Chamber and committees

I would like to ask another question about skills that probably follows on from that. Michelle Primrose set out Forth Ports’s activities, its work with the college and the support that is there. Liz McAreavey, you set out the plans in Edinburgh, which take a strategic, longer-term view of planning. Do you feel that that is happening for your sector and the businesses that you represent? Do you feel that you have access to the skills, and are you confident that your businesses can get access to what is needed?

Is this broader than just the energy sector? That is key to the changes that need to happen in Grangemouth. We talked about the interpretation of a just transition, and I think that Maggie Chapman tried to pull out that it is about more than just the energy sector. The Government is part of the wellbeing economy alliance as well. There are bigger issues about the whole region. The energy changes will have a bigger impact than just what happens with energy.

That is quite a broad question. I will come to you first, Liz, because you described a kind of strategic view in Edinburgh. Do you think that a strategic approach is being taken in Grangemouth, setting aside the work that Forth Ports is doing?

The Government is focusing on Grangemouth first, which, in industry terms, is one of the highest-emitting areas in Scotland. You have informed us of the general position of all businesses across Scotland, because they are all trying to meet the target, but there is a particular focus on Grangemouth. What will the impact be on smaller businesses in that area? Do you feel that you are being involved enough in putting a plan together?

Our next item of business is the first evidence session for our inquiry into a just transition for the Grangemouth area.

Industry is the second-highest carbon-emitting sector in Scotland after transport. There is currently a target for Scotland to cut greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2045. The committee is interested in looking at how we can support, incentivise and de-risk that transition in the Grangemouth area first, to benefit companies and individuals. I thank everyone who responded to our call for evidence, which closed last week. All submissions will be considered during the inquiry.

In today’s session, we will focus on the challenges facing businesses. I welcome Hisashi Kuboyama, development manager for the west with the Federation of Small Businesses in Scotland. He is joined by Liz McAreavey, who is chief executive of Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce, and, from Forth Ports Limited, Stuart Wallace, chief operating officer, and Michelle Primrose, group human resources manager. As always, it would be helpful if members and witnesses could keep their questions and answers as concise as possible.

I welcome our witnesses to the committee. I will go to Hisashi first, followed by Liz. I will focus my questions on both of you at the start.

The Government is producing a just transition plan for the Grangemouth area, and we expect to see the draft of that in the spring. What are the businesses that you represent looking for in the draft plan? Are you confident that it will reflect the challenges that are being faced by businesses? What is your understanding of where the focus is?

I apologise, but I would like to make some progress and let other members in. If there is time at the end, we can come back to this line of questioning.

Hisashi, you said at the beginning that there is no small business representative on the Grangemouth future industry board. Many of your small businesses will be a part of the supply chain. Others are businesses that are based in Grangemouth but that will still be impacted. On the skills agenda, do you feel there is recognition of the role that your members play and of the support that they need?

Thank you. That brings us to the end of this evidence session. I thank the panel members for their contributions this morning. You have helped to set the scene for the inquiry that we are about to undertake and have raised some key issues for us to explore with other witnesses in the coming weeks. We will now move into private session.

Good morning and welcome to the fifth meeting in 2023 of the Economy and Fair Work Committee. I have received apologies this morning from Jamie Halcro Johnston.

Our first item of business is to make a decision on taking items 3, 4 and 5 in private. Are members content to take those items in private?

Members indicated agreement.

We took evidence from the Just Transition Commission, as well as the Climate Change Committee. Issues have been raised around private finance. The committee is interested in looking at how you de-risk the process. Stuart, I do not know whether you can comment on this. A key challenge is linking the considerable quantity of private finance that is available with the need to get the flow through to power all the proposals that are on the table and see what we need to do to reach net zero. The committee has an interest in the Scottish National Investment Bank as one of the players in that. Can you give an overview of whether more needs to be done to support private finance coming into Scotland?

Thank you.

Liz, I have a similar question for you about what you hope to see in the draft plan. At this stage, does your chamber of commerce have an idea of what needs to be included in the draft plan and what kind of support businesses need, and whether there is support that is particular to the types of businesses that are based in Grangemouth?

Have you been engaged in the drafting of the just transition plan that the Government is putting together, which might be published in the spring? Have there been conversations around that?