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In the work on procurement that you have carried out with organisations such as local authorities, is there some sort of clause that there should be a trail when it comes to products’ end destination?

Are there opportunities to maximise the circular economy benefits? Are supporting enterprises innovating more in that area?

Absolutely.

That is good to know. Thank you.

I have some questions about the statutory targets for 2040 and how they apply at the national and local authority levels. There are interim targets for 2030 and 2035, but they seem to apply only at the national level. Do you expect local authorities to face difficulties? If so, what plans are in place to see whether work is being done by certain local authorities, particularly those in rural areas, to meet those targets? What challenges might they face?

It can.

Notwithstanding the Audit Scotland report, it is incumbent on the committee to ensure that some of the other challenges are addressed. That might involve writing to CalMac Ferries on access to its ferry services, given that they are a lifeline for the communities in our islands. We can ask what is being done about camper vans, emergency access to get to hospital on the mainland and access for white vans, given that ferries underpin island economies.

In light of the report that we received—it is a fantastic and comprehensive report and I thank you for it—how are cold weather payments aligned with the fuel poverty strategy? Do they work in tandem or do the payments form part of the strategy? I will be slightly parochial here: there tends to be a lot of colder weather in East Kilbride because we are higher up. How will cold weather payments be applied? I wonder about the weather stations that are used. Has that issue been considered as part of the fuel poverty strategy?

With regard to public procurement, what impact assessment, if any, has been done to determine the implications of the legislation being rolled out? There are a variety of frameworks in place, even at the local authority level. How will you be able to align things in that respect? You talked about bringing in a ban within six months, but what work has been done on that? Could there be a legal challenge from companies that are part of the tender frameworks?

I suppose that I should have asked about what the barriers are, rather than about pushing our outcomes.