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Will a proportion of the green jobs fund be used to help the groups that are most underrepresented in green sectors and green jobs? I have been looking at Close the Gap’s analysis of women’s opportunities in and experience of the labour market, particularly during the pandemic. Has that sort of issue been looked at to get a more regional perspective and to see whether it is more relevant in the Highlands and Islands or the south of Scotland?

That does not seem like a huge amount. Can I get a south of Scotland perspective on my question?

Good morning, Mr Sharma. I whole-heartedly agree that COP26 is an opportunity to showcase what the UK has to offer. Given the IPCC’s report warning that the door is closing on the 1.5°C target, would rejecting the new Cambo oilfield ahead of COP26 be a strong example of the climate leadership that the global community is looking for?

I have a second question, which your officials could perhaps pick up. Will new oil and gas developments be reassessed in the light of the recent IPCC and International Energy Agency reports? If so, will that process include carrying out an economic analysis, including of the carbon dioxide costs, of the Cambo field and others, as has been proposed by Professor Jim Skea of the just transition commission?

Thank you for that response. I apologise if there was a slight technical issue.

Mr Sharma, you have had the role of speaking to people around the world, which has involved a lot of travel, for which you have been criticised. We can perhaps sympathise, given that in-person meetings can be more efficient. Has all that travel and face-to-face negotiation been worth it? What have been the key achievements of that process? We all have high hopes for COP26, but what are your fears about the conference? Is there anything about it that is keeping you awake at night?

Thank you very much.

It comes back to you, yes.

I will be very brief. How will the circular economy be embedded across key sectors such as energy, agriculture and construction?

I will combine my next question with that one. You will be aware that figures that were published last year show that waste incinerator capacity has soared by 400 per cent in the time that your party has been in government. When do you hope to complete the review of the role of incineration in waste management? Will it be your new colleague Lorna Slater who leads on that work? How will planning applications for new incinerators be treated in the meantime? Will we get a moratorium?

One of the first questions that I put to the cabinet secretary when we came into our new roles was about a public energy company. There is political consensus in the area. The Scottish National Party, the Greens and Scottish Labour are on the same page on the policy. A public energy company has the potential to be transformative and progressive. The issue was the focus of debate at the SNP conference because people are concerned about fuel poverty, as well as the environmental issues that we have discussed today. The vote of 527 to 6 at the SNP conference is a strong mandate for a public energy company.

The cabinet secretary has said that such a company might happen in the future but, given that there is such a degree of political consensus, surely it is an area where people in the Parliament could work together to build on the consultation work that was done to see whether we can make it a reality sooner rather than later.

I think that we all appreciate the fact that net zero is a huge portfolio, so it is right to take a strategic approach and for Government departments to work together on it. Do you have concerns that there are some risks and challenges in taking that approach? Many of the responsibilities have been handed out to various people, so it might be hard for someone to have an overview and that lead responsibility. Officials will have to work to ensure that there is good oversight and co-ordination.

I want clarification of whether the net zero DG would have policy responsibility for climate justice and the just transition.