Chamber and committees

I believe that there has been a delay in publishing the most recent export statistics. Can you give us some background on that?

Good morning, cabinet secretary. I want to ask you about Scotland’s export performance. The target for growing exports from 20 to 25 per cent of GDP, as set out in the strategy published in “A Trading Nation”, was quite ambitious. We are now in year 4 of that strategy, and we have had to face being taken out of the EU against our wishes as well as a global pandemic. Will you update the committee on where we are in growing our export market?

I have heard a lot of good suggestions this morning, such as increasing the child payment to £40, a lone-parent premium and so on. However, that is all mitigation of UK Government measures. Kirsty McKechnie mentioned earlier that benefits had been frozen or had received a 1 per cent uplift. The Bank of England’s consumer prices index calculator suggests that 2013 benefits should have been increased by 30 per cent.

The Scottish Government can do only a limited amount, because it has to balance its budget every year. Should there be more of a call on the UK Government to look at the minimum wage, employment law, benefit levels and the two-child limit? That would make a more of a difference to poverty in Scotland than if we increased the child payment from £25 to £40.

I have no relevant interests to declare.

In 2021, Net Zero Teesside was awarded track 1 status. It was named the UK’s leading carbon capture scheme and awarded a slice of the UK Government’s £1 billion of funding, despite the fact that the Department for Business and Trade had highlighted on its website that

“Scotland is helping lead the way on this work, benefiting from cutting-edge R&D activities, a talented workforce and a significant geographical advantage.”

It also went on to say:

“The North Sea also has enough CO₂ storage capacity to support the UK’s demands for hundreds of years.”

Yesterday, Shell pulled out of the Teesside scheme, after National Grid pulled out on Sunday, and has said that it will now focus on the Acorn scheme in Scotland, where it will act as technical developer. Given that news, what further pressure can the Scottish Government put on the UK Government to reconsider funding for the Acorn project? When do you expect to hear any announcement about such funding?

I have a final question. Earlier, it was mentioned that if we get this right, there is a possibility of creating 77,000 jobs. If the Acorn project and the Scottish Cluster do not get UK Government funding, how many of those jobs will be at risk?

Good morning, cabinet secretary. I want to ask you about the Acorn project and the Scottish Cluster. The Scottish Government has previously highlighted that the Acorn project is a vital part of its strategy to reduce industrial emissions in Scotland. Will you update the committee on the importance of the project in supporting the transition to net zero? What discussions are taking place with the UK Government on moving the project forward?

I want to ask a couple of questions. In the commission’s report, which was published in July 2022, you noted the importance of an updated industrial strategy. The United Kingdom Government is largely responsible for industrial strategy, and on 1 March it withdrew its strategy, and the replacement plans are not expected before this autumn. What are your views on the impact that the delay in having an updated strategy will have on Scotland’s plans for a just transition?

Professor Skea said that we should move ahead on our own, but unfortunately, funding is a big issue. The Acorn project, which is the Scottish cluster for carbon capture, utilisation and storage, has not had full funding committed to it by the UK Government, although having missed the 2021 funding round, it is now labelled as a leading contender. Forth Ports has described the project as essential in making a considerable contribution to emissions reductions. What is the commission’s view on the importance of the Acorn project, and how do we move it ahead without that funding?

We have touched a lot on the areas that I want to ask about, but you will be happy to know that I have one question with three parts.

Retrofitting of housing stock is a great opportunity. There are 2.6 million homes in Scotland, and we need to retrofit 113,000 homes per year. In Scotland, 99 per cent of businesses are SMEs. You have talked about capital investment and equity investment but, for many of those companies, it is cash flow that kills them.

My first question is: what more can the finance and banking industry do to support SMEs to take up those opportunities, in particular in relation to the cash flow problem?

Secondly, 75 per cent of homes are either owner-occupied or private lets. In my constituency, we are currently two years into a refurbishment of 181 blocks of flats in the Wester Hailes area, and many of the home owners there are being asked for a £40,000 contribution towards the external cladding, new roofs and insulation. Many of them cannot afford it. What can mortgages or buy-to-let mortgages do to support that funding?

Lastly, how do we encourage local job creation from investments from the finance and banking sector? Those are three easy questions.