Public Petition

Item 4 is consideration of petition PE96, from Allan Berry. We have discussed the petition. It was referred to the Rural Development Committee and the Transport and the Environment Committee, because it requests an independent inquiry into the environmental impacts of sea-cage fish farming.We agreed, in principle, to support an inquiry and to appoint reporters to look into the matter. The reporters' remit was to give further consideration to the issues that the petition raises and to examine the possible mechanisms and terms of reference of such an inquiry. The reporters unanimously agreed a paper, which has been circulated to the committee. The Rural Development Committee considered and agreed that paper at its meeting on 19 December. The matter was discussed again on 16 January, and the Rural Development Committee agreed that, if this committee agreed with the recommendations of the report, the conveners of both committees would write to the Scottish Executive seeking a progress report on the matter.I ask the committee to accept the recommendations of the report and to agree that the conveners of the Rural Development Committee and the Transport and the Environment Committee should write to the Scottish Executive.Members indicated agreement.

We will take a break while the witnesses arrive.