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I will address my comments initially to Matt Bailey, as they are about the Inverness and Highland deal. Matt, you talked about the ability to act quickly, and one of the things that I have questioned in the past is the issue of flexibility. You will be aware that some of that flexibility has been used for work on the Corran Narrows crossing.

In November 2023, the UK Government signed off on £20 million-worth of the funding for the deal being used for infrastructure. Last month—27 November—the Scottish Government signed off on £28 million for a new electric ferry. A year is a long timeline between decisions on what is essentially the same project—a new ferry for the Corran Narrows crossing. On the logistics side, why was there such a difference between when those decisions were made?

I will use that again as an example. I am a great supporter of having a new ferry or a new crossing, and there are arguments as to what it should be, but I wonder about the principle of flexibility and taking money out of what I think would have been road projects—the A9/A96 link and the A9/A82 Longman junction—and using it in areas such as ferry replacement that are a standard part of Highland Council’s budget. Is that a concern for the council, or was it something that was considered quite deeply? That is something that may be an issue for other councils as well.

Thanks very much.

For that flexibility to be allowed, did the project have to be totally different? Rather than just being a straight replacement of the existing ferry with maybe another diesel ferry, which some people in the local area would want, did it have to be something that could meet the obligations of the deal in terms of climate or the like?

Lastly, on that point, the budget for those pieces of transport infrastructure has not come close to being utilised yet, although that may well happen. Has there been an issue in terms of transport delivery? Have there been particular reasons why that budget has not yet been used as fully as the others have?

I am using that as an example, because I appreciate that there is not necessarily one area responsible. Was that a delay within Highland Council or within the decision making of the Scottish Government, or was it to do with the two Governments having to sign off?

That is very clear. You are suggesting that there is no economic impact, and, in cases in which there might be, you prioritise those. Is that the position of the organisations and other stakeholders that you work with, or have they raised concerns with you?

Good morning. What assessment do you make of the economic impact of the backlog on your customers and on the wider economy?

Thank you, deputy convener. I have nothing to declare other than the fact that I am a partner in a farming business and the owner of a registered croft.

With the digitisation, how do you evaluate duplication? Do you have an administrative process to avoid or reduce duplication in applications and the like? Have you already got on top of that?

The amounts of money for AI that Willie Coffey mentioned are relatively small. Do you anticipate that, if what you are trying works, they will increase significantly over the next few years?