Minutes
1. Decisions on taking business in private:
The Committee agreed to take items 4 and 5 in private.
2. The environmental impacts of hyperscale data centres inquiry – evidence:
The Committee took evidence from—
Kat Jones, Director, Action to Protect Rural Scotland;
Kim Pratt, Senior Campaigner, Friends of the Earth Scotland;
and then from—
Rosi Leonard, Data Centre Campaign Lead & Network Development Coordinator, Friends of the Earth Ireland;
Professor Hannah Daly, Professor in Sustainable Energy, University College Cork;
Ronan Kelly, CEO, Digital Infrastructure Ireland.
3. Instrument subject to annulment:
The Committee considered the Climate Change (Duties of Public Bodies: Reporting Requirements) (Scotland) Amendment Order 2026 (SSI 2026/266). The Committee agreed to make no recommendations in relation to the instrument.
4. Pre-Budget scrutiny – report (In Private):
The Committee considered a draft report on its scrutiny preceding the Scottish Government's Budget 2027-28. Various changes were agreed to, and the Committee agreed to delegate responsibility to the Convener for finalising the report.
5. Scottish National Adaptation Plan: annual report 2025 - 2026 – approach (In Private):
The Committee considered its approach to the inquiry. The Committee agreed to—
- a proposed structure of work on adaptation;
- the key questions for the Committee to consider and to include these on the website;
- the themes for evidence sessions and proposed witnesses;
- delegating responsibility to the Convener for finalising witness lists;
- collaborate with other relevant committees on work on wildfires;
- consider a detailed approach to collaborative scrutiny at a future meeting, including participation and engagement work;
- consider how it would like to report on this work at a future meeting;
- delegate to the clerks authority to pay witness expenses, and to delegate authority to the Convener to handle any queries should they arise;
- have a short item, near the end of each meeting at which oral evidence is heard, to review that evidence, and to take those items in private.
6. The environmental impacts of hyperscale data centres inquiry – review of evidence (In Private):
The Committee reviewed the evidence heard under agenda item 2.