Seòmar agus comataidhean

Yes—it is a new social contract.

Thinking about infrastructure, you mentioned the 1989 act. The Winser report highlighted that there perhaps needs to be greater alignment across the UK in consenting processes. Is it possible for us to make progress on that in Scotland without further devolution of powers under the 1989 act, or are there reforms, particularly on infrastructure consenting, that we can bash on with?

Green hydrogen is important as well—

We are not alone; countries around the world are considering how to ensure that there is a just transition away from oil and gas and how to do that in a responsible way that meets current and future energy needs. A lot of the conversations in that space have involved the Beyond Oil & Gas Alliance. I think that the previous First Minister indicated that the Scottish Government would seek to join that conversation at some point and to be part of that alliance, which includes countries such as Wales, Ireland, Denmark, France and New Zealand. Where are things at in that regard? Do you know, through your role as cabinet secretary, where those international conversations are at? Will we be looking to join BOGA at an appropriate level in the months to come?

My final question is about other sectors that are perhaps not highlighted in the draft energy strategy as much as some people would like, such as the solar, tidal and wave energy and battery sectors. What is your sense of whether we have the right balance of targets and market signals for each of those sectors? I will not say that they are all identical to onshore wind; they are at different stages of development and closeness to market. What is your sense of the drivers and targets that are needed? Could we start with solar and then go on to the tidal, wave and battery sectors?

On streamlining the consenting process for offshore wind, are there changes that could and should be made to make things simpler?

—which would require CCUS.

It would be useful if we could get specific feedback on the Beyond Oil & Gas Alliance and on whether—

I want to ask a bit more about the aspiration to halve the determination time for electricity generating stations. Is there anything more to say on that at this point, or will the detail of that—you mentioned guidance for local authorities—all be published as part of the onshore wind sector deal?

Is there a trade-off among technologies? Is there a view in Government that, if we invest too much in the grid infrastructure that is required for solar, or even allow batteries to connect to the grid, it will hoover up the available transmission infrastructure for onshore wind and other technologies? Is there a point at which our transmission infrastructure is limited and we have to prioritise certain technologies over others?

Is that advice fed into the common frameworks process? If particular issues come up relating to single-use plastics or anything else, would you offer advice? Have you been asked for advice?