Chamber and committees

You are saying that it is suitable?

So if there is a compromise, it might not be the right one. Are you happy with that?

Sorry, before I come back to you, Monica, Bob wants to come in.

I am sure that Alina will have been happy with the pre-agreement—but off you go, Alina.

Just before I go to the final questions, I thank Mike Robinson for mentioning ARIOB and agriculture, because it means that I have to remind members of my entry in the register of members’ interests as part of a family farming partnership in Moray that gets subsidies. I want to just put that on the record. I point out that I took no part in that particular conversation, and I am very happy to refer members to the entry in the register of interests if they want to take a full look at what is involved.

Jackie, you have the next question.

I think that that is stretching it in relation to the extent of the bill, but the panel members can come in very briefly if they want to—I am just conscious of time.

Thank you. That brings us to the end of the session. First, I apologise for asking you to attend at short notice. I also apologise for keeping you waiting and for the length of this evidence session, but I am extremely grateful—as we all are—for the effort that you have made today through your contributions to help us with our deliberations, so thank you very much.

I will briefly suspend the meeting to allow for a changeover of witnesses. Thank you.

Thank you, cabinet secretary. I confirm that that letter was sent from your office at approximately 8 o’clock last night and was distributed to the committee at 7.30 this morning prior to the meeting. There might well be questions, but I have to say that that is quite a tight timescale to look at the contents of the letter, which I am not sure that I fully understand. However, I am sure that members will drill into it.

Last summer, we knew that the climate change targets would not be achievable. On 17 April this year, the then cabinet secretary indicated that a new climate change bill would be introduced; it was referred to again on 28 May in the Parliament and it was introduced on 5 September, with very little time for scrutiny. Did you ever consider producing a narrower bill to delay the climate change plan—it is the driver behind all this, because it has to be produced in November—so that the Parliament could have proper time to consider the bill?

There would then be 120 days for Parliament to consider the plan. Is that part of that process?

Okay.