 Rhywun taeth, mae'r maen nhw'n cyfrifyn i fy Nghymru yn ymddïdau'r cyfle yw ddweud bwysig. Rwy'n digwydd, mae gennych i gyd yn rhoi yn ymddi, erbyr iawn i ysgrifun a gwylosieddiaeth i ddefnyddiadau, rwy'n neud â'r yarnhau, rwy'n creu'n dgynnidol. Rhyw unrhyw gwr, Richard Leonard,�u weld eich gunaidd gael. Rwy'n credu'n cael ei ddych yn gyffoesio, ddim yn unrhyw'n dechrau'r union ddyn nhw. In addition to regular engagement with the STUC, further meetings have been held to discuss specific issues with individual unions. Most recently, I met Emmanuel Cortez, the general secretary of the TSA, on 25 October. As part of my regular engagement with the STUC, I will be meeting ASLEFR and TNT SSA tomorrow, where I imagine a number of issues will be discussed. The three major railway trade unions all oppose the Scottish Government's proposal to wind up British transport police's operations in Scotland and absorb the service into police Scotland. They cite the need for a distinctive police service for the railway. The Deputy Chief Constable of the British Transport Police told this Parliament's own Justice Committee just last week that the dual control of the transport police's function would lead to even more train delays and railway crimes being downgraded. My constituent Lucy Milton, an employee of the British Transport Police who lives in Airdrie, wrote to me and said and I quote, "...there isn't a thought for those of us lying awake at night wondering how we will support families or indeed how the service we have worked so very hard to provide will be delivered once this is over. They don't care what happens to us. How do you answer Lucy Milton, the Deputy Chief Constable, ASLEFR, the RMT and the TSA and the other transport experts why don't you drop the bill?" I hope that you won't repeat that, minister. I'll keep my answer brief. I'm going to be engaging with unions tomorrow, as I said, and I'll be keen to hear some of their concerns and see if I can give them the necessary reassurance. What I would say to your constituents and those who oppose it, a couple of things. First of all, we're giving a lot of assurances, protecting numbers of staff, protecting terms of conditions for BTP officers, but most importantly, ensuring railway expertise is maintained on the railways. I recognise that British Transport Police officers join British Transport to be on our railways, not to be out in the beat, out in the streets, so we'll protect that railway expertise. The last thing I would say is why we're doing what we're doing. We were elected on that manifesto of BTP integration. I remind the member, of course, that we've got more votes combined than that party and, of course, the main opposition, so that's the rationale of why we're doing what we're doing. I'll consult with the unions, I'll consult with the British Transport Police and, of course, I will consult with anybody else who has any concerns over the British Transport Police integration, but police numbers and terms of conditions will be protected. I thought that that was something that he would welcome. Oh dear, all hope has gone. I call John Scott, please. To ask the cabinet secretary if, when he last met the rail unions, if he discussed with them the need for repair and to better maintain the fabric of the rail station at Prestwick Airport. It wasn't raised in the last discussion that I had with rail unions. I'm more than happy to discuss it with the member to take it away and see if I can bring them some of those assurances and take the issue up with Network Rail. Second question, Mark Ruskell, please. To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides to third sector organisations that seek to build a case for the reopening of rail lines and stations. Government provides advice to Transport Scotland if requested, third sector organisations and others on the application of its transport appraisal and business case guidance. That guidance is published on Transport Scotland's website. Mr Ruskell? I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. He may not be aware that the Nubra station group recently unsuccessfully attempted to apply for funds in the national lottery to develop a STAG report after five council had exhausted funds supporting the STAG process for the critically important leaving mouth rail route. Does the cabinet secretary agree with me that the planning of our 21st century rail network should not be dependent on a lottery game? Will he commit to providing enough funds to examine the cases of all emerging rail projects while also reviewing the STAG process to make it more streamlined, transparent and cost-effective? I'm more than happy to discuss this in more detail with the member. I met the leaving mouth rail campaign and had a very good discussion with it. I think that the proposal has some merits and some questions that need to be answered. Five council are working on that. They did not raise the issue of funding for the STAG appraisal being an issue, but I agree with them that there is merit in looking at STAG appraisal to see whether it can be made at less cumbersome. I'm more than happy to do that and take that feedback. I'm waiting for the council feedback on the leaving mouth rail option. If there is a fully-costed and robust business case, all rail projects will be considered with angrifoedd. Rachael Hamilton The success has been demonstrated by the number of passengers travelling on the Waverly line from the Scottish borders and illustrates the positive impact that opening lines and stations have on rural communities. The minister is aware of the on-going campaign to reopen East Linton and Reston stations. Can the Scottish Government give an indication of when these much-needed stations will be reinstated? Rachael Hamilton When I last met all those stakeholders involved in the conversation, I mentioned the fact that the Scottish Government had increased its contribution to 50 per cent of the construction of those stations. I received a letter from the council saying that they wished to enter into further discussions. I will be writing back to them in the next few days, and I will make sure that the member is copied into that. I think that there is a way forward. We are committed—I'm sure that the councils are committed, as are the elected members—to see the reopening of East Linton and Reston stations. Willie Coffey To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish a detailed timetable for the installation of superfast broadband that will indicate when the service will be available in each area of Scotland. The planned deployment information, including anticipated timescales for the digital Scotland superfast broadband programme, is made available on the digital Scotland postcode checker. The DSSB programme will extend fibre broadband access to at least 95 per cent of premises by the end of 2017, and we are committed to extending superfast coverage to 100 per cent of premises across Scotland by 2021. The timetable for delivery will be dependent on the outcome of new procurements, which will begin next year. Willie Coffey For that answer, as much information and as soon as possible is the best option for communities and families so that they can get the best value for money about the data services that they plan to buy themselves. Can I also ask, in terms of the broadband contracts that the Scottish Government is delivering, how are we ensuring that we are also getting value for money? The member makes a valid point. Obviously, communities throughout Scotland are all keen to know when they may get access to superfast broadband. It is absolutely understandable, and we are absolutely not complacent about it. There are five stages in development in upgrading a green roadside cabinet, namely design, survey, build phase, connection and activation. Obviously, all members will understand that at any of those stages, at any one, there can be issues identified that will change the anticipated delivery date. That should be borne in mind in relation to timescales. The member also asks about value for money. I can assure him that that is a key consideration. Each quarter, the digital superfast broadband programme assures milestones delivered by BT against contractual targets. The assurance feeds into the level of payment that BT receives quarterly. If BT does not deliver, it does not get paid. There is a difference between making the service available in each area and connecting every household in that area as the Government is committed to doing. Does he understand the frustration that many people feel when superfast broadband lines go past their homes 18-months ago or two years ago? Announcements have made that it is in their area now, and they still have no idea when they might get connected. If Mr Rumbles had listened to my first answer, I did indicate that information is available on the digital Scotland postcode checker. Sorry, Mr Rumbles is interrupting from a sedentary position, but I absolutely agree that, as I said already, I am not complacent about this. I fully understand that those are perfectly legitimate concerns expressed by great many people, but I am pleased that bodies such as OFCOM have recognised and praised the progress that we are making in Scotland, and indeed OFCOM, who are the regulator, said that the progress in broadband is actually better than south of the border. I appreciate that recognition from the regulator themselves, but we are not complacent and we are aware of those concerns. Can the cabinet secretary please advise the chamber as to what is being done to encourage greater take-up of superfast broadband in areas where it has been delivered in order to allow more resources to be channeled into communities that currently cannot access superfast broadband? I think that a great many people are pretty keen themselves to access broadband where they can. I think that it is a reasonable point that the member makes. I will reflect on that to see if there is more that we can do. I am very pleased that he shares our absolute concern and our commitment to ensure that universal coverage is by 2021. Therefore, I will write back to the member to see if there are any ways that we can encourage take-up. I think that that is primarily a matter for each individual person, whether or not to take up services if he, she or they so wish. To ask the Scottish Government what actions it is taking to extend access to high-speed fibre broadband across the country. The digital Scotland superfast broadband programme will extend fibre broadband access to at least 95 per cent of premises in Scotland by the end of 2017. As outlined in the programme for government, the Government has put digital connectivity at the heart of its agenda and is committed to delivering 100 per cent superfast broadband access by the end of this Parliament. Thank you for that response. Clearly, you can measure the importance of broadband by the number of questions tabled about it. Given the enduring complexities of deploying fibre broadband cabinets and that it currently does not allow digital Scotland to give any specific detail regarding roll-out times and that many of my own constituents here in the very heart of Edinburgh still do not have access to fibre broadband, what is being done to ensure that the March 2018 deadline for roll-out will be met? There are really two answers to the question. First of all, we are delivering in two contracts throughout Scotland an investment by the Scottish Government with support from the UK Government and others of £400 million. That is the first thing, and that programme has been praised. As I mentioned by OFCOM, it has been acknowledged as being effective by Audit Scotland and it has actually been acknowledged as effective by the UK Government. That is the first thing. As I have already said in the answer to the first question, we shall be rolling out access by procurement process that shall be entered into next year. It is important that we do not rush that process, because progress was sought to be rushed by the UK Government in respect of their so-called mobile infrastructure plan. The result was that, instead of 78 masks being erected, only three were. The reason for that was that the preparatory work ascertaining the existing level of cover was not done. In other words, you cannot proceed with the roll-out of the contract for the remainder until you are absolutely sure what the specification is about those who already have it. That preparatory work is essential, but we are adhering to our timetables. I am very pleased that our progress has been recognised by the regulator, Audit Scotland and the UK Government. Let's hope that answers get shorter on questions. Edwin Mountain, please. A short question. Although fibre optic broadband is important in rolling out high-speed broadband across Scotland, there are some areas where it will not be appropriate or able to reach. I therefore would like to ask the Scottish Government what methods aside from fibre optic broadband will be cost-neutral to the end-user it is considering in those hard-to-reach areas many of which are in his constituency and my region. I think that, as I have indicated to the chamber before, the process of tendering next year acknowledges that one size does not necessarily fit all and will therefore need to be flexible enough to enable a variety of techniques to be adopted. It is a perfectly reasonable point that the member makes, but it is one that we are already pursuing. 5. Peter Chapman Let me declare an interest as a farmer. To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to address the reported concerns of farmers and industry representatives regarding new rules on linked holdings. Cap. 5. Peter Chapman An effective disease control, disease eradication and the protection of public health. The system has been developed collaboratively by a joint Scottish Government and industry working group to ensure that, whilst animal and public health are protected, the requirements are feasible for businesses, meet EU legislative requirements and do not impede trade. Peter Chapman I am grateful to the minister for that answer. He will be aware from his meetings with stakeholders and industry leaders that this change has caused a great deal of concern amongst the farming community. Can the minister explain why he is changing a perfectly good system when the new system is creating further anxiety and another hope to jump through at an already difficult time for farmers? Cabinet Secretary? The original question refers to reported concerns, but we are unspecified and they remain unspecified. I can tell the member that the working group included the National Farmers Union of Scotland. It developed those proposals along with us, so I do not think that it can be said that they come as a surprise. The direct answer to his question is twofold. First of all, the current system risks non-compliance with the EU rules and a fine of up to £3 million. That seems like a sensible matter to avoid if we can, and any prudent Government must do that. Second and most important is disease control. It is absolutely essential that we have a system of recording cattle movements and keeping records that protects against disease. Some of us here can recall what happened when Scotland was beset by disease and Mr Chapman himself as a farmer will be well aware of it. I will write to Mr Chapman with the details, but it is very important in principle for all members to know that the proposals are driven by the need to protect Scotland against disease of serious outbreaks such as foot and mouth. It is absolutely necessary for that. Everybody in the working group acknowledged that, including the NFUS, and that is why it is going ahead. Can the cabinet secretary tell us what progress is being made in implementing the 2016 cap basic payments loan scheme? I am very pleased to tell John McAlpine that the first payments under the national basic payment support scheme were paid to almost 12,000 farmers on Friday, last Friday, totaling just over £246 million. The funding will give our rural communities the security and certainty that they need to plan for the year ahead while driving forward the rural economy. I am very grateful to all the officials who successfully administered that payment to just under 12,000 farmers and £246 million. Finally, we would encourage the 5,000 farmers who receive a loan offer but have not yet replied to decide whether they wish to apply and, if so, to return the application slip as soon as possible. To ask the Scottish Government how many homes have exchange-only lines and no access to superfast broadband. The digital Scotland superfast broadband programme has connected more than 200,000 homes and businesses on exchange-only lines to the fibre network. By the end of the DSSB contracts, we expect that around 320,000 exchange-only lines will be connected. We will undertake an open market review later this year to determine how many premises will not have superfast broadband access delivered commercially or through the DSSB programme. That will allow us to determine an intervention area for our new investment programme, which will help to deliver our 100 per cent superfast broadband commitment. I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. Constituents from Fair Milehead to Balerno and Rathaw, who have exchange-only lines, are concerned that they only have access to basic broadband with very low download speeds. In some cases, as low as 0.8 bits per second. What steps are being taken to address this issue in semi-rural areas? When will they get access to superfast broadband? I can advise the member that his independence in the Fair Milehead exchanges that cover Balerno and Fair Milehead have been enabled for fibre, but not all homes of businesses have been connected yet. Constituents can check their details on the digital Scotland website or contact the DSSB team with any specific concerns that they have. I am aware of Mr McDonald's strong interest in this matter and I will write to him with further details about it. Can I apologise to the four members that I was unable to call? I am trying along with other Presiding Officers to get short questions and short answers to allow the people at the tail end to get in and will get there one day with your help. I have to move on to the next set of portfolio questions. Question 1, Iain Gray, please. To ask the Scottish Government what support it will offer the new National Marine Centre being developed at North Berwick. The Scottish Government's urgent support for the National Marine Centre in North Berwick is part of its successful application to the Heritage Lottery Fund. Marine Scotland officials sit on the project's marine advisory group, providing advice and support as it develops its subsequent application to the Heritage Lottery Fund, as well as other funding opportunities. Mr Gray. The National Marine Centre is a development of the Scottish Seabird Centre, which has a substantial track record of success, some 270,000 visitors per year, bringing people from all over Scotland and indeed the world to North Berwick. The marine centre project has the potential to expand that educational and tourism success into all aspects of the marine and coastal environment. As the cabinet secretary indicated, a major fundraising programme is under way, but further government support will be crucial to secure match funding to the lottery funds in order to allow the project to proceed. Will the cabinet secretary commit to seeking such an investment? I have indicated some of the support so far. I understand that a £3.5 million bid is being made to the Heritage Lottery Fund. I agree with the member that that is an extraordinary potential development and offers a very great deal. There is a funding gap of £2 million, and there will be potential funding applications required. One of those is to the Coastal Communities Fund. Round 4 awards will be announced in March 2017. Although the Scottish Government commits funding to the Coastal Communities Fund, ministers are not actively involved in the decision making for that, as the member no doubt understands. Although the Coastal Communities Fund funding officer is meeting with the project team to discuss details of the application on 18 November. To ask the Scottish Government how much carbon dioxide was released as a result of INEOS-importing shale gas from the United States. While the Scottish Government and SIPA hold a range of site-specific emissions data, the data on feedstock delivery and specific processes that take place within an individual site is not available. The Scottish Government does not therefore hold information on the CO2 emissions from imported ethane gas for particular sites. Emissions from the production of shale gas will be captured in the inventory of the country of origin. I thank the cabinet secretary for her answer. As she will be aware, climate change has no borders, is she therefore happy to not only be costing our economy jobs but also managing to cause a greater environmental impact at the same time? The Scottish Government continues to value the contribution that Grange Bifemates to the Scottish economy. We are supportive of the investment in efforts to ensure a sustainable future for the petrochemical and refinery business. Obviously, decisions about sourcing supply for that are a matter for the company, but we need to be extraordinarily careful, as we have seen in discussions over the past few weeks, about adopting any kind of gung-ho or rushed approach to this industry. It is the job of government to base decisions on evidence. The minister's statement made it very clear how we are going to proceed on the basis of the research that is available to us, and we will come to a considered judgment on unconventional oil and gas by the end of 2017. The report on unconventional gas decommissioning launched yesterday found big gaps in the regulations with the full costs of restoration unlikely to be known until the end of any project. Given the failure of the coal industry to successfully clean up the toxic legacy that is left behind in areas such as West Fife, will the cabinet secretary commit to including full liability for environmental clean-up costs in the Government's consideration of the economics of unconventional gas? Those are issues that clearly we will be looking at. I understand why there is a huge amount of particular concern around that. I can assure the chamber that the Scottish Government is treating the issue with the seriousness that it deserves. There were some indications from the experts' conclusions that there was a low risk of post-decommissioning well failure, but we are looking very carefully at all that, and we will be taking that into consideration as we move forward. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle the threat to Woodland from invasive rhododendron. Responsibility for the removal of invasive non-native species such as rhododendron lies with landowners rather than Government. The Scottish Government makes funding available to private woodland owners for rhododendron control projects under the Scottish Rural Development programme forestry grants scheme. To date, over £340,000 of FGS funding has been committed. Action on the national forest estate has already cleared an area of 5,131 hectares since 2011 on designated sites. Rachael Hamilton. I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. The Woodland Trust and National Trust for Scotland say that our trees and woods are under real pressure from rhododendron. Both are calling on the Scottish Government to focus the right resources and to give the correct priority to the eradication of this invasive species. Scotland has by far the largest population of rhododendron at 53,000 hectares, with the largest concentration in the west. Will the Scottish Government address the ecological issue before the situation gets beyond control? I have already indicated in my initial answer that landowners have also got to be involved in this. We are taking the threat to woodland from invasive rhododendron very seriously. We are currently in the process of finalising a national approach. The final draft of that is likely to be published in March 2017. No doubt, the member will be watching out for that with great interest. As I indicated, there is funding for private woodland owners. If there are individual woodland owners that the member is in touch with who have not actually applied for that funding, I would urge her to suggest that they do so. Claudia Beamish I ask the cabinet secretary further to that question what support is given for partnership working with NGOs, volunteers and public bodies in relation to the types of challenging invasive species. There is such a scourge on our countryside. I visited Scottish Wildlife Trust's Nethan Gorge reserve recently, and the start of Japanese knotweed is there. It is a very serious problem. The member is absolutely correct. Although rhododendron is probably the most invasive species that we have to deal with, it is not, by any stretch of the imagination, the only one with Japanese knotweed, giant hogweed or Himalayan balsam also being a particular problem. The same issue arises in respect of those that are landowners themselves who have the primary responsibility. One of the reasons that I indicated on the national forest estate, the work that has been done, is because, of course, Scottish Government is also a landowner. As our NGOs and other community landowners, land ownership brings with it huge responsibilities, that is one of them. The funding that is available does not mandate any particular working. We encourage landscape scale partnership work, specifically in designated sites, because, in reality, that kind of partnership working is what will help us to eradicate the pest. To ask the Scottish Government what lessons can we learn from the Central Scotland Green Network in relation to biodiversity. I'm delighted that the Scottish Government is supporting Europe's largest green space project, the Central Scotland Green Network. Its work is demonstrating that nature can thrive in built-up areas and bring a range of benefits for communities across the central belt. Its work includes everything from landscape scale initiatives such as Sevenloch's Wetland Park, large-scale green space improvements and small-scale initiatives such as window boxes. Its activity is also showing how biodiversity can revitalise neighbourhoods. For example, vacant and derelict land provides opportunities to green our urban landscapes, both temporarily and permanently. Mark Griffin I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. The Scottish Government launched Scotland's biodiversity a route map to 2020 last summer. Can I ask the cabinet secretary what progress has been made towards achieving the six big steps for nature? We continue to make progress in respect of biodiversity, but, as I have indicated in the meetings that I had just over this week, including with CSGN yesterday, we know that there is still a very great deal more to be done. That is where the linkage is right across all parts of this portfolio. One of the things that help in terms of biodiversity is to look at the kind of landscape partnership that we were talking about in the previous question. That means that even dealing with things such as rhododendron have a beneficial impact on biodiversity. The actions that we take across Government are important. We continue to make the progress that we are making while accepting that there is still a great deal more to do. Maurice Golden, please. The central Scotland green network can be seen as a building block towards a national ecological network. The Scottish Government's biodiversity 2020 strategy states that developing a national ecological network has proved challenging because there is not a consensus on what that is. In fact, the chief executive of SNH said earlier this week, what is it? No one knows. Does the cabinet secretary agree with me that there is a need to define what the national ecological network is to better target resources as well as embed across different areas, including land use strategy, marine policy, the biodiversity strategy and the national planning framework? I have to say that I try not to get drawn into extended arguments about specific definitions, having been involved in previous years when I was in some of this portfolio previously where people were even questioning the use of the word biodiversity itself. The member has probably been in that kind of conversation. We can spend a lot of time talking about definitions. However, what I would like to do is to be able to commend the examples such as the CSGN, who are in fact doing it anyway right across what might be seen as the most difficult part of Scotland in order to make those arguments. They are making them, they are winning, and some of the things that the CSGN is involved in are quite extraordinary. In a sense, it does not matter how you make the definition sound as long as you are doing it on the ground. To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to ensure that Scottish water maintains the highest standards of water quality. The Scottish Government recognises the importance of achieving high standards of drinking water quality. In the period from 2015 to 2021, Scottish water has been directed to make improvements to Scotland's drinking water at a cost of in excess of £500 million. Compliance with drinking water standards is assessed by the drinking water quality regulator for Scotland. In her 2015 annual report, she reported that at 99.92 per cent Scottish water had delivered record levels of compliance with legislative standards. I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. I wonder if she is aware that statistics recently published on Scottish environment show that the number of rivers and locks that are categorised as having poor water quality has increased by 17 per cent since 2011. Will the Scottish Government take more affirmative action to mitigate this problem and help to prevent the providential knock-on impact in riparian wildlife? The Scottish water is constantly keeping a watching eye on water quality. It is extremely important whether we are talking about locks, bathing waters or drinking water or whatever. There are a number of treatments under way that will help in that regard. If the member has any specific concerns that he wishes to raise, I would invite him to do so either through me or directly to Scottish water itself. The cabinet secretary will be well aware that SEPA and SNH work closely with the whisky industry to ensure the highest possible quality of water for both climate change and Scottish export market purposes. Will the cabinet secretary join with me in praising the collaborative work that has been carried out with Diageo and the environmental agencies, which created the new state-of-the-art closed loop distillery condenser at the new resile facility in Spacite? It certainly sounds like something that I would very much want to commend, but I thank the member for raising the issue. I am also aware from having fairly recently been at the launch of it that the Scottish whisky industry is now moving quite strongly in terms of environmental concerns and has, in fact, launched an environmental strategy of its own. I think that that is to be very welcome, because, after all, Scottish whisky is sold on to the international market on an image of clean water, of a beautiful environment, and it is very, very important when industries, when products are sold in that way from Scotland, that the industries involved in the production of those products realise that they too have a responsibility for that environment. To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made in implementing its circular economy strategy. Since making things last, our circular economy strategy was launched in February. I have opened the circular economy investment fund for bids from collaborative reuse and repair projects by SMEs and social enterprises. I have awarded over £2 million to East Ayrshire Council to implement the household recycling charter, with further support available to councils to deliver a consistent approach to recycling in Scotland, and I welcome that 20 local authorities have now signed up to the charter. Additional activity is under way by public bodies, partner organisations and, indeed, by other cabinet secretaries and ministers, as is a cross-cutting Government approach, which can only succeed if everyone plays their part. I thank the cabinet secretary for her response, and she answered the first part of my supplementary there, which was going to be about the household recycling charter. I would like to ask the Scottish Government what further work the Government will be undertaking with local authorities, given that they will be responsible for implementing many of the actions that are in the strategy. I apologise to the member for gizumping her in terms of her question. As I indicated, 20 of Scotland's 32 councils have signed up to the household recycling charter. It has been so successful thus far that, due to the close collaboration between the Scottish Government and COSLA that brought it about in the first place, that co-operation will continue as we start to implement the charter on the ground and as we take forward other elements of making things last, including the commitment to review the rural exemption for food waste collections. I think that it is fair to say that a number of the councils that have signed up are in the early stages of their transition planning for this, but the idea is to ensure that, as much as possible, we have a consistency across council boundaries of the way that recycling is done. We think that that will offer much more opportunity than is currently done so by the potential that is open with waste and recycling. Question 7. John Finnie, please. Thank you, Presiding Officer, to ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Ministry of Defence in the last year regarding the environment. Cabinet Secretary. Scottish Government and Ministry of Defence officials have had a number of meetings in the last year to discuss a range of environmental issues, including protected areas, radioactive substances and MOD plans for the marine environment. Mr Finnie. Thank you. I thank the cabinet secretary for that and indeed for a reply last week to the question asked to requesting the Scottish Government look at an assessment of the impact of the unmanned warrior MOD exercise. In reply to that, cabinet secretary, you said that the competent authority MOD has responsibility for undertaking any appropriate environmental assessments under relevant EU directives or EU legislation. Can you advise whether those assessments have been shared with the Scottish Government and, if not, will you request and publish them please? Cabinet Secretary. The member is correct. The Ministry of Defence is the competent authority responsible for all environmental matters related to defence under the relevant EU and UK legislation. We discuss a number of things with them. There has been a fairly recent meeting with MOD officials to discuss the proposed Inner Hebrides and Minches special area of conservation for harbour porpoys. Marine Scotland also maintains a regular relationship with the MOD. We obviously want to assist them where possible to deliver on their environmental obligations. I will need to double check for the member whether or not, since we don't in a sense own them, whether or not we are able to publish the environmental assessments. I will get back to the member when I have established that. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce carbon emissions. Scotland is a world leader in tackling climate change with ambitious statutory targets and strong progress to date. Our policies and measures include expanding renewable energy production, improvements in energy and resource efficiency, transition of transport to a lower carbon basis, expansion of renewable heat and sustainable land use. Scottish emissions in 2014 were down by 45.8 per cent from baseline levels, meaning that we have exceeded the level of our world leading statutory 2020 target to reduce emissions by 42 per cent from baseline levels six years early. I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer in the spirit of tears questions. Can I ask what further measures and action can be taken by the Government to reduce carbon emissions from transport? Well, as the member might expect, I might suggest to him that one of the things he could do is ask the minister for transport directly. I can advise the member that with the drawing up of the climate change plan that will be presented, the draft climate change plan that will be presented to Parliament in January, there will be a number of transport-related measures in that plan and I no doubt he will be looking forward to that with some interest. Thank you for moving on to the next item of business. I apologise to the two members who were not taken but we are improving. We will now move on to the next item of business. I will give members a moment to exchange front benches.