Chamber and committees

I am sure that committee members would be willing to fill in on your behalf, minister, at any of those events.

I want to make two interlinked points. We have seen a 37.7 per cent reduction in the real-terms budget. I wonder whether, either now or in writing, you could give us a breakdown of how that total budget will be spent: the relevant workstreams that the proposed £2.3 million might be allocated to.

Secondly, you mentioned public participation across different departments. I am interested to know how you monitor that. For example, this year, we will have the climate change plan, which is a really meaty document. You mentioned the assembly that addressed the question of how we save the planet. How will you monitor how that climate change plan is being disseminated and how the public are being allowed to participate in what can be a very technical document?

The petitioner referred to the health impact on young people. Can we establish whether there is data on the prevalence of young people using vapes and where we might find that information?

We should write to Veterans Scotland, the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association—SSAFA, the armed forces charity—and the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman to seek their views on the action that is called for in the petition. It might be useful—I am relaxed about the point at which this should happen—to write to the convener of the cross-party group on the armed forces and veterans community to seek its network’s views on support for injured soldiers and veterans in Scotland.

We should write to the Scottish Government to seek an update on the pilot scheme for mandatory alternative dispute resolution meetings and ask whether it has any plans to review the present system for initiating court action in relation to child contact and residence orders.

What metrics do you use to assess whether departments are successfully engaging with the public?

Mr Neil, you mentioned compatibility with climate change. In section 94A of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009, there is a requirement on ministers, when they publish an infrastructure investment plan, to

“also publish an assessment of the extent to which investment in accordance with the plan is expected to contribute to the meeting of the emissions reduction targets.”

The Scottish Government recently admitted to me in a written answer that the material that has been published falls short, but, at the time, was the assessment that the dualling of the A9 was compatible with climate change targets?

We could also do with an upgrade at the Kingsway in Dundee to link the roads between Perth and Aberdeen.

The petition is interesting. In considering its proposal for a full ban on disposable vapes, the committee will probably focus on the environmental impacts; after all, a ban based on a health angle would, presumably, include all vapes, if that was the reason for it.

Nonetheless, we need more evidence, so we should write to Action on Smoking and Health Scotland, Forest and the UK Vaping Industry Association. Perhaps the clerks can identify major producers of vapes, too. I believe that the UK Vaping Industry Association does not represent vape manufacturers in the tobacco industry, so there might be scope for a slightly wider stakeholder response.

It would also be worth while asking the Scottish Government when it expects to launch its consultation on the proposal to ban the sale of single-use vapes and what consideration it has given to ASH Scotland’s suggestion that e-cigarettes be made available on prescription only to those who wish to use them as an aid to smoking cessation.

Is it worth following up with NatureScot, in the light of its recent report on indirect drivers of biodiversity loss? We could ask what action it intends to take on recommendations pertaining to local knowledge.

I am not clear about whether the rationale regarding the rounding to five or 10 is appropriate.