Chamber and committees

Being transformational is not always about energy change, which you gave as an example. Such change benefits us in achieving net zero, because we are decarbonising, but being transformational is also about investing in and empowering a community. That goes back to some of the other questions about previous deindustrialisation, in which communities were left behind. It is about understanding what transformational is. It is about the nuts and bolts of making the change and getting us to net zero, but it is also about how you transform a community and involve it in the process.

You will know that we did an inquiry into Grangemouth. The committee took further evidence on Grangemouth, because we are concerned about the announcements on that. From the outside, it looks concerning; it does not really look like a just transition. It is about how we prevent that and make sure that the investment goes directly to communities and empowers them to take more ownership of projects.

It is a very open question.

That might be something that we will pick up. We might contact the minister, because, although the update is welcome, there is concern around the attached timescales and how long it will take to deliver those changes.

Thank you.

That brings us to the end of this morning’s evidence session. I thank the minister and Catriona Laing for joining us. We now move into private session.

Good morning, and welcome to the first meeting in 2024 of the Economy and Fair Work Committee. Our first item of business is the final evidence session in our inquiry into a just transition for the north-east and Moray.

I welcome the Minister for Small Business, Innovation, Tourism and Trade, Richard Lochhead. He is joined by Catriona Laing, who is deputy director for climate change in the Scottish Government.

If members and witnesses could keep their questions and answers as concise as possible, that would be helpful. I invite the minister to make a short opening statement.

Okay. Thank you. I will bring in Maggie Chapman, who will be followed by Kevin Stewart.

I have a couple of questions for clarity. Did you say that you would do an analysis of the fund this year?

My other question is about the delays to several relevant strategies and plans. The energy strategy and just transition plan is delayed, as are the regional just transition plans and the climate change update. I know that they do not all come under your portfolio, but can you indicate when we can expect those plans to be published? That will have an impact on the 10-year plan for Moray and Aberdeen.

Before I bring in Brian Whittle, we hear what you are saying about financial restrictions when it comes to the fund, but this is a 10-year project, so we need to look towards the horizon, the end point and the just transition lab. Some concerns have been raised. For a start, financial transactions are more suited to the commercial sector and bigger players, and it is difficult for community-driven projects to access that funding.

You said that there are restrictions in the coming financial year, but do you see any way of making more funding available for bigger-scale community projects? I am talking not about some fund for fixing the Scout hall—which would be valuable—but about things on a bigger scale. What kind of funding will be available for them? Do you see that funding being available to those projects over the 10 years? How do we shift the funding to that area—or, indeed, instead of shifting it, make the funding accessible to that area?

This is your final question, and then I will move to Kevin Stewart.