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My officials are supporting the independent National Council of Rural Advisers on the development of their workplan and stakeholder strategy over the summer. We would expect the Council to seek the views of a wide variety of stakeholders and representatives across rural, coastal and island communities.

The National Council of Rural Advisers has been established to provide advice and recommendations on future rural policy and support to help create a vibrant, sustainable and productive rural economy. Members have been appointed to the Council on the basis of their expertise and knowledge of the rural economy gained from living and working Scotland’s in rural communities.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-10213 on 19 July 2017, on whether the Scottish Government will introduce local or rural growth deals.

We welcome The Scottish Parliament Local Government and Communities Committee inquiry on city region deals. A call for written evidence as part of its scrutiny of city region deals was launched in April 2017. The Committee is considering the written submissions received before agreeing its next steps. The Scottish Government has worked closely with the UK Government and regional partners to ensure robust governance and accountability is built in to city region deals and will consider carefully any issues raised by the Committee and respond appropriately.

The Scottish Plant Health Strategy, published in March 2016, sets out the Scottish Government’s approach to the protection of the health of plants in Scotland. Specific actions are listed under seven key headings including: pre-border, border and inland measures.

Import controls for Xylella fastidiosa and eradication measures in the event of an outbreak are set out in emergency EU legislation. These measures have been transposed into, and are implemented by, Scottish legislation and are kept under continuous review. As well as involvement in agreeing EU measures, the UK and Scotland have powers to introduce National measures. Additional measures in the UK context are under consideration.

The Scottish Government also works with the other parts of the UK Plant Health Service to raise awareness on Xylella.

, Implications for the importers and users of trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants, was prepared for anyone involved in importing and professional use of plants and is also available on online.

Scottish Government hosted a Xylella workshop in September 2016, with an introductory awareness-raising session attended by relevant industry bodies, governmental and non-governmental organisations. The rest of the three-day workshop focussed on diagnostics training for the detection of Xylella fastidiosa.

A Plant Health Forum was held in February 2017 for the horticulture trade, which included discussions on Xylella.

The Scottish Government’s generic contingency plan for plant health sets out actions that would be taken in the event of an outbreak. A UK plan specific to Xylella is in the process of development.

The Scottish Government has worked closely with DEFRA, and other parts of the UK Plant Health Service, in relation to Xylellafastidiosa. An example of this is by participation by officials in the monthly UK Plant Health Risk Group meetings. This is a UK-wide cross Government department group, chaired by DEFRA, that reviews threats to plant health.

The on-going threat of Xylella has been discussed monthly at Plant Health Risk Group meetings. The Group also prepares the UK positions for discussions on this pathogen which are held frequently at the monthly EU Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed (SCoPAFF).

The Scottish Government recognises the threat posed by Xylellafastidiosa to Scotland’s ecosystem and a pest risk analysis (PRA) on Xylellafastidiosa was initiated following consideration of the pathogen by the UK Plant Health Risk Group. The PRA was published, following stakeholder consultation, in June 2014 and assesses the pathogen’s potential to cause economic, environmental and social impacts in the UK, including Scotland.

There is uncertainty as to the degree of damage that may result if the pathogen was to become established in the UK and the PRA is kept under review given the on-going threat.

The Scottish Government is aware of the European Parliament's Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety vote on 22 June which did not support an attempt by Conservative MEP, Julie Girling, to halt a proposed ban by the European Commission on the outdoor use of neonicotinoid insecticides.

Restrictions were placed on the use of these neonicotinoids in 2013 to prevent their use on crops with flowers attractive to bees. These restrictions were fully implemented in Scotland and the rest of the UK. The Scottish Government awaits the outcome of the European Food Safety Authority's main review of the neonicotinoids, expected to be published towards the second half of the year.

Using information from landings figures and vessel monitoring systems, it is possible to estimate the value of landings by scallop dredgers from the 0-3 nautical mile zone. In 2016 Scottish vessels caught king scallops with a value of £10.6 million from the 0-3 zone out of a total catch of £22.3 million from all Scottish zones (0-200nm). Meaning that catches from within the 0-3 nautical mile zone account for nearly 50% of all landings from the Scottish zone.

In 2016, our data shows that nearly 120 vessels recorded landings by dredge from the Scottish zone which we estimate supported over 400 jobs at sea and 300 on onshore industries (such as processing, transport and related employment).

Over and above city region deals The Scottish Government is engaged in a number of discussions with regions developing proposals for economic growth. Deals offer the potential for new collaborative regional partnerships, focused on long-term strategic approaches to improving regional economies.

My officials are working with Argyll & Bute; the 3 Ayrshire Councils; Falkirk; Moray; Orkney, Shetland and Western Isles, who are working together to develop an Island approach and The Borderlands to understand proposals and priorities.