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I absolutely agree. I have real concerns about people who are on key meters and who do not even have the option not to pay the electricity bill—they will go without completely. It is scary.

My next question was whether the panel feels that it would benefit householders if renewable energy that is generated in Scotland was not sold back to the National Grid but instead remained in Scotland. Again, Bill Scott has just answered that, so I have no further questions.

Do the witnesses feel that the policies that are included in the “Warm affordable homes” part of the plan have enough of a focus on tackling child poverty? For example, there is funding from Home Energy Scotland, which is going to provide £42 million in grants and loans to help with making homes warmer. However, we are now seeing what appears to be an ever-increasing cost of living and increasing fuel costs. To what extent might the policies be counteracted by those increases? I put that question to Alison Watson.

I will keep this brief, because many of my questions have already been answered.

Does meeting the 2030 targets require a radically different approach from the one that has been taken to meet the 2023-24 targets? Would the concepts of a minimum income guarantee or a universal basic income be feasible options, in terms of affordability and effectiveness, that the Government could explore to tackle poverty?

I put that question to Jack Evans first.

I want to bring you in, too, Dr Lowes, but as a final supplementary, can you expand on the answers to my previous question by saying whether the price cap should be extended to regulate non-domestic customers such as those not on default tariffs or who are not on the gas grid and are heating their homes with fuel oil or petroleum instead?

Thank you very much, Dr Lowes. I will pass back to the convener now.

I am not sure whether you have anything to add to that, Dr Hannon, but do you agree that the price cap should not be able to be lifted by more than a set percentage point in a particular financial year? I know that there has been some discussion about timescales in that respect, but would such an approach not provide some certainty to consumers? After all, the jump has been huge.

Good morning. We have touched on a lot; I want to ask about the price cap. Dr Lowes, you have pointed out that people have not yet felt the full impact of high energy costs and that they will struggle when the colder weather comes in later in the year, especially given that prices are set to rise again.

Do the panellists think that the price cap that is set by the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets is fit for purpose? Will Ofgem’s proposals to boost resilience in the energy sector, for example by introducing financial stress testing for suppliers and increasing the number of times a year the price cap can be adjusted, have a material impact on the market? I put that to Tim Lord, in the first instance.

Good morning, minister. I missed the first question so I apologise if this has been touched on already.

The committee heard evidence that there are major differences between different local authorities in relation to support for kinship care. I have constituents who have had issues with the transfer of cases between different local authorities. How can the Scottish Government aid that situation? What difficulties has the Government faced with implementing a national rate of allowance for kinship carers?

I appreciate the assurances that the minister has given in this regard, but do we think that people will be hesitant about coming forward to request a transfer because they fear that they might lose out? As has also been touched on this morning, will any information campaign take account of that? On top of that, does the minister believe that the more person-centred and dignified process that Social Security Scotland—in contrast to the DWP—is following will be useful in encouraging people to come forward for that transfer?

Good morning, Mr Hebblethwaite. Given that your company was facing imminent collapse, can you outline how the remuneration for senior staff and executives has been reduced alongside that of seafarers?