Seòmar agus comataidhean

We have identified gaps in the data, and you have explained the work that is under way to plug those. Our aim is to have evidence-based policy, but the challenge is that we already have evidence of inequality. I urge the Government to focus on action rather than just collecting stuff on areas that we already know are problematic.

I take on board what you said about the various elements having to work together and some of the strategies being new. I am sure that I speak for the committee when I say that we would welcome updates on the different strands of work that you have outlined, not only as part of our pre-budget scrutiny but on an on-going basis.

Shall I move on to my next question, convener?

This question is also from Shama, who writes:

“The panel feels that many people, especially those from diverse ethnic backgrounds, are unaware of what constitutes their basic human rights, especially when they have moved to Scotland as adults. Can the Minister outline her commitment to ensuring all communities and people of all ages, including New Scots, are educated on their human rights by explaining the opportunities that the upcoming Human Rights Bill will bring, including how the Bill might link to national indicators and measuring the progress of existing equality and anti-racism strategies?”

Good morning, and welcome to the committee again. Thank you for coming along and for the time that you have put into preparing for this session. We have been talking about how we will ask the questions. Shama, on your behalf, and on behalf of the panel members, I will ask the minister the two questions that you just read out.

When you were thinking about your questions, did you have in mind any examples or any part of your lived experience that you would like me to keep in my mind as I am asking them?

I appreciate what you say about it being a work in progress and the political discussion around the bill being a phenomenal opportunity to talk about rights more generally across society. You speak about targeted work for the people who are furthest away from power and who are most often marginalised and excluded, and that is really important. We have had discussions in the committee before about easy-to-ignore groups of people—people who do not have a voice. The panel is an opportunity to try to redress the balance, although it does not go the whole way in doing so.

I have a question that arises from what you said. People need to know about their rights in order to know whether they are accessing and realising them. Information is needed—probably for people in this building, too—about what we mean when we say, “You have a right to housing.” What does that actually mean? What kind of house? Is it about just any form of shelter over a person’s head or does it have to be warm and secure? I am interested in the implementation group’s work, and perhaps there is something around building an understanding of what we might describe as a definition of the minimum core in terms of our obligations.

Good morning. I am sorry that I cannot be with you in person today.

I want to pick up on a couple of points and explore a couple of things in a little bit more detail. Adrian Gillespie, earlier, you talked about energy transition being a key priority and said that you were taking a mission-based approach to that. Could you outline where you see the challenges, particularly in relation to supply chain issues? We have heard a conversation this morning about skills gaps and that kind of thing, but I wonder about the readiness of Scotland’s supply chain and the work that you do across that area for a just transition, with that particular mission-based approach.

Thanks for that; that is helpful. A challenge is that the interim targets for emissions reductions are not only about energy generation but are also about other aspects of the energy economy. Again, with a specific focus on supply chains, how do you rate the readiness of construction, transport and elsewhere to reduce energy use in heating buildings and those kinds of things? Where are the challenges? What do you need to see from the Government to help support all that work?

Thanks. Jane Morrison-Ross, I have a similar question for you. You talked earlier about the challenge of scaling deep, rather than just scaling up. Quite often, genuine community benefit and sustainability can be built in as part of that deep scaling.

Thinking about the organisations, companies and businesses that you work with and support, what supply chain issues could support those deep-rooting and embedding approaches by companies, with a focus on the targets for climate emissions reduction by 2030?

Thank you. Stuart Black spoke earlier about the different areas of work within the regional economic partnership, and you mentioned housing as a key challenge. It is well known that housing is a challenge in the Highlands and Islands as well as in other rural areas.

Where are the supply chain challenges for you in that, particularly thinking about the targets that we have not only for climate emissions reduction but also for improving the standard, quality, energy efficiency and heat retention of homes? What are the barriers to getting better at that?

Thanks. I have a final question for Jane Morrison-Scott—I am sorry if you addressed this earlier and I missed it.

SOSE does not currently set measurable targets on jobs created, investment drawn into businesses and carbon saved. Can you give us a little bit of context for that and say whether you have any plans to change that in the future?

Are they barriers? Does the Scottish Government have a role in alleviating some of those challenges? Is it doing what it should be doing in that regard?