Chamber and committees

What is the level of regular engagement between the Scottish Government and GFG Alliance?

You talk about investments going well, but a lot of jobs were promised when the deal was signed. Do you have any concerns that the projected number of jobs will not be met? I think that the projection was into the hundreds, but only around 50 jobs have been delivered so far.

I have had a number of meetings, not only on just transition but on other areas in which the Scottish Government is acting—for example, the deposit return scheme and short-term lets. Much of the time—perhaps not so much on short-term lets, but on DRS—there is support for the principle, but a concern that comes up time and again is about engagement. SMEs are engaged with either too late in the process or not at all.

How are you ensuring that SMEs are involved in the process right from the beginning, so that further down the line, when they, rather than the larger emitters, become more of a focus, it is done in the right way?

My question is about the impact of less funding being available to parts of the oil and gas sector for their role in the just transition.

Convener, do I have time for another brief question?

Pivoting slightly from my previous question, the Scottish National Investment Bank has said that less money will be available for some of the oil and gas companies. I appreciate that, to an extent, that might seem logical in the light of the move towards a just transition. However, those companies will still play a massive part in our economy. Do you have concerns about how the fact that less funding will be available might impact on their ability to play an active part in the transition? Oil and gas will remain a vital sector, as there will still be a major role for fossil fuels while we move forward.

Good morning, cabinet secretary. I want to ask about SMEs. We know that they face particular costs and challenges, as well as barriers to just transition, such as those relating to resources, training and the like. We know that 21 per cent do not have a plan for the future, and I imagine that awareness of just transition among the SME sector is probably quite limited. How can the Scottish Government support increased awareness and support SMEs in that respect?

Secondly, how can that be done in a way that strengthens the Scottish supply chain? That issue has come up a number of times in a number of different areas regarding just transition and other aspects.

I do not think that there is anything particularly relevant that I need to declare. I am a partner in a farming business and I own shares in Tetragen and Standard Life, but I am not sure that they are relevant to the committee’s discussions.

I will be brief because I am conscious of the time, so I will put my two questions into one.

You talked about people taking a generalised rather than specialised approach, and about the churn of civil servants and politicians. Is there a concern that individuals can be stuck in the same position for too long and are therefore not able to come up with new approaches, even if they are implementing other people’s ideas, certainly from the civil service side? It is also about longevity of Governments. We have two parties that have been in government for a very long time, so how might that impact on civil servants who are asked to deliver? Do they start to take an institutionalised approach and does that have an impact on whether they are able to take and respond to decisions?

Good morning. I am very encouraged by what Professor Skea said about going out and about and taking a place-based approach. As a Highlands and Islands MSP, I always go on about the need to ensure that the whole of Scotland is represented, so what was said about the Western Isles and going up to Shetland and Grantown-on-Spey is important and encouraging.

I have questions about the role of small and medium-sized enterprises and how they can be supported. Previous witnesses have said that there is a particular need to support SMEs and have talked about how to do that. First, there needs to be the necessary planning, but we should also ensure that there is an agreed and consistent approach to measuring carbon and quantifying the effects of reform. What is your opinion on that? How can we ensure that there is better engagement with SMEs?