Chamber and committees

What is the capacity of the organisation to carry out in-depth investigations? Could it do one a year or a couple a year? What is the situation?

As a consumer, I sat yesterday and tried to find a product recall database. I found one, from Trading Standards Scotland. It highlighted 22 items, ranging from an air fryer to a storage footstool to a battery charger; those were only three of the 22 items that were listed yesterday. The public need one point of contact. They do not want to know that there are 14 or however many databases. They want to go to one place, and it has to be consumer friendly. You mentioned other databases, but typing “product recall” into Google does not highlight the databases that you highlighted. Secondly, they are not consumer friendly at all. If you are going to add value, I suggest that you do it in those two areas, but, for consumers in Scotland, the important question is this: when will you decide your plan of action, whether that is to link to other databases or have your own database, and when will that happen?

Going back to the situation with the EU, I note that nine of the top 15 markets identified in the strategy are in it. We have been taken out of the EU against our will, given that 62 per cent of our population voted to remain in it. What impact has that had on Scotland’s exports? Do we need to refocus our attention on the other countries listed in the strategy? In that respect, I am thinking about America, Canada, Switzerland, Norway and China.

Why is it then that we are still seeing delays to funding in the project? It is inexplicable to many observers that Acorn was excluded from track 1 status. I know that you have responded to questions from Colin Smyth on that point, but can you add more detail about why Acorn is considered secondary to the clusters that the UK Government selected to receive track 1 status?

When would the first opportunity come around for a review to take place and possible elevation of the Acorn project?

You have had three major players either withdraw from or pause investment in the east coast project. Does that not cause you to review the east coast project?

You have mentioned the east coast cluster a couple of times, which was announced for track 1 funding from November 2021. However, in recent weeks, the National Grid has withdrawn, as has Shell, indicating that it would focus on the Acorn project in Scotland. Drax has recently paused its investment in the project, too. What does that do to the viability of the east coast project? Does that give you an opportunity to review funding and bring Acorn closer to getting UK Government funding?

Good morning, minister. To continue on Colin Smyth’s theme, I am aware that Andrew Bowie, who is the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, told our Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee on 27 April that he

“would be overwhelmingly delighted should Acorn be successful through the track 2 process.”

He also said that

“it is vital to Scotland’s 2045 net zero ambition ... that we get more carbon capture and storage on stream across the whole of the United Kingdom.”—[Official Report, Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee, 27 April 2023; c 10.]

Do you agree?

You mentioned having strong relationships with countries where we are aiming to grow our exports. How important is the GlobalScot network to that process?

What is the role of the trade board in supporting Scottish industry to find new markets or to innovate? I know that the membership of that board was updated in June 2022. Why did that happen, and does the board have a new focus?