Chamber and committees

Committee members never normally give up questions. Thank you. I think that Monica Lennon has some questions, unless those have been answered as well, but I do not think that they have.

You moved closer to the screen, Dr Nurse. Was that because you want to chip in?

The letter that you are talking about is included in our papers. With regard to the bill before us, should we take any of the points in that letter and put them into the bill so that, in future, we can properly scrutinise what has gone on and what is being set as far as future carbon budgets are concerned?

We seem to have lost the audio—

We will now go back into the meeting. Philip, you might have turned your camera off. I will ask you a simple question to see whether you are on air and what the reception is like. Is it raining in London, or wherever you are?

I have a final question, as no other member has another one. There are some questions that we have not had a chance to put to you, so when the committee does the wash-up at the meeting’s end, we might find that we would like answers to more questions. If so, the clerks will write to you and list them.

I am sure that I do not need to say that time in this meeting is short, so a quick response is always helpful. My final question is very simple. Do you think that the documents that are currently produced to support the Scottish budget would be sufficient to enable this committee, or subsequent committees, to see whether enough money is being spent on achieving the carbon budget and the climate change plan that is subsequently published?

David Hawkey—briefly.

Philip, I am afraid that the connection is getting particularly difficult and we are only catching every other word of what you are saying, so I will end the evidence session there. If there is anything that, when you have had a chance to have a quick look at—

We have a very polite panel. If anyone else wants to comment, please indicate that to me. Please do not throw just anything at me, but if you indicate that you want to come in, I will certainly let you in.

Before I bring David Hawkey in, will you comment further on the 2045 target, Emily? You said that it is right to keep it. Is it ambitious? Is it achievable, or is it unachievable, like the 2030 target? Is it definitely something that we should aim for, but the chances that we will not hit it are quite high?

Sorry, David.

I am going to push you on that. You said that 2045 might be achievable, but it comes with a serious health warning. You mentioned trees, but we have cut the budget for planting this year and we have not reached our targets in the past six years. Actually, I think that we met the target once, to give credit where it is due, but we have had five failures and only one success. Are you saying that there is a serious health warning about meeting the target, Emily?