Chamber and committees

Thanks for that, David. Is work being done to develop that kind of idea?

Good morning to the panel. I am sorry that I cannot be there in person to speak to you. It has been very interesting. I will direct my questions to the Scottish National Investment Bank. I will leave it to Mark and David to decide who is best to answer.

We have heard a lot about hydrogen during this inquiry and previously in evidence that we have taken in other areas. I am very keen to learn about where you feel that that sector will play its role. There seems to be a lack of understanding about what that physically means, which sectors hydrogen will play a role in and how it will be delivered and contracted. How does SNIB see that? How are you supporting the infrastructure side of hydrogen?

That is very helpful, Mark. Thank you for that. Honesty is very welcome. What I am getting from some of the discussion is that, although the idea of using some of the power that we generate to create hydrogen is fantastic, when it comes to practical use, the vision may not be there.

You talked about demand, and identifying where the demand will be. Are you able to say where that work is happening? You say that it needs to happen. Do you know where it is happening, or are you perhaps waiting to step in if you see opportunities to provide support?

The point that I was making was about whether the infrastructure that we have at the moment is upscalable, or is there a need to consider a longer-term plan? If we want to be in this market, we must invest in new sites that are suitable for the future.

I saw the work being done at the Lerwick Port Authority.

It is a brief question, convener. I could come in on the issue of hydrogen, but I will not do so, as we will probably be covering it a bit more later.

I have a question for Dominic Pritchard on infrastructure. Is there a slightly uncomfortable question that should be asked here? Are some of the facilities that we have—I am thinking of the plant in Machrihanish, which was previously Vestas—simply not suitable for the level of work that we need to be doing? I think that someone talked about eight jackets. During the North Sea oil and gas boom, there was a lot of investment in sites, particularly in my Highlands and Islands region, some of which are still available. Are some of the sites that we have—say, at Methil—really suitable for what we are doing, or do we need almost to relook at the issue and investigate where we can invest and essentially build factories?

If it does not exist, do you think it should exist? Should you know the number of disabled people in your department, given that it is your responsibility?

So, it was a simple question of budget, rather than a lack of uptake of potential funding?

Are you aware of representations from the sector that there is a need for longer-term funding?

I might be wrong, but I think that Mr Simpson’s question was about your department. I can check. It would certainly be helpful to get that breakdown.