The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.
All Official Reports of meetings in the Debating Chamber of the Scottish Parliament.
All Official Reports of public meetings of committees.
Displaying 789 contributions
Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee
Meeting date: 2 December 2021
Alasdair Allan
I mean from trade agreements.
Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee
Meeting date: 2 December 2021
Alasdair Allan
Mr Leheny, you mentioned trade with Scotland. I am interested to know what the impacts of the current situation are and what any changes to that situation would be through article 16 and withdrawal and all the rest of it. I am interested to know about the trade that you have with the Republic of Ireland and how that fits into this jigsaw.
Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee
Meeting date: 2 December 2021
Alasdair Allan
As an industry—I am not asking about anything that is commercially confidential—are you having to make contingency plans for what might happen if article 16 is triggered?
Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee
Meeting date: 1 December 2021
Alasdair Allan
So, you feel that they are now able to do that. Again, I am not sure whether this forms part of your remit, but do you see evidence that organisations have been brought together to think about those questions strategically and to look as far ahead as you are looking, to 2050?
Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee
Meeting date: 1 December 2021
Alasdair Allan
Finally, your comments have mainly been about adapting to the new reality rather than hard engineering solutions. Where do hard engineering solutions in coastal communities or, indeed, communities by rivers fit into the plan and costs?
Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee
Meeting date: 1 December 2021
Alasdair Allan
Is it fair to say, given that you have looked at a limited range of things, such as roads, railways and houses, that there may be other costs that local authorities should anticipate? There is an example from my constituency—I know that I always use the same example—where a school had to be moved as a direct result of rising sea levels. Are there other areas in which you anticipate that costs might arise? I know that other areas are not part of the study, but could they be costed?
Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee
Meeting date: 1 December 2021
Alasdair Allan
My question is for Dr Rennie. I am interested in what has been said today and in some of the written evidence that we received about rising sea levels and the need to prepare for that in infrastructure terms. I am keen to hear more about the costs that you anticipate. I have seen a figure of £1.2 billion as the potential cost for infrastructure between now and 2050. Can you tell me a bit more about what that means?
Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee
Meeting date: 25 November 2021
Alasdair Allan
Professor Pittock, you have mentioned a couple of times the role that representing Scotland’s culture to the world can play not just as a good in itself but in the exercise of soft power. Will you say a bit more about how “ithers see us”? How has the way that Scotland is seen culturally developed over the past generation? To what ends might that soft power usefully be exercised?
Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee
Meeting date: 25 November 2021
Alasdair Allan
On the role that the hubs play in that and other activities, how cost effective do you feel that they are? There has been some political discussion and debate about whether more hubs can be justified. I feel that they can be justified, but how does their cost-effectiveness and their frugalness or otherwise compare to some other diplomatic actors that perhaps found their entertaining and architectural traditions more on the Congress of Vienna?
Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee
Meeting date: 25 November 2021
Alasdair Allan
Do you have a view about whether there should be more hubs in the future? You said that the model of co-location is helpful, but is it necessary?