Chamber and committees

If you can be brief, that would be helpful.

Thank you very much for putting that on the record.

I thank the panel very much for giving evidence and helping us with our deliberations. We will hear from the cabinet secretary next, so I will briefly suspend the meeting to allow a changeover of witnesses. Thank you.

If there are no further questions, I will ask a final one. I know that you always like to come to the committee and make good news announcements, cabinet secretary. We heard in the last session from COSLA’s representative that reporting scope 3 emissions would take up more time and more resource, although COSLA had not quantified how much. Will you ask for more money in the budget to ensure that COSLA’s members have sufficient resources that they can do what you ask them to do?

Thank you, cabinet secretary. I am looking round to see whether members have any questions.

I ask that you help me out, if you do not mind. At the tail end of last week, I heard that electric vehicle sales are not going as fast as they should be, and there was a cry for the UK Government to undertake more work. Is that your feeling? I am just interested in—

Item 4 is consideration of three Scottish statutory instruments. As the instruments have been laid under the negative procedure, they will come into force unless the Parliament agrees a motion to annul them. No motions to annul have been lodged, and the Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee had no comment to make on any of the instruments in its report.

I will seek views on each instrument in turn. Do members have any comments on the Local Services Franchises (Traffic Commissioner Notices and Panels) (Scotland) Regulations 2024? Mark, you were quick with your hand.

Now that we have talked this through, we find ourselves in a difficult situation. The SSI’s commencement date is, as I understand it, 1 November. The next evidence session that we could have would be on 29 October, which clashes with stage 2 of the Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Bill, and in the middle of all that comes recess. I am not seeking to incite riot, if that is the right description, but if anyone wants to lodge a motion to annul, they have to do so before the committee’s evidence session—that is, on 28 October. I note that Bob Doris wants to speak—I will come to you in a minute, Bob, if I may.

Three members feel that more evidence is needed, and Bob Doris, too, has suggested that that might be the case. Is this something that we could deal with in writing prior to the committee meeting? That would allow us to get evidence and then make a decision on whether we need to take evidence on 29 October. Do Mark Ruskell, Monica Lennon and Douglas Lumsden, who have all made the suggestion, feel that an evidence session is required anyway? I am interested in hearing your views on that.

Indeed it could. My understanding is that a motion to annul can be lodged in advance and then not moved on the day.

I am just thinking of timetabling. I am looking at the deputy convener and whether he has any suggestions. I think that writing to people would be helpful, and it might be suitable to warn them off with regard to the meeting on 29 October.

Well, I am just assuming that. It might be a bad assumption.

Nevertheless, I think that we need to take evidence and I am suggesting that as a way forward. We can have a brief discussion of timescales when we go into private session to ensure we have enough time to do this.

I know that it is not a perfect solution, but is the committee happy to move forward with it?

Members indicated agreement.

Finally, we will consider the Public Service Vehicles (Registration of Local Services) (Bus Services Improvement Partnerships Service Standards Decisions) (Appeals) (Scotland) Regulations 2024. That was quite a mouthful.

If members have no views or comments, does the committee agree that it does not wish to make any recommendations on the regulations?

Members indicated agreement.

Mark, you have to be happy. Are you?