Seòmar agus comataidhean

You are not able to say where you think there might be more or less demand for individual programmes at this point in the year.

I go back to my original question. Is there money and resource in the budget for supply chain development?

Another issue that has been raised with us—this time by the Existing Homes Alliance—is the capacity of the Heat Network Support Unit. We have already talked about Government capacity, which has been a theme in our analysis of Government action on climate change. There is a call for that unit to have more resources so that we can start really rolling out heat networks at pace. We are all aware of the potential there, but it clearly needs an agency to make it happen and to build on some of the work that has been done around local authority and local heat and energy efficiency strategies.

Is there new money there?

My question on the back of that is around transparency. As you say, it is clear that there has been an assessment of whether a particular policy will result in a material change in carbon emissions, but, presumably, that could include absolutely every policy, so I am interested in where you draw the line on that. If there has been an initial assessment of whether policies will result in a material change, can that be made available? Is that publicly available?

Yes.

To follow up on that, the focus on the north-east is understandable, given the concentration of oil and gas jobs there, but do you recognise that the footprint of the oil and gas sector goes well beyond the north-east? You will be aware of the conversations that I have been leading with unions, Fife College, Fife Council and others in the local community around a just transition for Mossmorran and the need for early planning around that, and the opportunities that might come for jobs. Where does that sit? With Grangemouth, there are dedicated funds around project willow.

The just transition fund is very much focused on the north-east, but there are other opportunities for workers to diversify into new sectors and for there to be on-going training and other things that, for relatively small amounts of money, would support whatever that transition looks like for the ethylene sector, which is dependent on the North Sea gas sector.

I will move quickly on to another area. The Government’s announcement in December of the final circular economy waste route map was welcome. There is lots of action in there for the coming year. For example, there is the product stewardship plan, mandatory reporting of food waste—which we talked about during the passage of the Circular Economy (Scotland) Bill—and development of regional hubs for the reuse of construction materials. The cabinet secretary will recognise all the issues that came up during the passage of that bill.

There is still a challenge in relation to public sector funding and the capacity of councils to work together and start to push on with some of those urgent areas. Is there adequate funding in the budget to enable each of the 11 priorities to be progressed?

That would avoid all the conjecture about whether carbon emissions are higher or lower.

Surely that is the point of the emissions trading scheme—you have a verifiable and monitored system in which there is agreement on what the emissions are, and you take into account not just what you are burning on the ship but where it comes from. If it comes from Saudi or wherever, you might have a higher carbon footprint.