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I hear what you are saying, and I guess that it brings us back to Graham Hutchings’s comment that SAF might not be suitable for smaller airlines that provide, say, island-hopping trips. My point, though, is that if they wanted to use it, they might not be able to get their hands on it, because British Airways might be buying it all, simply because it can and because the fuel might not be being produced locally. I think that we ought to consider that issue, too.

Thank you all very much. I have to say that I am disappointed to find that all those days that I spent as a child, looking at the patterns of the contrails across the sky, were actually spent looking at pollution.

It has been a very interesting session. I am also slightly concerned that we could distort things to the extent that it would be cheaper to fly to Australia on a long-haul flight than it would be to fly to Spain on a short-haul flight. That might affect a lot of people’s holidays.

Before we move into private session, I just want to put on record that, in line with standing orders, Monica Lennon, who is not here this morning, would not have been able to be present for the discussion on item 6, and that Sarah Boyack was to join us instead. That is because the discussion is going to be on Monica Lennon’s bill.

I thank our witnesses very much, and I am sorry for the slight problems that we had with broadcasting. We will now move into private session.

Item 2 is consideration of the legislative consent memorandum on the United Kingdom Government’s Sustainable Aviation Fuel Bill. A legislative consent motion is laid when a UK bill makes provision in areas that lie within the competence of the Scottish Parliament or that affect the executive competence of the Scottish Government. The committee must report to the Parliament on whether the consent should be granted.

We are also taking the opportunity to look more broadly at the prospects of sustainable aviation fuel production in Scotland and its potential role in reducing greenhouse gases from aviation. That will feed into our work later this year, when we consider transport aspects of the Scottish Government’s forthcoming climate change plan.

The bill aims to create more stable pricing for sustainable aviation fuel to encourage domestic production to grow. That is in parallel with increasing the mandate for the use of SAF by the industry.

The Scottish Government supports the bill overall, but it is withholding its consent, for now, on some technical matters. I hope that we will be able to see a supplementary LCM shortly.

I welcome to the meeting Dr Sebastian Eastham, associate professor in sustainable aviation at Imperial College London; Celeste Hicks, policy manager for the Aviation Environment Federation; Professor Graham Hutchings, regius professor of chemistry at Cardiff University; Professor Mercedes Maroto-Valer, director of the UK industrial decarbonisation research and innovation centre and the deputy principal of Heriot-Watt University—that is quite a long title; and Mark Morrison, senior consultant at Optimat. Thank you all for giving up your time to attend this morning.

We will move to questions. Celeste Hicks, I understand that you will have to go after about an hour, but a few questions might be asked later than that, so I will try to bring them in earlier. If it appears that we are going out of sync on the subject, it is only so that I can get Celeste’s opinion before she leaves.

The first question is from me and it is a simple one, I think. There are a variety of ways of producing sustainable aviation fuel. Which, in your view, offers the greatest prospect in Scotland and the UK overall? Does the best method of production change over time? Are we going to start somewhere and end somewhere else? Which is best for Scotland? Who would like to start off? Let us start in the room. Mark Morrison, do you want to go with that? You are all going to get a chance to answer this one, but you will not all get a chance at all the other questions.

When we were looking at this, we were given the definition of first generation, second generation and third generation. It always helps me to keep it simple. Which of those categories would power-to-fuel fall into?

Usually, if witnesses are in the room and do not want to answer a question, they can just look away, but three of you are looking assiduously at the camera. Does anyone want to come in? Mercedes, do you want to come in on that?

Good morning, and welcome to the 29th meeting in 2025 of the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee. Apologies have been received from Monica Lennon.

Our first item of business is a decision on taking items 3 to 6 in private. Item 3 is consideration of the evidence that we will have heard on the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Bill legislative consent memorandum. Item 4 is consideration of the appointments process that is being used to fill a vacancy on the board of Environmental Standards Scotland. Item 5 is consideration of a draft report. Item 6 is consideration of our approach to stage 1 scrutiny of the Ecocide (Scotland) Bill. Are we happy to take those items in private?

Members indicated agreement.

Just for the record, when it comes to Aberdeen, we asked Loganair whether it would like to take part in today’s session, because I think that it has some involvement in the use of SAF. Sadly, there seemed to be a clash of diaries, but we might hear from Loganair at a later date.

Mercedes wants to come in.

I want to push back a little bit on that. Are you suggesting that long-haul flights will get away with small increases and short-haul flights will be the ones that bear the brunt of the cost increase, or have I got that wrong?

I wonder where the dividing line will be, and whether it will be cheaper to go to Australia than to Spain. That is an interesting concept.

Celeste, before you disappear, do you want to add to that? I am happy to go to other witnesses, but I realise that you are pushed for time. I appreciate you staying longer.

Thank you, and thanks for your input. I will stop that line of questioning there, unless someone else wants to come in on pricing. Witnesses are shaking their heads.

Michael, I cut you off in mid-flow, which was very rude. Is there something that you want to finish on your line of questioning?