³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ

The published budget for the Scottish Government covers 2017-18. There are currently no budgets beyond this. The changes to the SRDP budgets up to 2020 are indicative forecasts to ensure that the EU funds are maximised under the Scottish Rural Development Programme. The Scottish Government had no choice but to amend the SRDP budgets, due to the expectation that Scotland’s overall discretionary budget is expected to be 9.2% lower in real terms in 2019-20 compared to 2010-11.

This has been compounded by the failure of the UK Government to transfer
£160 million of CAP convergence funding which rightly belongs to Scottish farmers and crofters, despite repeated requests to do so, and cross party support from the Scottish Parliament.

The annual indicative budget for the Crofting Agricultural Grant Scheme has not been reduced, and the indicative budget for the Small Farms Grant Scheme remains at a level which will meet the demands of the scheme.

The Scottish Government, working in partnership with the Scottish Funding Council, will commission an independent evaluation of the Fund.

As stated in the Fund guidance, employers have the right to appeal a decision made by the college on their application for training. Appeals should be made to the Scottish Funding Council.

The Flexible Workforce Development Fund is designed to be responsive to the needs of levy-paying employers in Scotland. An employer is required to demonstrate their eligibility to pay the UK Government Apprenticeship Levy in order to access the Fund. A successful application will be required to identify the skills gaps the employer aims to address and how the funded activity will contribute to increased productivity.

As stated in the Fund guidance, colleges are expected to work with employers to support the application process.

Skills Development Scotland is currently in the process of concluding the procurement process for Graduate Level Apprenticeship starts for 2018-19. The total number of Graduate Level Apprenticeship starts in 2017 were 394.

As part of our plans to grow and expand the Modern Apprenticeship programme, the Scottish Government is working with Skills Development Scotland on determining growth projections for 2019-20 to 2020-21.

The Fund provides the flexibility for an employer operating in more than one region to submit their application to the college of their choice.

The Scottish Government has promoted the Fund through a variety of media channels and has encouraged stakeholder groups to promote the Fund to their members and networks.

Information on opportunities for the progression of the bioeconomy in Orkney is not held centrally.

The bioeconomy is one of four priority sectors set out in 'Making Things Last - A Circular Economy Strategy for Scotland' (available at ). The Scottish Government recognises that food waste and production is a significant source of carbon emissions, and a more circular approach to the beer, whisky and fish sectors could lead to potential savings of £0.5 billion per year.

Circular economy-related SME support is being extended by up to £30m of EU funds up to the end of 2018.

The Zero Waste Scotland Circular Economy Service and £18 million Circular Economy Investment Fund will support SMEs to exploit circular economy opportunities by changing their products and business models and by collaborating with supply chains and academia.

The Zero Waste Scotland ‘Bioeconomy Accelerator’ under the Circular Economy Investment Fund is supporting innovative projects in partnership with IBioIC to enable transformative projects and maximise collaboration between business and research.

As set out in our draft Scottish energy strategy (available at ), we want to enhance our understanding of the role bioenergy can play in decarbonising Scotland’s energy system. That is why we have committed to developing a whole system Bioenergy Action Plan.

No publication date has been set for the Bioenergy Action Pan but we will be engaging with a wide range of stakeholders across Scotland over the coming months to shape the development of the plan.