MSPs to quiz Marine Directorate Science Lab

A committee of the Scottish Parliament is to visit the Marine Directorate Science Laboratory, as the MSPs prepare to scrutinise the government’s budget plans.

The Rural Affairs Committee has announced the visit as part of its Pre-Budget Scrutiny, taking place on Monday next week.

The committee undertakes pre-budget scrutiny of the overall rural affairs and islands portfolio budget annually. This year however, it agreed to include a particular focus on the Marine Directorate’s budget including fisheries management operations and science.

Committee Convener Finlay Carson MSP and Member Emma Roddick MSP will attend the meeting.

Speaking in advance of the visit, Committee Convener, Finlay Carson MSP, said; “Scotland is lucky to have a rich marine environment, but we’re rightly increasingly conscious of the need to balance how we use our seas with wider environmental considerations.

“The Marine Directorate’s research and enforcement capabilities are fundamental to achieving this balance. We hope this visit will help us better understand how the Marine Directorate’s budget enables it to carry out this role.

“Our insights will feed into the recommendations we make at the end of our pre-budget scrutiny, the outcome of which we hope will influence budget allocations for 2025/26.”

The committee ran a call for views ahead of its pre-budget scrutiny from 1 July until 9 August. In September, the committee will take evidence during a round-table discussion with stakeholder organisations and academics on 4 September – and hearing from the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform & Islands on 25 September.

Separately, the committee’s follow-up inquiry into the Scottish salmon industry is still ongoing.