2015 and provides the guiding framework for sustainable management of marine activities and resources. In October 2022, Ministers announced the intention to update the NMP to better support our transition to net zero and tackling the nature and climate crisis through marine planning.

The timeline for the National Marine Plan 2 (NMP2) is published in the . The draft NMP2 is scheduled for consultation in late 2025 with plan adoption anticipated in 2027.

Myself and the Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity have not met formally with Scottish Environment Link whilst the fishing industry were present as part of the discussion, since we were appointed to our roles in May 2024.

The Scottish Government does not have the powers to prosecute Marine and Fisheries offences, these powers lie with the Crown Office Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) who prosecute on our behalf. This is a technical point.

The 1967 Act is a parent act under which orders were made, it is therefore more likely that any offence would be taken against a subordinate order rather than the act itself. Other acts have also superseded the 1967 Act, such as the Fisheries Act 2020, which is where licensing powers comes from. Any licence breaches are therefore pursued under the 2020 Act.

Additionally, the Scottish Government has powers to issue Fixed Penalty Notices (FPN) in lieu of reporting cases to the COPFS. Most cases where a penalty was deemed appropriate were dealt with in this way. Details of FPNs are published, link

Table detailing cases prosecuted under the 1967 Act or subordinate orders.