Chamber and committees

Does anyone want to add to that? Gemma, were you about to jump in?

Mark Ruskell wants to come back in.

The second item is consideration of a draft statutory instrument. The Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme (Amendment) (No 2) Order 2024 makes various changes to the United Kingdom emissions trading scheme. In its report, the Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee made no comment on the instrument.

I welcome Gillian Martin, the Acting Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy. I also welcome the Scottish Government officials who are joining us for this item: Mariana Cover, senior policy adviser; and Nanjika Nasiiro, head of just transition policy.

The instrument is laid under the affirmative procedure, which means that it cannot come into force unless the Parliament approves it. Following this evidence session, the committee will be invited to consider a motion to recommend that the instrument be approved. As always, I remind everyone that Scottish Government officials can talk under this item, but not in the debate that follows. I ask the cabinet secretary to make a short opening statement.

I listened with interest to that exchange about carbon taxes being used to fund net zero. It would be remiss of me not to say that ScotWind was to do that as well, but does not appear to have been used for that either.

You commented that very little venting is going on in Scotland. What are you talking about? Can you quantify what “very little” means? How many companies?

I am sorry to interrupt, cabinet secretary, but, just to help you, I will say that the committee’s papers stated that the ETS impact assessment, which is for the UK, estimated that the scheme would probably cost business £2.4 billion, and that assumes that the carbon capture, usage and storage scheme and hydrogen go ahead as planned. Have you made an assessment of what it will cost businesses in Scotland if those developments are not delivered as planned? I am sorry if I explained that badly.

I will bring in Gemma Cooper and then come to Kevin Stewart, who has a question. However, I should say that, if that question is about community engagement, the issue is going to be addressed later by another member.

You will be pleased to hear that we now come to the final questions, which are on the land and communities commissioner. It seems that he or she will be given a specific role—a role as distinct as that of the tenant farming commissioner—in the Land Commission. Is that a good idea?

Thank you. I thought that I was going to ask that question, but there you go.

Monica, you have the next question.

Gemma, would you support the point about connectedness?

There could be upland farmers, for example, who are doing one thing on that land and then have different land that they move the cattle or sheep to, which might have a completely different management—