Chamber and committees

I am grateful for the clarification, cabinet secretary. However, it begs the question whether the climate compatibility test that you just talked about could prevent the full dualling of the A96 from Inverness to Aberdeen, if its conclusions are that doing so is not climate compatible.

Finally, on the just transition fund, we know that £25 million was released and has been applied into. The next £25 million is being made available through the Scottish National Investment Bank. Why did the process change? Will the process involving the SNIB be used in future for the rest of the funds?

Does the fact that it is being run through the SNIB change the thresholds for minimum applications? Is there any impact on the geographical spread of the just transition fund?

I am sure that there is more, but you have answered the question and I am conscious of time.

The consultation on the just transition plan for energy has recently closed. What is the timeline for revising the plan in light of that consultation? Will there be a further consultation or will whatever comes out of the recent consultation be the final version?

A similar promise was made about the A96, so the question that is begged is: when will the A96 be dualled?

Will the A96 be fully dualled between Aberdeen and Inverness?

But you have no idea when.

In 2019, the Scottish Government published its second adaptation programme, “Climate Ready Scotland”. In March 2022, the Climate Change Committee’s progress report noted that

“Progress in delivering adaptation has stagnated”.

That was 15 months ago. What work has been done to address that stagnation?

The Climate Change Committee also called for

“urgent implementation of a monitoring and evaluation framework”

which will, presumably, become even more critical in order to ensure that the funding that the cabinet secretary has just described is spent well and is effective.

The Scottish Government committed to making progress on such a framework, but, as of May 2023, that framework remains merely in development. Why is that taking so long, particularly given that the Climate Change Committee said that this is an “urgent” priority?

I am grateful.