Category: Policy
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What we achieved in this parliament
Scottish voters will go to the polls next month in an election that will bring a massive turnover in elected representatives. As many as half of the MSPs being sworn in are likely to be fresh faces, and – regardless of the winning party – the Cabinet and Ministers will look very different. The 2021-26 parliament…
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Scotland has a new law to restore nature. Will the next parliament deliver?
The passage of the Natural Environment Bill is a victory for campaigners who’ve been pushing for statutory nature targets for close to a decade. The government’s press release said that: “When set, the targets will ensure Scotland is on a bold and ambitious journey to be ‘nature positive’ by 2030 and has actively and substantially restored…
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The Natural Environment Bill part 4 – deer management
A summary of Part 4 of the Natural Environment Bill, covering deer management.
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Scottish Parliament: my evidence at committee
Highlights from a recent appearance at the Scottish Parliament’s Rural Affairs and Islands Committee on the Natural Environment Bill.
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The Natural Environment Bill part 3 – National Parks
A summary of Part 3 of the Natural Environment Bill, covering National Parks.
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The Natural Environment Bill part 2 – Powers to modify environmental regulation
A summary of Part 2 of the Natural Environment Bill, related to Environmental Impact Assessments and the habitats regulations.
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The Natural Environment Bill part 1 – targets
A summary of Part 1 of the Natural Environment Bill, which will require legal targets for the restoration of nature.
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UK ministers must not miss chance to heed devolution
This first appeared in The National, on Saturday 5th April 2025. When Scotland votes in the Holyrood election next year there will be voters casting their ballot who were born in 2010, when Scotland had its fourth First Minister and was preparing for the fourth election of the devolution era. Devolution is not new – and the…
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Climate change: Scottish farming needs help to reduce its stubbornly high greenhouse gas emissions
First published in the Scotsman. There was good news and bad news in Scotland’s latest climate emissions statistics, published last week. The good news is that our emissions have fallen significantly over the past decades, down nearly 50 per cent since 1990. The bad news is that we missed our 2021 target, meaning we have even…