Seòmar agus comataidhean

That is helpful: the issue is covered by guidance for the moment and may be part of a review in the longer term. If no other witness wants to add anything, I will move to another question.

The Scottish Government will not shorten the six-month qualifying period for pension age disability payment as, according to it, to do so

“would lead to people with very short-term conditions becoming eligible”.

The Scottish Government also refers to the cost, which is coincidentally roughly £20 million—I promise that that is not a deliberate link to my previous question—and the risk to passported benefits being compromised. What are the witnesses’ views of those justifications?

That is helpful. I wanted that on the record. It is about the art of the achievable rather than the aspirations. We are very well intentioned. I totally get why you want the mobility component, Ms Horne.

Mr Stachura, what would your priority be?

The point that I was seeking to make is that it has to be more than just a phrase that people drop into conversation to say that they are doing something. It should not become a buzzword; it must be a reality. That is the point of the amendments that I have lodged.

I acknowledge that the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund has suggested as a starting point the partner countries in the global south with which Scotland already has relationships.

I also acknowledge that amendment 187 is broadly drawn. That was quite deliberate; it is, in fact, a probing amendment to flush out concerns ahead of revision at stage 3. I will take your sage advice on board in this instance, convener.

Will the member take an intervention?

Will the member give way?

It has been a really interesting debate so far. “Just transition” has become a bit of a buzzword in recent months, but what does it mean in practice for workers, businesses or communities that are dependent on a particular sector to keep their local economy going? That issue led to my working with the Just Transition Partnership to flesh out what that might mean in practice and how the strategy could take account of that.

The purpose of amendment 208 is to require the Scottish Government to outline, with reference to the just transition principles, the potential impact of any circular economy strategy on the workforce, communities, employers and regions. I will return to the issue of regions, which Monica Lennon referred to.

Amendment 209 is to require the Government to include a plan on how it will support those that are impacted. We should identify how the strategy could impact on the workforce, communities, employers and regions, but doing so would clearly not be enough. We must take appropriate actions to support all those that will be impacted. That is what amendments 208 and 209 try to achieve.

Let us look at the scale of some of the sectors. Take construction. According to a census in 2023, 231,000 people are employed in the sector, which was worth £13 billion to the Scottish economy in 2022. However, if you were to ask people in construction whether they would recommend that as a career to others, 28 per cent would not do so. The sector needs 4,000 new employees every year to wash its face and to keep going as a sector. That vital sector of the Scottish economy will clearly be impacted by the Circular Economy (Scotland) Bill—that is the point—but it must be done in a just, appropriate and planned way.

The agriculture sector has nearly 67,000 employees. That is a particularly good sector to pick not only because of the very regionalised nature of many of the jobs but because of the additional add-on value that it must sustain in local economies.

I say to Monica Lennon that I picked the term “regions” because you have to pick a terminology somehow. The impact of the bill and the strategy could straddle local authority areas, so should we pick a political boundary or should we just refer to regions? I am open minded as to what that looks like.

I get that—

Let me finish this point, and then I will.

We have to look at the impact through our side of the telescope and from the global south’s side—we need to look from both sides of the lens at the same time, if you like.

Yes, Mr Simpson.

Maybe I will have more to say after Mr Simpson’s question.