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It is clear that the regulations are about resourcing the applications system in a better way, and I note the move to full cost recovery. The question is: what will they do to performance? According to evidence that the industry has given the committee, it can take seven years for an application to be determined. The whole system is very slow, whether it be applications going to councils, going to the planning division of planning or going through the system of environmental appeals in the Scottish Government. Will these regulations make a significant difference to those timescales for determination? We are in a climate emergency, and we need business certainty. Applications need to be approved or rejected on a reasonable timescale, so will the regulations properly resource the decision-making structure and process?

Good morning. I want to raise the issue of sewage discharge, which has been very high in the public’s mind this year. It does not appear that there is a clear picture on sewage discharge in Scotland. That point was made by Environmental Standards Scotland in its recent sector baseline evidence review, so I have a number of questions about what that picture is in Scotland.

At the moment, only 3 per cent of combined sewer overflows are monitored. Is that enough to get a clear picture?

It might be useful for the committee to get evidence on the work programme on a third of CSOs, including the investment for that and how the work will be scheduled.

I move briefly on to a related issue, which is water quality. Douglas Millican said earlier that Scotland’s water quality is excellent. Despite that, however, Environmental Standards Scotland, as part of its sector review, highlighted the fact that a number of the river basin management plan targets have been missed, and that we still have an issue with barriers to fish and lamprey migration, along with a number of other issues relating to the operation of Scottish Water assets.

How do you prioritise environmental compliance? I give you the example of Loch Venachar. I am aware that SEPA wrote you a letter last month confirming that four of your fish passes, not on the side channel but on the main channel, are not compliant with your permit. You are in effect acting outwith your permit conditions—in other words, you are operating illegally. How seriously do you take environmental compliance?

I thank the minister for attending the COP in Egypt. Although there was one step forwards, to address loss and damage, there were two steps backwards on fossil fuels. There was a clear failure to commit to any phasing out of oil and gas. Arguably, COP27 has left the goal of 1.5° dead.

Right now, fossil fuel companies are using the energy charter treaty to sue Governments for hundreds of millions of pounds if they introduce policies or laws that limit the use of coal, oil and gas. However, at COP27, Germany joined the call for the collective withdrawal of countries from the treaty. Does the minister agree that the energy charter treaty is now beyond reform, and will ministers raise the issue with the United Kingdom secretary of state?

To ask the Scottish Government what its assessment is of the outcome of the 27th United Nations climate change conference of the parties. (S6T-00978)

I thank the minister for that very clear response. The issuing of more than 100 oil and gas licences by the UK Government is reckless and hampers the just transition at the point when investment urgently needs to switch to renewables. The First Minister has previously said that the Cambo oilfield should not be given the go ahead. Does the minister agree that the Rosebank licence should also not be granted?

I have one final question. You have referenced Dr Whitten’s excellent report for the committee. In it, she has highlighted the potential for passive divergence, particularly with tertiary law—that is, the implementation of European Union law. Have you made a commitment to that tertiary law?

I am sure that we will come back to that when we receive the Government’s response to that piece of work.

Obviously, the bigger question is the retained EU law bill and how that stakeholder engagement can realistically happen, given the immense scope and nature of the work that will potentially have to take place over the next 12 months. Do you have further thoughts on how you can engage stakeholders in thematic areas as we potentially approach that black cliff edge? Obviously, in Europe, that process is happening the whole time, because there is on-going stakeholder engagement. At this point, how do you reach out to groups and stakeholders on the totality of that EU law?

I have a couple of follow-up questions. In relation to the public consultation on the annual report, I presume that, if people have concerns about the decision that was made on EVs—or anything else that is in the detail of the report—they can make submissions to that consultation. Is that right? Are you looking for active engagement on the Government’s decisions through the consultation, or does it have a different focus? What happens to the responses that come in? Do they get passed to the relevant cabinet secretary? What is the process for stakeholders?