Scottish Government consultations

We sought views on the proposed river gradings for the 2023 salmon fishing season and on a regime to enhance catch and release rates to 100%, either through the use of voluntary or mandatory measures. The consultation opened on the 10 August and closed on 9 September 2022.

There were 211 responses to the consultation from individuals (77%) and organisations (23%). Nearly half of respondents (47%) supported the proposed river gradings while a third (33%) objected to them and a fifth (20%) had no specific view for or against the gradings. A few respondents (7%) indicated that they believed the proposed grade assigned to a specific river was incorrect and should be changed.

Nearly half of respondents (46%) supported a 100% catch and release policy in some form, although only a minority (18%) supported the use of mandatory measures to achieve this. Over two thirds of respondents indicated that they would like to see action taken on other pressures impacting wild salmon populations  including predation (53%) and fish farms (41%), either in parallel with or instead of changes to the catch and release regime. A number of respondents indicated a range of potential impacts of a 100% catch and release regime, including deterring anglers from the sport (39%) and the economic impact on businesses that benefit from angling (26%). The majority of respondents (41%) felt that the introduction of a 100% catch and release policy, either through voluntary or mandatory measures, should be reviewed annually.    

The views given on the proposed river gradings have been used to inform the process of finalising the gradings for the 2023 fishing season, which will be used in the annual amendment to The Conservation of Salmon (Scotland) Regulations 2016.

Whilst no specific plans for the introduction of a 100% catch and release policy were laid out, this consultation sought the views of stakeholders on encouraging voluntary measures or introducing mandatory measures to achieve a 100% catch and release policy. An additional aim was to highlight how post-catch mortality can be reduced by adhering to catch and release best practice. There are no plans to change the existing approach to catch and release, however the views received will help to inform policy development in the future. Actions that contribute to further the protection and restoration of wild Atlantic salmon populations will be set out in the Wild Salmon Strategy Implementation Plan.

As part of the Roadworks Consultation 2022, we asked the Roadworks community, and wider public, for views on two elements within Roadworks policy, these were qualifications and Reinstatement Plans. Regarding qualifications we sought views upon the appropriateness of the current model, to inform plans for any future reform. Regarding Reinstatement Plans we sought views on timescales related to the issue of, amendment of, or update to, a Reinstatement Quality Plan by any organisation. In total, there were four questions to answer; three for Qualifications, and one for Reinstatement Quality Plans. The consultation opened on the 13 July 2022 and ran for eight weeks ending on 8 September 2022.

In total, forty one responses to the consultation were received, from utility undertakers, roads authorities, informed individuals and members of the public. Brief analysis of these responses is detailed below. If we receive additional responses after the closing date they will not feature in the analysis, but will be considered if relevant.

It is clear from the consultation that there are mixed views surrounding prescribed ranges for numbers of operatives and supervision activities. However, on the question of other types of qualifications required, it is clear that there is an appetite for a bespoke ‘inspectors’ card, which was recommended in some cases to be the existing supervisors "Streetworks Card". Furthermore, on Reinstatement Quality Plans, having initially proposed an sixty day period for submission of Reinstatement Quality Plans, strong support and evidence was given to increase this to a ninety day period.

The responses to the consultation have now been fully considered. Regarding qualifications, this will clearly require a longer piece of work to review which may not require any new legislation. It may be that there are other methods to drive consistency in this area. We look forward to working with the community and the office of the Scottish Road Works Commissioner in looking into this further. On the matter of Reinstatement Quality Plans, as a result of this consultation, we are minded to progress the necessary Scottish Statutory Instrument with a ninety calendar day period for initial Reinstatement Quality Plans.

We will now use the information to support the Roadworks policy stance and amend legislation if required.

For your comments and input regarding proposals to extend reporting requirements to include Scottish public bodies for the publication of modern slavery statements as part of work to improve Transparency in Supply Chains.

You told us that you were principally in favour of the proposal for the requirement for reporting on TISC to be extended to public sector bodies, including broad support for the specific topics likely to be mandated within modern slavery statements. However, there were concerns raised as to the resource implications that would be associated with this requirement.  Additionally, many responses queried the proposed enforcement measures and the use of Civil penalties for non-compliance.

We analysed the responses provided and summarised the key themes and feedback to feed into policy development ahead of the proposed publication of the UK Modern Slavery Bill.