Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Act 2024

5 Reports on rural support plan

(1) As soon as practicable after the end of each plan period under section 2, the Scottish Ministers must prepare a report.

(2) The report must include—

(a) the total amount of support or other relevant assistance provided during the plan period (including the monetary value of any support provided otherwise than as financial support),

(b) the amount of support provided—

(i) under each support scheme in operation during the period,

(ii) otherwise than under a support scheme,

(iii) to third party schemes,

(c) a description of the way in which any support provided otherwise than as financial support has been provided,

(d) the distribution of support provided (including geographically and by sector),

(e) the Scottish Ministers’ assessment of—

(i) the effectiveness of the strategic priorities set out in the rural support plan,

(ii) whether any specific outcomes contained in the rural support plan have been achieved,

(iii) the progress made (if any) in respect of the objectives set out in section 1, and

(iv) the impact of any exercise of their powers under section 11, including by reference to the amount of support that would otherwise have been provided.

(3) The report may also contain such other information as the Scottish Ministers consider appropriate.

(4) The Scottish Ministers may also prepare—

(a) interim reports about the amount of support provided during any period within a plan period,

(b) other reports about the support that has been provided.

(5) The Scottish Ministers must, after preparing a report under this section—

(a) lay a copy of the report before the Scottish Parliament, and

(b) publish the report.

(6) In this section, “relevant assistance” means financial assistance provided by the Scottish Ministers under or by virtue of another enactment (including, in particular, assimilated law governing the CAP direct payment schemes and assimilated direct CAP legislation for a purpose similar to a purpose described in schedule 1).