Seòmar agus comataidhean

I suppose that our institutions need to be resilient in relation to the political circumstances in which they find themselves.

I have one other question before I come back to the convener. I think that it was Rhodri Morgan who talked about the importance of devolution as a laboratory for policy innovation. I am interested to hear your perspectives on that. Is the current state of affairs in the UK having a chilling effect on policy innovation, given the ability of the UK Government to override particular policy innovations, or are things in a healthy state? I ask Huw Irranca-Davies for the Welsh perspective.

Absolutely. I take from that that we are in testing times, but there is no chilling effect. What are the perspectives of Mr Wragg and Baroness Drake on that?

Absolutely. When we went back last year, we met the same industry representatives that Gillian Martin and I had met several years before, and it was interesting to see the development of that licensing regime over that time. Again, we had interesting discussions with colleagues from Orkney who are now looking to develop such an industry there.

Learning cuts in lots of directions and, following the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee’s meeting in Reykjavík with members of the Icelandic Environment and Communications Committee, which Fiona Hyslop has mentioned, the Icelandic committee made a visit to Holyrood in January, and we had a productive discussion about how onshore wind has been developed in Scotland and what Iceland can learn from us in that regard.

As a number of members have said, it is clear that our greatest shared endeavour is to save the Arctic from the ravages of climate change, for the sake of all humanity. Katrín Jakobsdóttir, the Green Prime Minister of Iceland summed up the situation well in her speech to the Arctic Circle assembly last year, when she said:

“The Arctic may become unrecognizable in a few decades if we do not act sufficiently today. Everything is changing ... We see glaciers receding, permafrost is melting, heat records are beaten and forests are burning. And all this is happening much faster in the Arctic—where the ecosystem is sensitive and the resources are great.”

Alongside Jacinda Ardern and Nicola Sturgeon globally, Katrín Jakobsdóttir has been instrumental in leading the shift in thinking to deliver a wellbeing economy—an economy whose foundations are ecologically restorative but also socially fair and just. As we move forward to the election of a new First Minister in Scotland, I hope that that wellbeing economy mission remains central to the Government and that we take on the challenges and threats to the Arctic, her nature and her people, together, as one.

I am sure that the First Minister will join me in offering the Parliament’s sincere condolences to the family and friends of all those impacted by the tragic fire at the Shore Recycling centre in Perth early on Tuesday morning. That devastating incident is deeply concerning, not least because it is the second fire in six months at the site.

In the days to come, our emergency services will attempt to establish the facts of the situation. Does the First Minister agree that, following Tuesday’s incident, there must be an investigation into the circumstances of the fire to ensure that such a tragedy does not happen again?

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?