Seòmar agus comataidhean

Thank you. That is helpful.

Thank you. It will obviously be a really multidisciplinary approach.

We have talked a little bit about routes into local government, including apprenticeships. We understand that there is an opportunity for a planning apprenticeship in England and, possibly, Wales but not in Scotland. Given the national importance of the work, what is the Government doing with colleagues in education and skills to make communities aware that the work provides really important green jobs and to promote it? Right now, young people are sitting exams and thinking about life after school. Perhaps local government does not seem to be the most exciting place for them to work. How can we promote that work and get people enthused about it?

I think that we all agree that the issue is very urgent. I think that we are out of time, so I will hand back to the convener. However, if any of the other panel members have anything to add, perhaps they could do so in writing.

Good afternoon. We heard from our previous panel, which included representatives of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Energy Action Scotland and Citizens Advice Scotland, that the current situation is a collective failure, which does not reflect well on Governments or the industry itself. We also heard fears that the crisis will lead to

“a catastrophic loss of life”;

it does not get more serious than that.

Keith Anderson, is there a compelling case for a freeze on the energy cap in October?

Indeed. Just for clarity, the deputy convener mentioned finance skills as an example of a skill set that will be required. Can you be specific about some of the other skills that you feel are integral to this work to enable us to deliver on the ambition for local heat and energy efficiency planning Scotland-wide? What examples of skills do you have in mind when you think about this discussion?

Thank you, Chris. I am aware of the time, so I will hand back to the convener.

Good morning, minister and officials. This has been quite a good discussion. It seems that there is a lot of support for the order, but issues to do with resourcing, capacity and timescales have been raised. It is therefore good that we are having a proper discussion today.

I agree with what you said, minister, about locally led planning, which you emphasised in your opening remarks. Do you recognise that local government planning departments have been shrinking in recent years? Through this committee’s inquiry, we have heard that there has been a reduction of around 20 per cent in planning officers. We also know that there is quite a lot of work to do on skills, particularly as we need to take a multidecade approach to this work, as you have said. Alongside the discussions about resourcing, does the Government realise that there has been quite a big reduction in the planning workforce? What is being done to actively address that?

Is waiting until October too late?

Good morning to the panel. I would like to raise the issue of households at risk of self-disconnection or self-rationing their energy use due to unaffordable fuel costs. I recently had a response from the cabinet secretary, Michael Matheson, who has confirmed that an additional £10 million will be available for the fuel insecurity fund to deal with those issues.

My questions are for Alastair Wilcox first and then Frazer Scott. Are your advisers hearing more about self-disconnection and self-rationing? How much of a risk is that? Although I am sure that the £10 million is welcome, is it going to be enough to cover that problem?

I will bring in Chris Birt. We are all keen to consider how the crisis will exacerbate inequality in our society. Just to give an example of the kind of inquiry that MSPs are getting right now, I have been contacted by someone who is struggling to afford to charge up their mobility scooter, so I have been asking the Scottish Government what support is available.

Frazer Scott talked about people who have additional medical needs and who need to charge equipment at home. Those are the kinds of practical issues that people are raising. In many areas, you can go out and charge your electric car for free, but people cannot even get out of their house with an electric mobility scooter. That is the scale of the challenge that we face.

When it comes to social security policy, Chris, you have talked about what needs to be done, but can you bring a bit more sharpness to the immediate actions that could be taken? It makes no sense for people to be stuck in the house and not able to get out and spend money in the local community. They cannot support the high street, and they become more isolated. What needs to be done to knock together the heads of Government ministers, so that, across the country, we can help people to get out and live a life independently and with dignity? People are telling MSPs that they cannot get out with their mobility scooters.