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Official Report: search what was said in Parliament

The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.  

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Dates of parliamentary sessions
  1. Session 1: 12 May 1999 to 31 March 2003
  2. Session 2: 7 May 2003 to 2 April 2007
  3. Session 3: 9 May 2007 to 22 March 2011
  4. Session 4: 11 May 2011 to 23 March 2016
  5. Session 5: 12 May 2016 to 5 May 2021
  6. Current session: 12 May 2021 to 23 December 2024
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Displaying 1816 contributions

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Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Energy Price Rises

Meeting date: 19 April 2022

Mark Ruskell

Thank you. Do you have anything to add, Dr Lowes?

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Energy Price Rises

Meeting date: 19 April 2022

Mark Ruskell

Dr Hannon, do you have anything to add to that?

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Energy Price Rises

Meeting date: 19 April 2022

Mark Ruskell

Planning has been mentioned, particularly planning for onshore wind and solar. Obviously, planning is devolved. I think that there was some reference to planning in the UK energy strategy, in relation to the English planning system, but what more could the Scottish Government do to develop onshore wind and solar not just with planning but with other areas of devolved responsibility?

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Energy Price Rises

Meeting date: 19 April 2022

Mark Ruskell

Thank you for that. Did you want to respond, Dr Lowes?

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Energy Price Rises

Meeting date: 19 April 2022

Mark Ruskell

I will move on to questions about blue hydrogen. The UK Government and Scottish Government have been bigging up its potential role. That was before the gas price started to peak and before the volatility that we have seen. Where does blue hydrogen sit now? Are the economics of it still sound, given the gas price? Many of the carbon capture and storage projects that are proposed around the UK have blue hydrogen as part of their business case. Does it have a role in heating? Where should we use it or should we use green hydrogen?

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Energy Price Rises

Meeting date: 19 April 2022

Mark Ruskell

I certainly do not think that we want an insecurity strategy at the moment.

Finally, do you see gas from fracking as having any bearing on energy supply and the cost of living crisis either now in the short term or in the long term in years to come? Do you have any quick thoughts on that, Tim?

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Energy Price Rises

Meeting date: 19 April 2022

Mark Ruskell

Should community benefits be a material consideration in the planning system? At the moment, they are not. Projects must be considered on merits such as what they look like and where they are sited, but wider community benefits are not part of how a project is determined, and it is the planning system that holds everything up.

Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee

Crisis in Ukraine

Meeting date: 24 March 2022

Mark Ruskell

Sorry—yes.

Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee

Crisis in Ukraine

Meeting date: 24 March 2022

Mark Ruskell

I would like to ask a bit more about seasonal workers, as we have opened up that topic. Andy Sirel mentioned some of the visa restrictions on such workers, and Graham O’Neill sent a useful briefing to the committee. Could you say a bit more about the plight of seasonal workers, particularly when it comes to housing and the challenges around having no recourse to public funds?

Andy, you spoke about the support and advice that seasonal workers need. What should that look like on the ground? Are there concentrations of seasonal workers around Scotland? Is there a way that we can effectively deliver that support in areas where significant communities of Ukrainian seasonal workers work in the agricultural sector?

Do you think that there is any exploitation of those workers happening in Scotland? That might be a difficult question to answer, but the tied nature of the work concerns me a bit. Could I go to Graham O’Neill first?

Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee

Crisis in Ukraine

Meeting date: 24 March 2022

Mark Ruskell

That was very powerful. Andy Sirel, do you want to add anything about practical support and advice for people?