Chamber and committees

I think that it would be a service for the Government to get evidence for a parliamentary committee that is doing a deep dive into the issues and unpacking them, and that that would inform the Government’s view. I come back to the point that there are inherent risks in dogs running around a track at 40mph, such as a high risk of collision. In that situation it is very difficult—if not impossible—to protect animals from “suffering” and “injury” as the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 requires. The petitioners might have thoughts on how some of the enforcement issues have been very difficult for the SSPCA and others to follow up on in relation to the strict legal provisions in the 2006 act and the issues around doping and clear-cut abuses of animal welfare.

It might be better if Gill expands on that.

Thank you. Tim Lord, what are your reflections on the question of onshore wind and solar?

Thank you. Do you have anything to add, Dr Lowes?

Dr Hannon, do you have anything to add to that?

Planning has been mentioned, particularly planning for onshore wind and solar. Obviously, planning is devolved. I think that there was some reference to planning in the UK energy strategy, in relation to the English planning system, but what more could the Scottish Government do to develop onshore wind and solar not just with planning but with other areas of devolved responsibility?

Thank you for that. Did you want to respond, Dr Lowes?

I will move on to questions about blue hydrogen. The UK Government and Scottish Government have been bigging up its potential role. That was before the gas price started to peak and before the volatility that we have seen. Where does blue hydrogen sit now? Are the economics of it still sound, given the gas price? Many of the carbon capture and storage projects that are proposed around the UK have blue hydrogen as part of their business case. Does it have a role in heating? Where should we use it or should we use green hydrogen?

I certainly do not think that we want an insecurity strategy at the moment.

Finally, do you see gas from fracking as having any bearing on energy supply and the cost of living crisis either now in the short term or in the long term in years to come? Do you have any quick thoughts on that, Tim?

Should community benefits be a material consideration in the planning system? At the moment, they are not. Projects must be considered on merits such as what they look like and where they are sited, but wider community benefits are not part of how a project is determined, and it is the planning system that holds everything up.