Chamber and committees

Does anyone want to comment on how we maximise private investment?

Given that we have to do all this—although perhaps at a different pace in different sectors—how are we going to pay for it? Chris Stark talked about investment in budgets by the Scottish Government, and I appreciate the advice on what we and indeed the UK Government should be looking for in order to get underneath that investment. However, the committee chair mentioned that most of the investment required will need to come from the private sector. What does that mean in the Scottish context, if most of the investment in technology to meet UK targets has to come from Scotland?

I was struck by an earlier comment by Chris Stark. If the world can mobilise to carry out fiscal transfers and, I assume, quantitative easing for the Covid emergency, why can it not do something similar in relation to the climate emergency? What is your view of the prospect of success at COP26? What is your benchmark for success, bearing in mind the question of why, if the world can move and has moved so much on the Covid emergency, it could not do it on the climate emergency?

For the purposes of the committee, I note that I was the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Fair Work and Culture from February 2020 to May 2021.

I congratulate Dean Lockhart on his appointment. I look forward to working with him and other members of the committee. I will hand over to our convener, Dean Lockhart.

Thank you, Dean. I look forward to working with everybody on the committee.

There is a big challenge ahead of us. The import of the subject matters that we are responsible for is huge. I was impressed with the content of the legacy papers. The content is wide because of the wider remit of the three former committees, but there are some specific steers for us that are strong and important. I am keen that the committee hits the ground running, and there are a lot of agenda items that are immediate, although some might be more longer term.

With the 26th United Nations climate change conference of the parties—COP26—coming up, I am conscious that we need to move quickly to understand and get an appreciation of developments, at all levels. I am thinking about not just preparation but output and outcomes, and Scotland’s role in that regard; I am also thinking about work with young people and what Italy is doing on that strand of COP.

Committees in the previous session set out clearly what had to be done, how it had to be done and the timetables for all that. A great deal of scrutiny needs to take place. Implementation, therefore, needs to be our main focus.

I have a particular interest in different energy use and innovation. We should work with colleagues on the Economy and Fair Work Committee on jobs and the green recovery. The just transition commission’s work is important and we can move quickly in that regard.

I will mention two more areas, which other members might touch on: infrastructure, particularly housing refit, which will be important to the net zero agenda; and community, because we must ensure that communities in Scotland can lead on issues, rather than just be on the receiving end. There might be something to consider there.

Other members will probably have ideas on this, but as deputy convener I thought it might be helpful to do the scoping. I am conscious that this committee has no members from the Highlands and Islands or the south of Scotland. It might be appropriate to consider the advice in the legacy reports and take particular cognisance of communications and engagement work, especially with those parts of the country.

I will stop there. I hope that that was not too much, convener.

Thank you very much, Mark.

Item 2, and the committee’s next task, is to choose a convener. The procedure is explained in paper 2. The Parliament has agreed that only members of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party are eligible for nomination as convener of the committee. I nominate Dean Lockhart.

Dean Lockhart was chosen as convener.

I call Jackie Dunbar.

Thank you very much, Monica. We move to Dean Lockhart.