The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.
All Official Reports of meetings in the Debating Chamber of the Scottish Parliament.
All Official Reports of public meetings of committees.
Displaying 1335 contributions
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee
Meeting date: 28 March 2023
Fiona Hyslop
Yes.
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee
Meeting date: 28 March 2023
Fiona Hyslop
Concerns have been raised with us that Ofgem is not as adaptable or as flexible as it needs to be. You have said that you have plans for the future, but why are you being so slow in mobilising the immense amount of investment that you have said is needed? Is it because you have not, in the past, allowed investment in anticipation of need? You have said that you are improving ASTI and so on, but what sort of trajectory are we talking about? After all, this will all have to accelerate at a rapid pace. How can people—and, indeed, investors—have confidence that Ofgem will be fit for purpose with regard to what we need for that expansion of renewable energy?
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee
Meeting date: 28 March 2023
Fiona Hyslop
You said that you want to know where there are deficiencies. The Scottish Grocers’ Federation has written to the committee in the past week on many outstanding issues, which you must know about because it will have told you. Why does it still have those concerns? Can they be resolved by 16 August?
Retail handling fees have gone from being cost neutral to actual costs incurred. Reimbursement is no longer being made every seven days; it has been moved to being made monthly, which might affect cash flow. Collections might not be made every day, and there are obviously concerns about that. The planning regulations for reverse vending machines are benefiting supermarkets, but there are difficulties with more localised collection. There are also concerns about the terms and conditions when signing up being an open chequebook and people being expected to sign up to the scheme when all those other concerns are still outstanding.
Why is the Scottish Grocers’ Federation still writing to the committee to express its concerns that those issues are outstanding? How do you intend to resolve them in time?
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee
Meeting date: 28 March 2023
Fiona Hyslop
Yes, it does. On a market condition basis, that state involvement in the operation is interesting.
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee
Meeting date: 28 March 2023
Fiona Hyslop
Good morning, minister. Chemical registration was one of the key areas of concern when the UK left the EU. In relation to the Scottish statutory instrument that is in front of us, how has the Scottish Government assessed the implications of the proposed extensions to registration and compliance-checking deadlines for areas that are within devolved competence? What have you done on that?
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee
Meeting date: 28 March 2023
Fiona Hyslop
Yes, I am. My final question is about the common frameworks, which will be key for whole aspects of the on-going EU exit. How has the common framework on chemicals and pesticides and its associated governance structures been used to support agreement between the UK and devolved Governments on these proposals. Is the common framework functioning as anticipated? If so, is this agreement an example of that?
Economy and Fair Work Committee
Meeting date: 22 March 2023
Fiona Hyslop
That is a very good overview of the bigger aspects that need to be dealt with. I am very taken by your agreement that place-based approaches can really work. How we translate that into the just transition plan for Grangemouth is going to be very interesting. It is convening power, and it is interesting that the ABI is a convener because everybody needs house insurance. Everyone needs a mortgage, but does a mortgage stay with a person or the building?
Grangemouth is a fascinating place to be a first mover when it comes to how you do everything, as in heat and transport. It has the biggest industrial site in Scotland. Most of the people who work at the site live within 10 miles, we have been told. There is something very geographical about that, and most of the housing—I defer to the constituency MSP on this—is post-1950s. How do you convene that and do it on a place base and entrust the private sector to do it—not just social housing, which would be easier to do?
Is doing things geographically as a package in that way investable? Alexander Dennis, the bus company that does hydrogen, is there so an interesting aspect is using industry as an anchor, as there is a major anchor industrial site. It may not be beyond the realms of possibility that we will get blue hydrogen and then green hydrogen. Hydrogen may not be for housing everywhere, but it might be in district heating in that area because of Acorn and so on. How ambitious is that? Is it realistic to look to use the convening power of local government or whoever to do something on that, or is that too small? Is Grangemouth too small? It has a major industrial site. Could that work together?
Economy and Fair Work Committee
Meeting date: 22 March 2023
Fiona Hyslop
I was thinking of that as well. The mills at New Lanark is a good model. How do you improve things? You take everybody with you. The question that we are wrestling with is: what is a just transition? It is not just about the business but about the communities around it.
Economy and Fair Work Committee
Meeting date: 22 March 2023
Fiona Hyslop
I am conscious of time, but I think that Ben Howarth wants to come in.
Economy and Fair Work Committee
Meeting date: 22 March 2023
Fiona Hyslop
Is there anything that you want to say on that, Ben? Does that sound attractive?