Chamber and committees

I will come to you, Suzanne Sosna. Paul de Leeuw has said that it is perhaps difficult to find a shared understanding of the just transition, because everybody’s starting point is different. What does it mean for policy makers or agencies such as yours if there is not a common understanding of what we are trying to deliver and what we are trying to measure?

Good morning, and welcome to the 28th meeting in 2023 of the Economy and Fair Work Committee. Our first item of business is a declaration of interests. Before I invite our new member Evelyn Tweed to do that, I thank Ash Regan for her contribution to this committee. I welcome Evelyn Tweed and ask her to declare any relevant interests.

I welcome our second panel of witnesses: Professor Paul de Leeuw, director of the Robert Gordon University ernergy transition institute; Gordon McGuinness, director of industry and enterprise networks at Skills Development Scotland; and Suzanne Sosna, director of economic opportunities and climate at Scottish Enterprise.

I will start with a question that I posed to the first panel, which was about definitions of a just transition, which is an area that the committee is interested in as part of our inquiry. I come first to Paul de Leeuw. Do you think that there is a shared understanding in the north-east and Moray of what a just transition is? Should we be measuring it? How will we know whether it has been delivered?

I understand that Maggie Chapman wishes to declare interests before we start the meeting.

Yes. I was going to raise the fact that your briefing for the committee says:

“SDS and partners have developed a good understanding of the emerging picture.”

The briefing references the climate emergency skills action plan and regional skills assessments, but it does not specify what the emerging picture is. It says that you have

“a good understanding of the emerging picture”,

but it does not state what the emerging picture is. Is that something that you can—

Another theme in the meeting has been the lack of data. It is difficult for us to see what progress we are making on a just transition because we do not have enough information to judge that. Will the information that SDS is working on help with developing a framework in which to judge progress?

I thank the panel very much for its evidence. We will now move into private session.

I call Gordon MacDonald, to be followed by Murdo Fraser.

I have to make progress. I must ask the witnesses to be as concise as possible in responding to the questions, because we have a big panel this morning.

I will allow Kevin Stewart one supplementary, but please direct it to only one of the panel members.

Yes—briefly.