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The draft Climate Change Plan sets out policies and proposals to meet our ambitious emission reduction targets out to 2032.

Policies are hard and fast action – things we are doing now, or will do soon. Where budget is needed now it has been allocated in the Government’s 2017-18 Budget. A proposal is considered to be a suggested course of action, the details of which might change as this course of action is explored and evidence is gathered. Any required funding – which could be significant - will be the subject of future Budget decisions.

Previous reports on proposals and policies (RPP1 and RPP2) were produced using a bottom-up approach that identified abatement for individual policies and proposals from sector specific emissions projections. This approach was unable to consider cross sectoral interactions. For the draft Climate Change Plan, the Scottish Government has taken a different approach by using the TIMES model.

The draft Climate Change Plan used the TIMES whole-system energy model to help us understand least-cost ways of achieving emissions reductions by assessing how effort is best shared across the economy. This approach allows us to develop an optimal pathway for meeting Scotland’s emission reduction targets consisting of a carbon envelope for each sector, along with suggested policy outcomes needed to live within the carbon envelope. The draft Plan sets out the package of policies and proposals that are expected to be required to deliver the policy outcomes needed for each sectoral carbon envelope.

In the draft Plan, instead of abatement numbers, the verification of the projected emissions of a particular policy or proposal will be provided by the delivery of the policy outcomes – real life changes on the ground, such as penetration of low emission vehicles. The impact of policies in delivering outcomes and the overall performance on emission reductions will be reviewed regularly through the Plan’s monitoring framework and the greenhouse gas statistics.

Scottish Natural Heritage currently has no plans to publish a report on the cycle of site-condition monitoring on amphibians which is due to end in 2018.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-06502 on 6 February 2017. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at

The Scottish Government is engaging with local authorities and other key stakeholders to identify an early adopter to apply an interim National Low Emission Framework (NLEF) approach to put in place Scotland’s first low-emission zone by 2018. A number of local authorities have already expressed an interest in their Local Air Quality Management 2016 report to explore the feasibility of a low-emission zone.

The Scottish Government provided funding to collect National Modelling Framework (NMF) traffic data for Glasgow and Edinburgh in 2016, with similar data to be collected for Aberdeen and Dundee in early 2017. Informed by the NMF outputs, local authorities will use the final NLEF appraisal process during late 2017 to both identify the most appropriate location(s) for a LEZ, and underpin a Traffic Regulation Order to support LEZ enforcement.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-06502 on 6 February 2017. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-06502 on 6 February 2017. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at

Marine Scotland has a number of initiatives to support creelers and hand-divers as well as other commercial fishing sectors operating in Scotland’s inshore waters. Those initiatives are in line with Marine Scotland's Inshore Fisheries Strategy, which aims to create a more sustainable, profitable, and well-managed inshore fisheries sector in Scotland.

For brown crab, velvet crab and lobster, Marine Scotland recently announced new landing controls to help protect stocks. Those controls, which apply to some of our most important inshore stocks, will come into force later this year. In addition an increased minimum landing size for king scallops is to take effect on 1 June 2017 - a very important species for the dived sector.

A key objective of Marine Scotland's Inshore Strategy is to improve data collection. To help deliver this, Marine Scotland initiated a survey of the static gear sector with the aim of better understanding fishing effort around the coast.

More generally, inshore fishermen around Scotland are able to input directly into fisheries management through our Regional Inshore Fisheries Groups (RIFGs).

Creelers and divers can also apply for support through the European Marine and Fisheries Fund (EMFF). In addition, the Scottish Government is, through the EMFF, funding the University of St Andrews £1.5million to manage a Scottish inshore fisheries research programme.

Marine Scotland has a number of initiatives to support mobile gear vessels as well as other commercial fishing sectors operating in Scotland’s inshore waters. These initiatives are in line with Marine Scotland's Inshore Fisheries Strategy, which aims to create a more sustainable, profitable and well-managed inshore fisheries sector in Scotland.

For the king scallop sector, new management measures are to take effect from 1 June 2017 to help protect this valuable species. This will see a new minimum landing size introduced as well as new controls on dredge use within 12 nautical miles.

The Scottish Government is also supporting a phased introduction for the landing obligation, where species are added gradually to the list that must be landed. This will give vessels an opportunity to trial and adapt their fishing methods before the full landing obligation is brought into force in 2019.

More generally, inshore fishermen around Scotland are able to input directly into fisheries management through our Regional Inshore Fisheries Groups (RIFGs).

Mobile gear vessels can also apply for support through the European Marine and Fisheries Fund (EMFF). In addition, the Scottish Government is, through the EMFF, funding the University of St Andrews £1.5million to manage a Scottish inshore fisheries research programme.

The Scottish Government works in partnership with the Scottish Sea Angling Conservation Network to promote recreational sea angling as a low impact activity and encourages responsible angling through the dissemination of educational material and a range of outreach activity ().

The Scottish Government also work closely with a wide range of bodies to develop and grow marine tourism. The Strategic Framework for Scotland’s Marine Tourism Sector is focused on the sustainable growth of Scotland’s marine tourism sector, and seeks to develop and grow the sector in line with the ambitions and targets of the national tourism strategy – Tourism Scotland 2020 ().