Seòmar agus comataidhean

You are almost getting the pen launched at you.

We have one more question, which will come from Monica Lennon. Whoever puts their hand up first can answer it.

You ambushed me, David—I said there should be one answer and you supplied a second.

Before this session, the Parliament’s participation and communities team warned me that I was not going to get away with not being asked a question. I am not going to give you the chance to ask me a question—politicians never let other people ask questions; they work out the question they want to answer and then give that answer—but I guess that the question that you would have wanted to ask me is, what are we going to do with this report now that we have got it? The committee will decide after this meeting what we are going to do, but I can tell you some of the things that we will be doing. For example, the Climate Change Committee will appear before the committee next week, and I am sure that your report and some of the questions that are raised by it will inform our views and our questions to it. Further, we are about to deal with stage 2 of the Circular Economy (Scotland) Bill, and I am sure that the report will prompt some of the discussions that go on at that point. We constantly have ministers in here from various portfolios, and we will ask them questions informed by our reading of the report.

At the moment, there is a process going on in the Parliament in which Government policies are reviewed to see how they contribute to reaching net zero targets. Conveners and committees are looking at ways to make sure that, when bills and policies are published, we understand whether they not only contribute to achieving the net zero goal but are getting the right messages out, and whether there is the correct funding within the bills. I think that the report will help us with that process.

When you were planning your ambush, David, the deputy convener ambushed me and said that we could write to the minister—subject to the committee’s approval, because I cannot do anything as a convener of a committee without the committee’s approval—and ask for a written response to your recommendations, which we could then share with you. I am not seeing any dissent from committee members on that point, so I hope that we can agree on that afterwards.

I stress that this has been a committee-driven process; it is not being driven by the Government. Karen Shakespeare suggested things that the Government could do. I can say that, if I were the convener of the Government, I am sure that we could get a lot done, but I am the convener of the committee, so we will have to simply take your points to the Government.

I thank and congratulate you for all the work that you have put in, because there was a lot of work. This is your Parliament and we are here to make sure that what the people want is delivered by the Parliament. As a committee, we are extremely grateful for all that you have done and for all the information that you have given us. I cannot reiterate my thanks enough.

We are now going to have to go into private session to see whether we can agree some of the things that I have just talked about and to review the evidence that we have heard. We will be in touch to keep you updated and point out things that have come about as a result of your participation in this deliberative democracy.

We will now move into private session.

Thank you. We will now move into private session and will resume in public promptly at 11.20 for our evidence-taking session with the people’s panel on climate change.

Good morning, and welcome to the 13th meeting in 2024 of the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee.

The first item on the agenda is a decision on whether to take items 2, 3 and 5 in private. Item 2 is consideration of a draft letter on the resources and waste common framework; item 3 is consideration of a draft letter on net zero information in legislative documents; and item 5 is consideration of the evidence that we will hear today from the people’s panel on climate change. Do we agree to take those items in private?

Members indicated agreement.

Sorry, Jackie I should not have pushed the button—I forgot you were here. My mistake.

Thank you. I have just proved that you do not need to touch any buttons, because the gentleman over there will make sure that the microphones are activated. I made the mistake, but none of you will.

Before we move into specific questions, I will ask for your brief reflection on what you have been doing. We will go around in the same order.

I totally agree that that is critical. How are we going to get that message out there? Does anyone have any thoughts that are not in the report? You have come up with various ideas. Does anyone want to add to those?

Perfect. David?

I will bring in David Harrold, and then I will have to move to the last question, because the clock is ticking.

You cannot wiggle your pen at me; I am wiggling my pen at you.