Portfolio Question Time – in the Scottish Parliament at on 10 September 2025.
Audrey Nicoll
Scottish National Party
To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with Seafood Scotland regarding the development of the Scottish ocean cluster. (S6O-04898)
Mairi Gougeon
Scottish National Party
I was fortunate to join Seafood Scotland for the launch of its ocean cluster project at the Seafood Expo Global conference in May. The project represents a welcome new approach to maximising the value and sustainability of our seafood industry by focusing on the critical opportunity of utilising industry by-products that have traditionally been underutilised or simply discarded. I am hopeful that the project will drive further innovation and sustainability in our seafood while, at the same time, maximising the value that we get from those products.
Audrey Nicoll
Scottish National Party
The Scottish ocean cluster has the potential to drive innovation and entrepreneurship in the blue economy by creating value from underutilised sidestreams. A successful Iceland ocean cluster—a model that Scotland seeks to emulate—has generated high-value jobs in engineering, artificial intelligence, product design and biotechnology, thereby contributing to vibrant and sustainable local economies. Furthermore, that ocean cluster has driven substantial growth in Iceland’s biotechnology sector and has resulted in the establishment of its first unicorn company, which creates high-value medical products from fish sidestreams—namely, cod skin. The Scottish ocean cluster would have the added benefit—
Liam McArthur
Liberal Democrat
Question.
Audrey Nicoll
Scottish National Party
—of access to our established biotechnology and innovation facilities. Does the Cabinet secretary agree that that development has significant merit, and will she agree to meet me?
Mairi Gougeon
Scottish National Party
Audrey Nicoll has raised some really important points. It has been exciting to see what has been developed in Iceland. We can only hope to build on that ambition and make the most of the opportunities that exist in Scotland to capitalise on innovation and new funding streams.
I am more than happy to commit to a meeting with Audrey Nicoll. It would be beneficial to include Seafood Scotland in the meeting, so that we can discuss the project in more detail.
Finlay Carson
Conservative
The Cabinet secretary very helpfully accepted my invitation to join cockle fisher stakeholders at a meeting in Newton Stewart in July. At that meeting, she committed to come back with a progress report on the approach to opening a sustainable cockle fishery on the Solway. Will the cabinet secretary provide an update on progress?
Mairi Gougeon
Scottish National Party
I thank Finlay Carson for the meeting that I held with him and his constituent on such a fishery. We had a really helpful discussion. I am still waiting for more information from officials, but I will keep him updated. When I receive that information, I will look to discuss the issue further with him.
Question Time is an opportunity for MPs and Members of the House of Lords to ask Government Ministers questions. These questions are asked in the Chamber itself and are known as Oral Questions. Members may also put down Written Questions. In the House of Commons, Question Time takes place for an hour on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays after Prayers. The different Government Departments answer questions according to a rota and the questions asked must relate to the responsibilities of the Government Department concerned. In the House of Lords up to four questions may be asked of the Government at the beginning of each day's business. They are known as 'starred questions' because they are marked with a star on the Order Paper. Questions may also be asked at the end of each day's business and these may include a short debate. They are known as 'unstarred questions' and are less frequent. Questions in both Houses must be written down in advance and put on the agenda and both Houses have methods for selecting the questions that will be asked. Further information can be obtained from factsheet P1 at the UK Parliament site.
The cabinet is the group of twenty or so (and no more than 22) senior government ministers who are responsible for running the departments of state and deciding government policy.
It is chaired by the prime minister.
The cabinet is bound by collective responsibility, which means that all its members must abide by and defend the decisions it takes, despite any private doubts that they might have.
Cabinet ministers are appointed by the prime minister and chosen from MPs or peers of the governing party.
However, during periods of national emergency, or when no single party gains a large enough majority to govern alone, coalition governments have been formed with cabinets containing members from more than one political party.
War cabinets have sometimes been formed with a much smaller membership than the full cabinet.
From time to time the prime minister will reorganise the cabinet in order to bring in new members, or to move existing members around. This reorganisation is known as a cabinet re-shuffle.
The cabinet normally meets once a week in the cabinet room at Downing Street.
