Seòmar agus comataidhean

I speak in support of amendments 72 and 73, because tenants, including those who live in my Central Scotland region, need urgent protection now. I am grateful to Mercedes Villalba for lodging amendments at stage 2 and for bringing revised proposals to the chamber today, because Government and Parliament should be taking every opportunity to protect tenants. That is what Mercedes Villalba is attempting to do, and thanks to her we all have the opportunity to vote for the workable and proportionate measures in front of us today.

Rent is one of the greatest costs facing our constituents. Renters are among the people who were worst hit by the pandemic, and they are now at the sharp end of the cost of living crisis. I am not sure what world Ross Greer is living in, but I point out to him that the emergency is not over—it is now on steroids.

To ask the Scottish Government how its resource spending review publication, “Investing in Scotland’s Future”, will ensure that children and young people’s rights to food, education and fun will be met. (S6O-01264)

At the weekend, Roz Foyer, the general secretary of the Scottish Trades Union Congress, said:

“Child hunger is a political choice. We need to see the political will to fix it.”

Will the cabinet secretary give any further indication of the level of investment that is being made available to expand access to universal free school meals for primary 6 and 7 pupils and into secondary schools? Child hunger and child poverty do not stop at the gates of primary schools.

Good morning. So far, this has been a really interesting and useful session for the committee.

Thinking about the role of local authorities as projects, borrowers, sponsors and enablers, it is clear that having the right financial skills and the right people is important. During our inquiry, the committee has heard a lot about the challenges on skills generally but, in particular, on the lack of financial skills. I will come to each witness in turn, and perhaps Jeremy Gorelick could give an international perspective. Could you give examples of good practice that you have found? Are you seeing examples of people being seconded into local authorities, whether that be from the private sector or other parts of the public sector?

We have not had a chance to talk about the Scottish National Investment Bank in any great detail. Do you see there being opportunities as regards the role that it could play in supporting local authorities with the important work that they have to do?

I will come to Emma Harvey first, and then to Ben Howarth and Jeremy Gorelick.

Thank you, Jeremy. That was really helpful. I am watching the clock, so I will pass back to the convener.

It is good to hear you mention the Clyde Gateway. There is a lot of success to celebrate, but the contamination issues are an on-going challenge. Anyone in the Government who reads today’s Official Report might want to have a look at that.

How can we ensure that planning departments have the right tools and resources to encourage and embed nature-based solutions and natural infrastructure? We often hear that planning can be a barrier or can be slow and we know that planners have to work with and take into account many different stakeholders. Julie Waldron, do you feel confident that you and your colleagues have the right tools or that the right resources are coming your way?

I briefly mentioned national planning framework 4 in a question to Julie Waldron earlier. NPF4 emphasises climate change and biodiversity loss and sets out policies that local development plans should support, such as the use of nature-based solutions and natural infrastructure. Has recent local policy and decision-making reflected that direction of travel? I put that question to John Cunningham first and then other witnesses can come in.

I thought that what Julie Waldron said about trees was fascinating. I declare an interest as the Parliament’s oak champion. As a former planner, I recognise a lot of what she said.

We have just been joined in the public gallery by lots of young people, so my question is now even more relevant. In our earlier session, we talked a lot about finance and unlocking opportunities. City and urban planning is exciting and the role of landscape architects is important, but young people tend not to hear about the jobs and opportunities that exist in those areas.

Julie, it is clear that you are very passionate about trees and the amazing role that they play in relation to our climate. What can we do to ensure that the importance of trees is given higher priority? Could something be done through national planning framework 4, for example, or would you like the Scottish Government to provide more guidance?

You said that the teams that you mentioned work best when a multidisciplinary approach is taken in-house, rather than expensive consultants having to be paid for. Are there opportunities for apprenticeships and other ways into your professional line of work?

That is really helpful. When you say that the tree preservation order legislation needs to be updated, do you mean that the updating should go beyond enforcement and penalties? Are you talking about the scope of the legislation?

David Harley, you used the example of Grangemouth, which I think you called a “regulatory hub”. You said that that has huge potential. People might not get excited about the prospect of a regulatory hub. Can you tell us a little more about it? If that works well, how will you and the other partners involved spread the word about that good practice? Are Government and partners looking at that as a model that can be transported elsewhere?