Rural Deliver Plan: Ministerial Working Group minutes - October 2024

Rural Delivery Plan – Ministerial Working Group

1 October 2024 – 12:00-12.45

Introductory Remarks 

1. Ms Forbes welcomed everyone to the meeting.
2. Ms Forbes gave a brief update on actions from the previous Ministerial Working Group (Paper 2), with no comments. She mentioned that the changed scope of the Rural Delivery Plan had been communicated to the Ministerial Working Group members on 6th September.

Paper 3

3.  Ministers were content, subject to consideration of the following points:

 

• Further consideration of structure should be undertaken, to ensure that key portfolios are represented appropriately.
• Aspects of rurality as they relate to wider portfolios, and cross-cutting topics (in particular, the just transition to net zero), should be woven throughout the draft.
• Where universal investments are included within the RDP, these must be clarified, and their particular interest to rural communities made clear.
• Ensure sufficient emphasis on ways of working to achieve outcomes, across portfolios and engaging communities.
• Embed and reflect the voice of those living in Scotland’s rural areas.

 

4. Ms Forbes noted the overarching invitation for ministerial colleagues to provide any further feedback on Paper 3 to officials via email.

 

Action Point (a): Members to provide any additional comment by correspondence to the Rural Policy Unit on Paper 3 by 25th October 2024.

 

Paper 4

• Issues with consultation fatigue amongst rural stakeholders were noted, and the implications for communication of the RDP once it is published were raised. Ministers proposed further engagement between officials and existing sectoral engagement plans.

 

5. Ms Forbes noted the overarching invitation for ministerial colleagues to provide any further feedback on Paper 4 to officials via email.

 

Action point (b): Officials will continue to engage with policy leads, existing engagement plans and participation teams to identify appropriate stakeholder engagement events.

Action point (c): Members to provide any additional comment by correspondence to the Rural Policy Unit on Paper 4 by 25th October 2024

Action point (d): Members to share policy development and action taking place in their portfolios on the Just Transition with the Rural Policy Unit by 25th October 2024.

 

Rural Lens Toolkit

Paper 5

6. Members were updated on the progress of the Rural Lens Toolkit. The following points were raised for consideration:

• The interaction between the Rural Lens Toolkit and Island Community Impact Assessments (ICIAs) or similar tools
• The critical nature of communication for the success of the Rural Lens Toolkit (and more widely, the Rural Delivery Plan), in particular the choice and clarity of the language used.

 

Next Steps

7. Ms Forbes noted that an updated Rural Delivery Plan with proposed Key Performance Indicators would be available for discussion at the next meeting. The launch of the Rural Lens Toolkit should also be discussed and approved in the next meeting.

 

Next meeting

8.  The date for the next meeting of the Ministerial Working Group will be confirmed.

 

Mari-Anne Valli

08 October 2024

Attendees and apologies

Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic Kate Forbes (Co-Chair)

Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands Mairi Gougeon (Co-Chair)

Gillian Martin, Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy

Neil Gray, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care

Jenny Gilruth, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills

Angus Robertson, Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture

Dr Alasdair Allan, Minister for Climate Action

Natalie Don-Innes, Minister for Children, Young People and The Promise

Jim Fairlie, Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity

Ivan McKee, Minister for Public Finance

Paul McLennan, Minister for Housing

Gregor Irwin, Director of General Economy

Graeme Logan, Director of Learning

Louise Macdonald, Director of General Communities

Anna Densham, Deputy Director, Land Reform, Rural and Islands Policy

David Fleetwood, Deputy Director, Strategy (SCS 1), Directorate for Strategy

Donald Henderson, Deputy Director, Nature Division, Directorate for Environment and Forestry

Iain Wallace, Deputy Director and Portfolio Lead for Operational Delivery, Marine Directorate

Paula Spiers, Deputy Chief Operating Officer, NHS Scotland

Erica Clarkson, Islands Policy Unit and Islands Lead

Brian Grogans, Head of Rural Policy Unit

Kate Anderson, Rural Policy Unit and Rural Delivery Plan Lead 

Donald Inch, Rural Policy Unit 

Mari-Anne Valli, Rural Policy Unit

Jonathan Inglis, Transport Scotland Strategy & Analysis

Alice Storrie, Private Secretary, Minister for Climate action 

Donne Joyce, Deputy Private Secretary, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands 

Rachel Palmer, Deputy Private Secretary, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands 

Lauren Jefferies, Deputy Private Secretary, Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic

Robbie Baillie, Deputy Private Secretary, Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic

Grant Moncur, Private Secretary, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills

Megan Taylor-Smith, Assistant Private Secretary, Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture 

Samantha Burns, Deputy Private Secretary, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care

Ellie Fairgrieve, Private Secretary, Minister for Public Finance

Ellie Munro, Private Secretary/Deputy Private Secretary, Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity

Michael Sinclair, Private Secretary, Minister for Children, Young People and the Promise

Emily Hornsey,  Assistant Private Secretary, Minister for Housing

Items and actions

Action Point (a): Members to provide any additional comment by correspondence to the Rural Policy Unit on Paper 3 by 25th October 2024.

 

Action point (b): Officials will continue to engage with policy leads, existing engagement plans and participation teams to identify appropriate stakeholder engagement events.

Action point (c): Members to provide any additional comment by correspondence to the Rural Policy Unit on Paper 4 by 25th October 2024

Action point (d): Members to share policy development and action taking place in their portfolios on the Just Transition with the Rural Policy Unit by 25th October 2024.