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I wrote to stakeholders on 16 December providing an update on our plans for quota management and licensing in Scotland. This set out in broad terms our plans to have a phased implementation of quota and licensing arrangements in Scotland during 2009. A report summarising the views received to the consultation was also released at this time.

Due to the focus on the very important year end fisheries negotiations, I considered it sensible to delay final decisions until early in 2009. An interim outcome of consultation report setting out the Scottish Government initial response to the consultation will be issued in January. Following a short period of consultation, measures to be adopted under a Scottish quota and licensing system will then be set out in a final outcome report.

The Scottish Government commissioned an independent economic appraisal of the Scottish European Green Energy Centre from EKOS Ltd, which set out the economic impact, strategic fit, and rationale for market intervention of the Centre.

The Scottish European Green Energy Centre business plan envisages a full staff complement of 10. A copy of the business plan has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 47164)

The Scottish Government received advice on the benefits of establishing the Scottish European Green Energy Centre from a range of organisations. In particular, the economic rationale for intervention was established through independent consultancy advice and the Centre''s objectives and work priorities were refined following detailed discussions with the European Commission, the Energy Technology Partnership, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Scottish Enterprise, Scottish Development International, Scotland Europa and the Scottish EU Energy Network, which comprises representatives of the public, private and voluntary sectors.

The benefits of establishing the centre have been recognised by both the EU Energy Commissioner and by the UK Government former Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform in correspondence with the First Minister.

The Scottish European Green Energy Centre''s work programme for the next 12 months is set out in its business plan (under the heading Three Year Plan). A copy of the business plan has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 47164).

The Scottish European Green Energy Centre business plan envisages funding from a range of sources, including the Scottish Government, other public and private bodies, and European Structural Funds, where applications have been submitted to the current round in both the Lowlands and Uplands and Highlands and Islands programmes. A copy of the business plan has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 47164).

The principal remit of the Scottish European Green Energy Centre is set out in the centre''s three strategic aims:

Promoting the internationalisation of sustainable energy research

Fostering good practice in the development and deployment of green energy, and

Supporting sustainable economic growth and the European Union''s sustainable energy targets

Further details of how these aims will be realised are contained in the centre''s business plan, a copy of which has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 47164)

The Scottish European Green Energy Centre business plan sets out how the Centre will work in partnership with these organisations. This partnership working will be essential to the activities of the Centre in practice, although the business plan does not envisage this being a formal requirement.

We anticipate that the set-up costs of the Scottish European Green Energy Centre, including the economic report establishing the business case for the centre and the official costs involved in the centre''s study visit to Norway, will be less than £50,000 in the current financial year.

Anticipated annual running costs are set out in the centre''s business plan, a copy of which has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 47164), and are budgeted at £800,000 for 2009-10; £1,000,000 for 2010-11, and £1,100,000 for 2011-12.

We had no formal discussions with any external stakeholders about our proposals prior to the publication of the Scottish Government Response, to the final report of the Committee of Inquiry on Crofting, because no small farmer needs to be worse off as a result of our decision to focus the scheme on crofters.

Small farmers who are not crofters are currently eligible for grants under both the Crofting Counties Agricultural Grants Scheme and the Rural Priorities part of the Scotland Rural Development Programme. In future they will continue to be eligible for support on the same financial terms under Rural Priorities. Or, it they wish to retain access to both schemes, they will need to convert their landholdings to crofting tenure.