Seòmar agus comataidhean

Will Richard Leonard reflect on the importance of sub-nation states and petrol states coming together and committing to a just transition and to signing up to the Beyond Oil & Gas Alliance?

I am grateful for the opportunity to discuss the unique position that Scotland has as the world’s most northerly non-Arctic country. I have enjoyed the contributions and insights from members so far.

I have attended the Arctic Circle assembly in Reykjavík twice as an MSP and have always left inspired by the opportunities for collaboration and learning between Governments, businesses, academia and the third sector. Attending those events has more often felt like coming home than visiting away, such are the warmth of the gathering and the willingness to share and learn from one another.

The geography, the economic, social and cultural history, and the future of our climate all point to the need for that greater collaboration between the people who inhabit and care for the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions. In Scotland, we are undeniably part of that world. It is striking that, when you tilt the map on the northern latitudes, there is a seamless geography that runs from Greenland through Iceland to the archipelagos of the Faroes, Shetland, Orkney, the Western Isles and the west coast of Norway.

That was not lost on our ancestors who explored, traded in and inhabited that world. Some of that history has already been brought into the chamber by Liam McArthur and Jamie Halcro Johnston. It reminded me that my grandfather was stationed at Scapa during the second world war in his work defending the Atlantic convoys.

I will focus a little bit on Orkney. I have to commend the leadership of Orkney Islands Council, which has prioritised its Arctic and Nordic engagement. It is clear that both Orkney and Shetland have much to gain from and share with their neighbours. I hope that the Scottish Government can see that ambition as a strength for Scotland as a whole and that the Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture gives serious attention to proposals to invest further in Orkney’s Arctic agenda.

The shared geography of the west Nordic region means shared opportunities and learning. I have been struck, as Fiona Hyslop was, by the Faroese approach to developing fixed links across their islands, their ambition for offshore wind combined with tidal energy and the growing development of a new industry: kelp farming. We have a ban on kelp dredging in Scotland, but there is a golden opportunity to develop a licensing regime that allows a productive, profitable industry to emerge in Scotland, creating hundreds of jobs while operating within our ecological limits .Of course, in recent years, the Faroese have developed a licensing regime to achieve that objective, and I urge the Scottish Government to learn from and act on it.

I am delighted that the Government is able to deliver an integrated publicly owned ScotRail, now complete with a world-class sleeper service. Alongside the rail unions, we have been clear from the start that a nationalised sleeper service is central to our vision for a people’s ScotRail, including delivering that climate-critical shift from plane to rail and better connectivity with our friends in Europe. Does the minister agree that, with a nationalised Caledonian sleeper, we are one step closer to a fully integrated affordable rail route from Scotland to mainland Europe?

Thank you, Presiding Officer. I have more to say.

Three years after the Scottish Parliament approved our deposit return scheme, the UK Government has, in recent months, made tentative suggestions that there will be a separate scheme for England from 2025. Some members immediately called for the Scottish scheme to be dropped so that we could align with a non-existent UK Government scheme. Does the minister agree that that path would have been disastrous for the environment and businesses?

The revelations that we have heard this afternoon about the secretary of state are truly shocking. His comments are misleading and he should resign. [Laughter.]

Will the member take an intervention?

I thank Edward Mountain for taking an intervention. In his capacity as convener of the committee, can he confirm to the chamber that the Labour Party voted for that SSI when it came to the committee?

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking, in partnership with the Scottish Prison Service, national health service boards and others to support the health and wellbeing of people in prison and prevent deaths by suicide. (S6O-01946)

I thank the cabinet secretary for that response. According to a University of Glasgow report, there has been a 42 per cent rise in lives lost to suicide in Scottish prisons since 2016. Last year’s progress report on the “Independent Review of the Response to Deaths in Prison Custody” showed that uptake of the review’s recommendations has been disappointingly slow. Therefore, can the cabinet secretary provide reassurances that progress is being accelerated towards implementing all the recommendations in the review?

Will Colin Smyth take an intervention?