Chamber and committees

It was a narrow miss but a miss anyway. The latest analysis shows that emissions from transport and buildings increased during 2020-21. How will the use of that information impact plans for future infrastructure investment to tackle such problems?

To what extent, if any, have the issues around valuation of assets impacted on the ability of Scottish Canals to prepare a medium-term financial strategy? Will it be able to do that?

That covers what I was going to ask next. Thank you very much.

I was wondering about help for private citizens to enable them to address these issues.

On the basis that you get nothing for nothing, there has got to be funding for all that infrastructure. The IIP progress report noted that

“The Scottish Government is committed to sustainable deployment of revenue financed investment and capital borrowing to ensure there is no undue financial burden on future policy choices.”

Does the Scottish Government intend to make greater use of its capital borrowing powers to support infrastructure investment in the face of a declining capital budget, and are there any plans for any of the programmes under net zero and environmental sustainability to make use of revenue financing?

On the basis of what you have said, we assume that those financial issues and others are the reason why interim emissions targets have been missed so far. Will delays to delivery of, or scaling back, the net zero and environmental sustainability programmes have a further impact on the Scottish Government’s ability to meet emissions reduction targets?

I thank the witnesses for being here today. With regard to the Scottish Government’s “Infrastructure Investment Plan 2021-22 to 2025-26: Progress Report for 2022-2023”, to what extent do the budgetary challenges impact on the delivery of programmes under the net zero and environmental sustainability theme?

Ms Brown has already given us the background on the circumstances of the valuation of assets. During an evidence session with Scottish Canals in May last year, the then chief executive and the director of finance and business confirmed that the organisation aimed to undertake a new valuation process by the end of last year. They described that as being an ambitious target and had concerns that they would be unable to meet the deadline. Did Scottish Canals meet the deadline to undertake a new valuation on the canal infrastructure estate in its entirety during 2022?

That is something that we can look forward to, then. Thank you very much.

Do you think that that balance is being addressed across the board, broadly speaking?