Chamber and committees

We will need to reform the 2004 act to enable or to compel shared owners to come together, and to potentially have building bonds that achieve financial—

Professor Bell, you talked earlier about agriculture and land use. Do you want to say anything more on that? Your assessment suggests that the contribution of several key actions in agriculture, forestry and peatlands is off track. What would Scotland need—and what would you need—from the next climate change plan to provide certainty that there will be delivery in those areas?

Thank you.

I will first go back to the topic of having a five-yearly carbon budget approach, rather than annual targets. I appreciate that you have clarified that you will make proposals, having considered the Welsh situation. Do you want to add anything more at this stage about the challenges, practicalities and process for setting five-yearly carbon budgets and how you envisage that working through the Government and Parliament?

Considering the politics, the fact that the Scottish Parliament has five-yearly parliamentary terms might be quite helpful in that regard.

Last week, on 18 April, the Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Net Zero and Energy wrote to this committee setting out a number of steps that the Scottish Government will take to address the Climate Change Committee’s concerns. One of those steps was a plan to deliver approximately 24,000 additional electric vehicle charging points by 2030. I presume that you welcome that but are awaiting the detail. Is that a fair assessment?

Good morning. We have already touched on the issue of how you plan to influence education reform, what areas are a priority for you and why you want to influence that. If there is anything more that you want to add on education reform, please do. I appreciate you have already touched on that in response to Pam Duncan-Glancy.

I am also interested in any priorities that you might have for post-school education reform, in relation to which we have had the Withers review. I would be grateful to hear your thoughts on those matters.

With the commissioner’s permission, I have a question for Nick Hobbs, who engaged with me in relation to my members’ business debate on Scottish football in January. For transparency, I note that he and I had a meeting about the issue during the recess.

Nick, following our meeting in recent weeks and the debate in the chamber, will you update Parliament on your concerns and the commissioner’s office’s concerns about the way in which young people are considered in Scottish football as economic assets?

You will be aware that, in my members’ business debate, I proposed that, as well as the round table, it would be in the interests of all who are involved in the concerns and issues around Scottish football for the Government to undertake a formal consultation on the matter before the end of the current session of Parliament. Would the children’s commissioner’s office support that?

I presume that, in addition to higher and further education, you will take into account considerations to do with employers and the apprenticeship programmes.

The Government already has a lot to consider from the various reviews that have taken place in recent months and years. Do you feel that the doors are open, so to speak, for you to feed in your thoughts, as you have just mentioned?