 The next item of business is topical questions, and we start with question number one from Liam Kerr. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the national strategic assessment of serious and organised crime 2018. The Scottish Government welcomes a publication of the National Crime Agency's strategic assessment of serious and organised crime 2018. The assessment presents a high-level picture of serious and organised crime in the United Kingdom and contains a specific section on Scotland, which draws on information that is largely provided by Police Scotland. Police Scotland has primacy for serious and organised crime in Scotland and constantly assesses emerging and existing threats. It does so in collaboration with all law enforcement agencies based at the Scottish Crime Campus at Garp Cosh. Liam Kerr, I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. Presiding Officer, the Scottish sectioners of this report, referred to by the cabinet secretary, co-authored by the national crime agency in Police Scotland, is very clear. The threat from organised crime gangs is increasing in Scotland and not only is the threat from these gangs increasing, it is diversifying into new forms of activity. The report highlights on-going feuds, violence and firearms incidents, particularly in the central belt, so does the cabinet secretary think that this is good enough? The information that is contained in the report is intelligence and information that is provided by Police Scotland to the national crime agency on these matters. Is it correct to say that there are a small number of organised crime groups in Scotland that are presently undertaking a feud that has resulted in some serious gang-related violence that we have seen in public spaces in Scotland, particularly in the Glasgow area, which is wholly unacceptable? What I can say to members in the chamber today is that Police Scotland is doing everything possible to reduce the risk to the public from targeted acts of violence that take place in public places. Although I am sure that members will recognise that it would not be appropriate for me to set out in detail the specific nature of the work that has been taken forward by Police Scotland on those matters. There are operational matters for Police Scotland, but I am briefed on those matters on a regular basis by senior officers from Police Scotland and those from their organised crime and counter-terrorism unit. Members can be assured that those are issues that are taken very seriously by Police Scotland and that they are determined to make sure that the actions of this small number of feud and crime groups is dealt with appropriately and that there is a trail of action that is taking place and not to deal with it effectively. Thank you, cabinet secretary, for that answer, but the cabinet secretary avoided saying whether he thinks it is good enough. I will tell him what the public thinks it is not. Will he be analysing and reporting back which part of the Government's strategy to tackle organised crime has failed and why? The report also revealed that not only do criminals have ready access to firearms, but they are willing to use them in public places. What action will be taken in response to this news and how will progress be monitored? Put simply, how is he going to get the guns off our streets? I appreciate the member's interest in the matter, but he fundamentally misunderstands how those matters are addressed by the Police and Warr enforcement agencies in Scotland. The Serious and Organised Crime Strategy is a joint strategy, a multi-agency strategy, which is Scottish Government, Police Scotland and other crime enforcement agencies at the Crown Office and a whole range of public and private sector organisations that collectively come together in order to tackle Serious and Organised Crimes in a whole range of different areas within Scotland. For example, the work that they do in Divert in order to prevent people from getting involved in it is extremely important and is taken forward by a range of agencies. The deter strand, which is taken forward again by a range of different strategy agencies, helps to deter people from getting involved in it. Also, the disrupt elements that are taken forward largely by our law enforcement agencies are extremely important. The information that is contained in the assessment that is made by the NCA is information provided by Police Scotland. That is not new information. That information feeds into the national strategy that has been in Scotland to deal with it. One of the things that is very evident from the creation of a single police force is the co-ordinated action that we are now able to take in addressing Serious and Organised Crime. As I have mentioned, the spilling out of the feud of some of those organised crime groups on to the streets of some of parts of Scotland is wholly unacceptable. However, I can assure the member that Police Scotland takes those matters very seriously and takes robust action in order to deal with those matters. However, the information that is contained in the NCA report is not new information. It is Police Scotland's information that forms that information, and it is key to the delivery of the strategy in tackling those matters. Daniel Johnson The report talks about Serious and Organised Crime working across borders, specifically mentioning the ports of Loch Rhine and Cairn Rhine, and highlighting significant connections between gangs in the north-west of England. Given that, what work Police Scotland and the Scottish Government are undertaking to work with the Home Office and Police colleagues throughout the UK to ensure that intelligence is shared and that activity is co-ordinated? Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport. The member is at a very important point, because there is an issue in terms of how the Serious and Organised Crime groups operate, and very often they do not recognise any type of boundaries between different countries, including coming from Northern Ireland and also from south of the border. A key part of the work that Police Scotland takes forward is sharing information and intelligence with other law enforcement agencies within the UK and internationally in order to deal with those matters. The teams at Gartcosh and the Organised Crime and See and Counterterrorism Unit are responsible for taking forward those measures and sharing that information as and when that is appropriate. The member will also be aware recently of the success of operation escalade that resulted in a number of significant normals from organised crime groups, based in Scotland, being convicted and given very lengthy prison sentences. A key part of the work that they took forward in dealing with those matters is sharing appropriate information and intelligence with other law enforcement agencies to help to support them in taking forward that work. That work goes on an on-going basis. Having the crime campus at Gartcosh has provided that central hub that allows a range of different agencies—some 18 different agencies Scottish and UK and international agencies—to work in a collaborative fashion to tackle those matters effectively here in Scotland. Does the cabinet secretary agree with me that it is essential that Police Scotland remains able to utilise the European arrest warrant to combat those crimes effectively? I will sign off. It builds on very well with the point that was raised by Daniel Johnson. That is the need to make sure that we can share intelligence and information as and when it is appropriate, because those organised crime groups do not recognise domestic or international boundaries in perpetrating their crime. The European arrest warrant is absolutely critical in helping to support that work. The loss of the European arrest warrant could significantly hamper our ability to tackle serious and organised crime here in Scotland. It is still not clear, in any shape or fashion, as to how the UK Government intends to address that issue in the Brexit discussions. Alongside that, the work that we undertake with Europe, which is the sharing of intelligence through different police agencies, is critical in being able to track individuals who are involved in organised crime. The loss of access to that type of intelligence will again compromise Scotland's ability to tackle those matters. As yet, we have no clarity from the UK Government on how those types of issues are going to be addressed. The European arrest warrant will all play a very important part in helping to support us in addressing serious and organised crime here in Scotland. However, to date, it is unclear how the UK Government will address those issues once we have left the European Union. In my view, that potentially compromises our ability to tackle serious and organised crime here in Scotland as effectively as we are at the present moment. To ask the Scottish Government whether the powers to evolve to the Parliament over onshore oil and gas licencing under the Scotland Act 2016, which commenced in February, give ministers the authority to take decisions on granting and extending petroleum exploration development licences for onshore fracking? The Scottish Government welcomes the devolution of powers of the powers on February 9, 2018, to issue and manage onshore oil and gas licences to Scotland. The powers transferred to Scotland through sections 47 to 49 of the Scotland Act 2016 and related subordinate legislation provide Scottish ministers with a wide range of powers over the administration of onshore oil and gas licences, including the granting of or extension of petroleum exploration and development licences. I thank the minister for that response. Will the minister be able to seek to ensure that the initial term of pedal licence 162, owned by Ineos and Reach, which covers 400 square kilometres of a Scottish central belt, will not be extended and that its licence will cease on 30 June this year? What is the process by which the licence will be considered? I hope that Ms Beamish will understand that I do not want to prejudge any application that we have made to ministers in the same way as the integrity of the planning system is very important. We have only just received those powers. Any request for extensions to a licence would be taken on a case-by-case basis in regard to our policies in place at the time, but I want to reassure the member that those are matters that we take of great seriousness and we will be taking forward our plans to develop a framework around onshore oil and gas licencing. I thank the minister for that further answer. I wonder if the minister could clarify for the chamber and those in communities across Scotland who have concerns about onshore fracking, whether the Scottish Government now holds powers to revoke a licence or whether that remains with the UK Government. I return to the previous answer that I gave to Claudia Beamish, which is to state that we are grateful for the quickness of the devolution of powers following the statement in Parliament in October last year. We received commencement of the powers in February 9. We now have the powers, including granting of or extension of petroleum exploration, development licence or, indeed, to refuse to extend, if need be, but I would not want to discuss any specific licence at this point. I hope that, as Beamish understands, I do not want to undermine an impartial and clear transparent process that we would hope to deploy. When it comes to meeting our energy needs, does the minister share my view that this Parliament's focus should be on the importance of the renewable sector and, regrettably, that the UK Government has failed to provide this vital sector with the support that it requires? Very briefly, that is hardly to the point. I would agree with that. In the past, perhaps, there has been too much focus on fracking at UK level. We have encouraged UK ministers to take a greater interest and support for renewable industries. I had a recent meeting with Claire Perry in the oil energy conference in Glasgow and I have reason to believe that Claire Perry is more progressive than perhaps some of our predecessor, so I hope that we will have more fruitful ground. However, I take on board the member's point. I very much agree with him that renewables is the way to go and that we should put our energy into making sure that we have a low-carbon future in Scotland. Thank you. It has now been almost four years since the public inquiry concluded into the UK's first commercial planning application for coal-bed methane near Earth. The decision still sits in limbo on the planning minister's desk. Isn't it time that the Scottish Government gave communities the certainty that they deserve, using the legally watertight planning powers that they have now, and shutting the gate on their neos in the fourth valley? The minister will be aware that there is a live court issue in this, so just be careful in responding. Indeed, Presiding Officer, in any case, I can see only a limited amount in this that the appeals remain sisted and it is a matter for the DPAA to decide what the next step should be in each case. Thank you very much, and thank you, Mr MacDonald. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I recall in his statement to Parliament on October 3 last year that the minister made clear that the Scottish Government's preferred position was subject to the completion of a strategic environmental assessment. Will the minister update Parliament on that process, and will the minister confirm that he will update Parliament following the completion of the strategic environmental assessment and any bria that is undertaken? The member makes a very good point. We are embarked on the strategic environmental assessment, which is a requirement of the 2005 act, and we are, as I have set out in my statement, commenced. We expect that strategic environmental assessment to conclude in the summer, and we would undertake any other statutory requirements in reaching our preferred position. That is all that I can really say at this stage. Thank you very much, minister, and members. That concludes topical questions.