Seòmar agus comataidhean

Thanks for all of those contributions.

I will ask a question, because a single-use plastic that has not come up today, or in our deliberations on the bill thus far, is nurdles. In coastal communities, including my own, and particularly where there is extensive shipping activity and industry, the plastic pollution from nurdles on our beaches is significant. If witnesses want to feed in anything on that matter, either quickly now or in writing after the meeting, I would be interested to see it.

I should clarify that I was not arguing against that.

We could talk about that particular point a lot more, but I think we should move on, convener.

I have a small question. You have made some impactful points, Mr Cook, but is accessibility of facilities not also important? A council recycling site can sometimes be reached only in a motor vehicle. As we consider the process, do we need to think harder and more imaginatively about having reuse facilities in the high streets of towns and cities in Scotland?

For example, the Edinburgh Remakery, in my Edinburgh Northern and Leith constituency, is doing remarkable work with laptops. However, if an iron, for example, broke, I would not—nor, I think, would my constituents—have any idea where to take it to get it repaired, rather than buy a new one. That is just one of many possible examples. Could the charity shop network provide innovative possibilities, given that it has retail units that are already in prominent locations?

Good morning. I welcome the fact that the regulations are being put in place to implement these important aspects in the 2019 act.

Quite understandably, during the process of the 2019 act, the needs of businesses for deliveries and unloading were considered, and exemptions were made in section 55(6) to allow pavement parking in reasonable circumstances as long as there is a gap of 1.5m at the edge of the pavement and the parking does not take place for more than 20 minutes. Unfortunately, in my constituency and others in urban Scotland, deliveries take place in an unreasonable way, which means that there is not adequate space left at the side, and delivery vehicles are parked for longer than 20 minutes.

We do not want to punish people; we want to change attitudes and practices—as the minister said—so, as part of the delivery of the enforcement of the regulations, as well as a public marketing campaign, will there be significant engagement with businesses, organisations, the large supermarkets and the prominent delivery companies—of which there is a long list—such as Parcelforce, DPD and UPS? It will be important to inform the drivers that change is coming.

Professor Humes, can you elaborate further on what you said about political discourse and political decision making? Does a shift in political consciousness need to happen around how we discuss education reform to make sure that there is a sense of at least medium-term but, hopefully, long-term consideration happening at parliamentary level? I am thinking of some of the challenges with, for example, the implementation of curriculum for excellence.

I just asked it.

I am sorry to interrupt you, but, in that spirit, do we need to be proactive in helping our young people to be able to use AI and have those skills? For example, we did not take the opportunity to teach every young person how to touch type, and we are behind on that. Should we get ahead on AI?

That is a good example of why we need to keep in mind, if and when it is working perfectly, that AI is not perfect, because it is reliant on the data that it can access. Our ability to create data and critically analyse what AI generates will also be an important skill.

Building on the points that have been made in recent answers, my understanding is that, historically and currently, the subject of English has significant prominence in the Scottish curriculum. That is for good reason: it is an important aspect of learning. However, given that it has such prominence as a requirement for entry, in many cases, to further and higher education and in a situation where, in other subjects, individuals can learn to write in the way that will suit them best for their careers—for example, in history and other social sciences, young people can learn to assess truth and validity—do we need to reconsider the prominence of English, without downgrading its importance in the Scottish curriculum?