Chamber and committees

I am very grateful for that answer. To reflect back, a grant from the city level pays a proportion, but not all, of the work that is needed.

Good morning, Franziska. Earlier, in response to the convener, you detailed some well-established energy efficiency subsidy programmes for home owners. Can you detail how those work? Do they take the form of grants or loans? What proportion of the work is funded by the subsidy? Our councils have some severe funding challenges, so from where does the grant or loan come in Freiburg?

On a related note, you have an affordable housing master plan and build in ecological and sustainable factors from the start of your affordable house building. Who funds that affordable house building? Greener materials and modifications can be more expensive, so what incentives are in place to encourage people to build those modifications? Does Freiburg fund those?

Thank you very much; that is extremely helpful.

I have one final question. Freiburg is almost exactly the same size as my home city of Aberdeen. Aberdeen is traditionally one of the lowest-funded councils in Scotland, so it has to make very difficult choices about where it will spend its money. Can you help the committee understand how Freiburg is funded and, if it has similar funding pressures, how it decides to prioritise green initiatives over some of the other things that are perhaps as important?

I am very grateful. Thank you very much.

Good morning, panel. I will direct my question to David Hammond, but if anyone else is interested in coming in, they should just indicate that to me, please.

I want to develop Morag Watson’s earlier comments, which I found particularly interesting. The committee has heard that the general long-term underfunding of councils, and specifically a lack of funding to deliver next zero, could really hinder progress in this space. Could having more resources alone solve that concern? In any event, what would it cost for North Ayrshire Council—and, if you are able to speak to it, the rest of the Scottish local authorities—to be in a place where they have enough resources to meet the net zero challenge?

People who are watching might be thinking, “Well, it’s not really in the UK Government’s gift, is it?” The UK Government has set out its position, and it has presented the bill. It appears that it is the Scottish Government that disagrees with that interpretation, so it is not really about the UK Government, or is it? What am I missing, minister?

Minister, the cabinet secretary has said that we support high-speed rail but that we do not want to recommend supporting five clauses, or elements, of the bill. How have the UK and Scottish Governments come to such different views on the extent to which the provisions in the bill require the legislative consent of the Scottish Parliament?

I want to clarify something that I think you said, minister. As a point of genuine clarification, when you say that ScotRail is “the employer”, is it ScotRail Trains Ltd that is the employing entity?

The minister is suggesting that devolution would be eroded, but that is, of course, the Scottish Government’s interpretation. I think that that is clear, is it not?