Seòmar agus comataidhean

I want to ask about a number of issues that are related to data and measurements, but also to outcomes and experience. I have never come across an academic who has said that we do not need any more data. I recognise that there are data gaps—witnesses might want to highlight where they think some of those gaps are, but first I want to tease out areas that you have already mentioned where there could be difficulties in relation to data, and where sometimes we tie ourselves in knots.

Let me give you an example of when we sometimes tie ourselves in knots. Witnesses have said that we need to create a standardised classification of green jobs because the current industry and occupational classifications are not detailed enough. I will use an example from a conversation that I had the other week about how we are not producing enough software engineers and how we need to boost the educational prospects of folk who want to enter software engineering. How could we classify whether a software engineer is working in a green capacity or in a green job?

Could witnesses cover some of those gaps and foibles in data gathering?

You also spoke about community ownership, which brings me to a point about experiences and outcomes. In your initial comments, you or one of your colleagues mentioned Aberdeen Community Energy’s Donside community hydro project, which is community owned and took place long before we even thought of a just transition. How do we capture the knowledge and data that has been gathered by that community and its leaders Sinclair Laing and Jane Fullerton? How do we capture those experiences to allow other communities to achieve their potential and reach their goals, as Donside village has done?

An internship scheme would certainly be worth looking at, without a doubt.

One of the things that has been great about Aberdeen and the north-east is that when we have attracted folk, and students in particular, to come to Aberdeen, many of them stay. I saw that just the other day with regard to the work that X-Academy is doing in matching folk with green jobs, which involves a number of those on the accelerator programme who came here to study and never left.

An internship is a good idea, as you said, but how do we retain and export community knowledge that is accrued from successful projects in order to help other projects become a success? Could we have a scheme to allow folk the freedom to work in that sphere?

I am very pleased to hear that, minister, because a huge amount of the language that is used in some of the legislation is very outdated indeed—and, in fact, insulting to people.

You talked about changes that can be made in primary legislation. Without doubt, the opportunity for that is there as the Government moves forward with the primary legislation required by the Scott review recommendations. I take it that, when it reaches that stage, you will be willing to ensure that whatever comes out of that review is reflected in the regulations that you set in the future, as you expand from your “starting small” proposal.

Where are the other data gaps? You may wish to bring in your colleagues to answer that.

In recent times, we have seen some controversy with information sharing or companies taking over information completely and utterly, including the national health service south of the border using the US company Palantir for patient medical information. If we were to consent to the motion on the LCM, what impact would that have on medical data sharing and the involvement of large companies in such data?

There was a lot of opposition.

My first question is for Mr Duncan, who talked a fair bit about the fact that there seems to be a lack of communication with smaller businesses about the just transition. He and I had the pleasure of visiting businesses in Rosemount a fair while ago—it was maybe over a year ago—and top of the agenda for those businesses at that point was the cost of energy.

Mr Duncan, you also talked about possible funding changes. On the point about communication, do you think that we need to get it across to businesses that the just transition and the changes that we are going to make can play a part in reducing energy costs, which were causing them a great amount of grief when we visited them? That grief is probably greater now.

Thank you. You are saying that such sharing is on a positive basis and that folk have to give consent, but would it be possible, using regulation, to change that, or would that require primary legislative change? I will tell you what I am driving at. The Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee highlighted the fact that

“it remains the case that the Secretary of State may make regulations within the devolved competence, acting alone. There is no requirement for the Secretary of State to obtain consent or to consult with the Scottish Ministers before exercising the power.”

Could that positive aspect of folk consenting to data sharing be changed using regulation, or would that require primary legislative change to turn all of that on its head?

Since 1952.