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Official Report: search what was said in Parliament

The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.  

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Dates of parliamentary sessions
  1. Session 1: 12 May 1999 to 31 March 2003
  2. Session 2: 7 May 2003 to 2 April 2007
  3. Session 3: 9 May 2007 to 22 March 2011
  4. Session 4: 11 May 2011 to 23 March 2016
  5. Session 5: 12 May 2016 to 5 May 2021
  6. Current session: 12 May 2021 to 25 November 2024
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Displaying 1026 contributions

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Education, Children and Young People Committee

Education Reform

Meeting date: 8 November 2023

Ben Macpherson

As the convener said, a number of you have mentioned AI. To start, I want to give you an opportunity to talk about your view of the risks of and opportunities in AI. For example, should we be taking proactive steps now to make sure that our young people know how to use AI effectively? How should certification practices work in the future? How do we confront the reality that AI is going to affect not just our education system but society more widely?

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Circular Economy (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 7 November 2023

Ben Macpherson

What information do consumers need to make sustainable choices? That question feeds into what Mr Stewart said about people being busy and having other things on their mind. Let us put ourselves in the shoes of the consumers. What information do they need, and to what extent is information currently available that can be highlighted?

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Circular Economy (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 7 November 2023

Ben Macpherson

It is about taking people with you, effectively.

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Circular Economy (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 7 November 2023

Ben Macpherson

Building on that point, you said in your written evidence that the new consumer duty will likely be relevant to measures under the bill, including strategic decisions on waste infrastructure and targets. Could you expand on that? How could the new duty interact with the new circular economy regulations, if the bill is passed? How can the guidance support best practice in that situation?

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Circular Economy (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 7 November 2023

Ben Macpherson

Those are such important points. It is not just about affordability, which is significantly pertinent, but about accessibility and being able to transport yourself to where alternatives and facilities are available. Those things are certainly on my mind.

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Circular Economy (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 7 November 2023

Ben Macpherson

Good morning. Building on what you have already said in response to my colleagues, are there other areas of the bill, such as the proposed powers in relation to waste and surplus reporting by business, that could be used to support the sustainable consumer choices that you have talked about, for example by making information about environmental impacts more transparent and accessible? In general, what information do consumers need to make sustainable choices, and to what extent is that information currently available?

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Circular Economy (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 7 November 2023

Ben Macpherson

Do you have any other comments on the bill that you have not had the opportunity to make or to emphasise in your answers to our questions?

Education, Children and Young People Committee

Children (Care and Justice) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2

Meeting date: 25 October 2023

Ben Macpherson

I will summarise what our witnesses have relayed to us, all of which has been really helpful.

I reflect on what Mr Hogg said about ensuring that partners across the board are all ready for implementation. Mr Farrugia told us about the challenges in capacity and human resources in the social work sector and the profession here, in Scotland. Ms Anderson and Ms Gibson mentioned the challenges in resources at local government level. Mr Bermingham told us about the need to enhance his organisation’s capacity in the hearings system.

Pulling all of that together takes me to Mr Bermingham’s point about the timescale between royal assent and implementation of the bill. Is your overarching point, collectively, that there will need to be flexibility and agility following royal assent, when it comes to implementing the bill in a realistic manner, taking account of all the practical considerations that you have just relayed to us? Is it also that, although we share a collective ambition to keep the Promise, we will keep it better if we take adequate time and collaborate to ensure that the bill is implemented as effectively as possible?

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

MV Glen Sannox (Hull 801) and MV Glen Rosa (Hull 802)

Meeting date: 24 October 2023

Ben Macpherson

Looking forward, and with the design now largely complete, are there areas of the design that concern you at this juncture that still need to be completed or are you satisfied that the remaining areas that require to be fully decided can be considered and signed off in a timeous manner?

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

MV Glen Sannox (Hull 801) and MV Glen Rosa (Hull 802)

Meeting date: 24 October 2023

Ben Macpherson

That was my next question that you have just answered. Have there been lots of mistakes?