 Ond, mae gennym ni'n amddangos i ymddangos ymddangos ymddangos, ddim yn cysylltwu'r cysyllt ymddangos yn Landerfyrn. Rwy'n dechrau David Torrance.men, ddim yn cysylltu'r cysylltu ymddangos, ddim yn cysylltu'r cysylltu ar gyfer y cyfnodau cyrgynedd, ac mae'n cyfnodau i gyfnodau. Cymru, Roseanna Cunningham. Rwy'n dechrau'r cyfnodau gyda'u cynhyrchu yn ymddangos i'r gyfnodau llyfrinolau and position Scotland to take advantage of a green economy. We are taking action to optimise existing support so that Scotland's energy-intensive industrial sites are better positioned to access funding opportunities that will help them to deliver emissions savings whilst remaining internationally competitive. We are also providing practical and financial support to local authorities in tackling local air pollution hotspots. That includes a total of £4.5 million in annual funding. I have met with several local businesses who are keen to convert their fleets to electric or hydrogen. A common concern was the challenge of balancing investment in new technology and effective and sustainable operational performances with their desire to commit to a clean energy future. Can the cabinet secretary advise what role the Scottish Government can play in assisting this transition? The Scottish Government offers interest-free loan funding for businesses and consumers to purchase ultra-low-emission vehicles through the electric vehicle loan scheme that is delivered by the energy saving trust. We have also invested around £30 million to increase publicly available charging to more than 1,200 charge points on the charge-place Scotland network. Ask the Scottish Government whether it is on track to meet net zero emissions by 2045. The Scottish Government is almost halfway to achieving net zero with a 47 per cent reduction in emissions between 1990 and 2017. That strong progress is recognised in the recent report from the Committee on Climate Change. In line with that report, we also recognise that more will need to be done to reach net zero by 2045. That is why we are currently updating our climate change plan to reflect the new targets. The committee's advice for the UK Government is also clear that it must step up and match Scottish policy ambition in areas where key powers are reserved. The committee on climate change published in December criticised the Scottish National Party Government for lagging behind both England and Wales on designing a future farm funding system that encourages environmentally friendly farming. It identifies that as an area where the policy levers exist here at Holyrood and urgent action are required to meet the 2045 target. Can the cabinet secretary explain what is taking so long? I thank the member for his question. I note that my colleague, who is the actual cabinet secretary for the rural economy, has now left the chamber. However, I can tell the member that I have a number of conversations with Fergus Ewing, including this week about the extent to which agriculture is going to have to contribute to achieving net zero by 2045. As the member may have heard, the First Minister said that there was a cabinet discussion on Tuesday about the overall issue in terms of Scotland achieving 2045 net zero. That includes the range of actions right across everything that is contained within the climate change plan. Of course, that includes agriculture. Can the cabinet secretary advise the chamber what assurances of Scottish Governments received from the UK Government that, in the key areas that it has responsibility for, such as carbon capture and storage, decarbonisation of the grid and increasing the pace of vehicle transition, it will take action in the coming year to ensure that Scotland can meet the 2045 target? I can advise that, in spite of having written on multiple occasions to call for action in the many specific reserved areas that are flagged up by the Committee on Climate Change, it is a pity that we have received no substantive assurances whatsoever from the UK. Given that the Scottish Government has very slow progress on decarbonising heat to date and citizen advice Scotland's recent call for greater investment and action on tackling heat emissions, what new action will the Scottish Government take to tackle emissions from heat to help Scotland to reach net zero? I am sure that the member will have listened to my earlier responses. We are currently in the process of doing the very quick revisal, the update to the existing climate change plan. The question of heat decarbonisation is a key one that will need to be addressed. We are looking at the potential for actions, but it is also one of the key ones where action from the UK Government will be required if we are going to be able to achieve what we need to achieve in order to get to net zero by 2045. People really need to go and have a look at the detail of what the UK Committee for Climate Change flagged up as the division between devolved and reserved requirements in this respect, because it is a real issue for us achieving our net zero targets. Mark Ruskell, last night's challenging George Monbiol documentary on channel 4 emphasised the scale of the changes that may be needed globally for our food production in order to meet net zero targets. Although there will be those who are threatened by that message on the week that Greg's vegan steakbakes arrived in the shelves in Scotland, what is the Scottish Government doing to ensure that we are capturing the economic and environmental opportunities that are being driven by consumer demand for reduced meat diets? I thank the member for inadvertently having given me some advance notice of the supplementary that he was going to ask. I did not actually see the programme to which he refers. I am however conscious of the debate that is taking place. There are a couple of things that I should say in addition to what I have already said in respect of agriculture, which I will not repeat. Yes, there is a global challenge. However, if we try to attach global solutions to local conditions, the situation in Scotland, particularly when it comes to livestock production, is very different indeed. I know that the member understands that, because we have already had a bit of that conversation. It is something that my colleague Fergus Ewing is looking at very carefully, and we are very conscious of the need to deal with the issue of agriculture emissions, but we need to do that in a fair way that recognises the future for that industry and the likely continued future for that industry. Dietary changes are always to be welcome, particularly when it comes to increasing fruit and veg intake, which is a health issue as well as a climate change issue. However, we need to do so in the context of the existing Scottish agricultural system and not presume that what we see globally in terms of mistakes being made are being repeated in Scotland, because they are not. Question 3, Maurice Corry. To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to maximise the crown of state's coastal assets, including enhancing the opportunities for marine sport and tourism activities. Crown of State Scotland's draft corporate plan 2020-23 includes a proposal for a coastal asset strategy. That will seek to maximise the potential of their coastal assets through their efficient management and development. The draft corporate plan also sets out options for crown of state's Scotland investment, including in supporting the growth of Scotland's blue economy. Activity over the coming years will include a focus on marine tourism, including, potentially, marine sport activities and on helping coastal communities to manage their local marine resources. Maurice Corry. I thank the cabinet secretary for her reply. A sailing tourism in Scotland report states that Scotland's £130 million sailing tourism economy is set to grow by as much as 28 per cent in the next seven years and identifies further opportunities for private and public investment in critical infrastructural developments to meet growing demand. Can the cabinet secretary outline today what the Government is doing to encourage further growth and development of specific assets, such as the Rhu Marina in Rhu in the Firth of Clyde area? I am aware of the member's interest in the Rhu Marina. Helensburg has already been active in that regard. Since Crown of State Scotland has taken over, it has worked with Rhu Marina on a number of improvement works. Marina was recently awarded for gold anchors by the Yot Harbour Association, so there is considerable progress taking place there. In the more general sense, clearly the issue of Scotland's coast and waters is something that we want. I know that other colleagues of both the members and other parts of the chamber are keen to continue to push for the development of Scotland's marine environment and the potential for development. However, there are issues that need to be addressed in terms of how we balance those two things. That allows me to take the opportunity to put out a big advert to Scotland's year of coast and waters, which is 2020. I expect that there will be another big signifier for our increasing marine tourism in Scotland. To ask the Scottish Government what flood prevention action will take place following the completion of the Enver Clyde integrated catchment study. The integrated catchment study will provide detailed information regarding flooding mechanisms from overland flow, sewers and water courses. Once the study is complete, responsible authorities will be in a position to consider what actions should be taken to manage flood risk in Enver Clyde. I thank the cabinet secretary for that reply, and the cabinet secretary will be very much aware of my interest in the issue of flooding in Enver Clyde and the cabinet secretary visited Enver Clyde another years ago. The study will be hugely beneficial for infrastructure planning in Enver Clyde for many years to come, and it is important that the study is maintained for that going forward. However, can the cabinet secretary provide an update on the funding for flood prevention infrastructure that has been provided to Enver Clyde Council since 2007, and what has been requested from Enver Clyde Council for the remainder of this parliamentary session? I need to remind the chamber of the way that we do flood funding in Scotland. In 2016, we agreed a 10-year flood funding strategy with COSLA, which is funded from the local authority capital settlement and amounts to a minimum of £42 million per year. 80 per cent of the annual funding supports delivery of the flood protection schemes identified in the flood risk strategies that were published by SIPA in 2015. Four of those schemes are within Enver Clyde, and the council has received all the required funding from the Scottish Government to take forward those schemes. The remaining 20 per cent of funding is distributed annually among all Scottish local authorities based on their shared properties at risk of flooding. Since 2007, the Scottish Government has provided Enver Clyde Council with £2.9 million from the local authority capital settlement to support delivery of flood protection schemes within Enver Clyde, and that is the four that I was referring to earlier. Future funding will depend on what schemes are taken forward and what priorities they are given. Dylunia Cresyn? I will beware that, back in November, I raised the worrying issue that four years on from the flooding that devastated Newton-Stewart, we are still awaiting a much-needed flood protection scheme. Can the cabinet secretary give us an update on any discussion that she has had with Dumfries and Galloway council and outline what role she could have in playing to ensure that a scheme can be delivered as a matter of urgency? I understand that a flood order has been waiting to be published since the summer. I think that it would be helpful if the member was to speak to me directly about the very specifics of that. In the general sense, it is for local authorities to be the ones to bring forward the schemes. I do not micromanage that. If there is a very particular issue in terms of what seems perhaps to be a bit of a bureaucratic blockage, I am happy to engage with the minister on the specifics around that. How it plans to uphold environmental standards in Scotland when the UK leaves the European Union? We are committed to maintaining or exceed EU environmental standards whatever the outcome of Brexit. Despite the three years of uncertainty, we have been working to ensure that the four key environmental principles continue to sit at the heart of policymaking and law in Scotland and intend to legislate for domestic governance arrangements. An announcement will be made before the new continuity bill is introduced. Cabinet secretary, for that answer, the original withdrawal agreement contained a commitment to maintain environmental protections, but that has now been removed, as I understand it. Does the cabinet secretary agree that that is appalling, given the current climate crisis, that the UK Government wants to move away from the standards and protections for our environment that are offered by European Union regulations? It is clear that, in the face of the twin global crisis of climate and biodiversity, we should be increasing our efforts and working more closely with other countries, not loosening our ties and turning back the clock on environmental protections. It appears to me to be inexplicable that the UK Government appears to be moving in that direction. I hope that that apparent movement turns out not to be the case, but that it is a worrying development. There is no doubt about that. We will, of course, resist any moves that would lessen our freedom to maintain and strengthen our environmental protections in Scotland. On that theme, reflecting what an SNP policy commitment to Greenpeace was as part of the UK election, will the Scottish Government set, I quote, legally binding long-term and interim targets to clean up our air, soils, seas and rivers, and in trying to commit to develop policies that will reduce Scotland's global environmental footprint and restore nature in Scotland, particularly important in the present circumstances? We are working very hard to take that work forward. At the moment, as the member knows, we are in the business, as I indicated, of ensuring that the environmental principles are statutorily based. We are looking at environmental governance for this year. We are currently, as we have only just been given sight of the UK Government's environment bill, and some of the implications there for devolved matters. We are having to look very carefully at what the implications of that are, but the member knows that it is my full intention, as I indicated earlier, that what we do will not just reflect the EU as it is currently standing in terms of its protections, but continue to do so as the EU improves and to look where we can go further and better, even if that is the case. To ask the Scottish Government whether the timetable for its proposed legislation in foxhunting allows sufficient time for it to pass within the current parliamentary session. It is obviously exactly a year since the minister said that she would bring forward a bill during the course of the current parliamentary session, so I welcome the commitment that is reinforced again today. Can the minister tell us that, given the length of time that it takes to pass legislation and the fact that it would only have 18 months left in the current parliamentary session, when exactly she will publish the pre-legislation consultation, and when exactly will she publish the bill and bring it forward to the Parliament? Can she give a clear commitment to the people of Scotland that Boxing Day 2019 will be the last tallyhole for foxhunting, and this cruel practice will be consigned to the history books where it belongs? I thank the member for that question, and I completely understand that I have met Colin Smith and other members to discuss the proposals that I had announced in January last year. I hope that he could understand, as well as other members across the chamber, that we set out our planned legislative timetable in the programme for government. Subject to the content of the year 5 legislative programme being agreed to and to parliamentary timetable and timetabling in the extensive and wide-reaching impact of Brexit, we need to see how that pans out. Those are still very much our plans to bring forward a bill, and we have sufficient time in hand out with all those other issues to progress that. We will bring forward our proposals and consult on those proposals in due course. To ask the Scottish Government what impact the Animal and Wildlife Bill will have once passed on the penalties for those who commit animal welfare offences, including foxhunting. Mary Hussion, minister. If passed, our animal and wildlife bill will increase the maximum penalties for existing serious domestic animal and wildlife offences, including offences against foxes, and it will increase those penalties to potentially unlimited fine and five years imprisonment. And also, very importantly, as part of that, it increases the statutory time limit on wildlife crime offences, and that essentially allows Police Scotland more time to investigate, gather evidence and undertake forensic tests. Increasing the statutory time limit was one of the recommendations that had been made by Lord Bonomy in his review of the protection of wild mammals act, and that's a key aspect of the proposals that we're putting forward. Acute question 7, Sandra White. Thank you, Presiding Officer. To ask the Scottish Government when it last met representatives of SIPA and what issues were discussed. I met with the SIPA board on 26 November 2019 to discuss priorities for the future, including tackling the global climate emergency. My officials regularly meet with SIPA on a variety of different issues. Sandra White. I thank the cabinet secretary for that response, can I draw the cabinet secretary's attention to the current situation of the river Clyde? Would the minister agree that an essential cleanup is required for the river Clyde? As Glasgow will be hosting many events this year, most notable is the COP26. Will the minister seek assurances from SIPA that the river Clyde will be assessed and that those responses will be obliged to act on that assessment? The Clyde needs a long-term strategy to ensure the maintenance of the river and the surrounding areas. The Government is, of course, looking forward to playing a central role in leading and driving ambition at COP26. We are leading the UK on tackling the climate emergency, and that should be celebrated. On the specifics of the question, monitoring and long-term investment in improving the Clyde is on-going. River Clyde water quality has improved significantly since 2017, thanks to the co-operation of multiple stakeholders, including Scottish Water, SIPA and local authorities. The Clyde is now classified as good in a number of aspects. Between 2010 and 2021, Scottish Water will have invested £610 million in its wastewater assets to ensure that sewage is treated properly before it is discharged into the Clyde. Scottish Water is also investing £15 million to improve the river Kelvin, which is a tributary of the Clyde. Keep Scotland Beautiful has established the upstream battle project that aims to educate communities and support clean-ups in the Clyde valley and increase awareness of the harmful impact of litter. The ultimate goal of that project is to stop litter from getting into the Clyde. Scottish Government is one of a number of funders and has provided £30,000 to the project. More widely, the Scottish Government's Water Environment Fund, which is administered by SIPA, has helped to restore natural habitats by removing fish barriers and concrete channels to allow fish to reach the upper reaches of the Clyde catchment. That fund has invested £3 million in river restoration projects near Hamilton and Shots. If there are specific issues that are of concern to the member, I am sure that SIPA would be happy to discuss those with her directly. Thank you very much to ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to protect open ground habitats such as peatlands and grasslands, which are critical to the conservation of curlew. We are using a range of measures to protect the habitat of open ground bird species such as the curlew. Those include the protection of suitable habitat within Scotland's statutory protected areas, as well as the management of habitats under the Agri environment climate scheme, with £31 million committed for wader management under the scheme to date. I am also pleased to note the recent award by SNH of more than £156,000 to curlews in crisis Scotland under the Scottish Government's biodiversity challenge fund to help to increase suitable breeding areas and reduce predation at sites in Caithness and Ayrshire. That will play a crucial role in our efforts to improve nature and help Scotland to meet its international biodiversity commitments. I believe that Lewis MacDonald may be a species champion for the curlew. Indeed, I welcome that award, which the cabinet secretary will recall. I pressed her to support on a previous occasion. She will also recognise the need to balance new forest planting to sequester carbon with the need to protect species and habitats such as the curlew in order to support biodiversity. Will she therefore authorise a spatial mapping assessment to guide future forestry planting decisions and to protect safe breeding habitats in the future? I think that the member is probably aware that it would not be for me to make that decision. It would be for my colleague, the cabinet secretary for the rural economy more correctly, the cabinet secretary for forestry. I will raise that directly with him. I think that the member is raising a very legitimate point, which is for us to understand over a range of different issues, on the balances and consequences that might arise. We need to grow more trees, we need there to be, increase to carbon capture through green infrastructure such as tree planting, but we have also got to think about the consequences for biodiversity and all of that. Some of the work that we do has immensely positive biodiversity impacts such as peatland restoration. Forest planting has a slightly different issue to address, and I will ensure that my colleague Fergus Ewing has the member's concern in front of him. There is survey work and environmental information that is required already under the forestry grant scheme. The member seems to be asking for something more strategic and widespread, and I will ensure that that is brought to my colleague's attention.