Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee

Meeting date: Thursday, February 2, 2023

Official Report 473KB pdf

Correspondence (Net Zero Scrutiny)

Agenda item 2 is in respect of correspondence that we have received from the Conveners Group, which relates to strengthening net zero scrutiny arrangements. Do members have any comments?

I found the correspondence to be informative in relation to the ambitions of the Conveners Group and the wider Parliament to embed the scrutiny of net zero into the work not just of the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee—I acknowledge its convener, Edward Mountain, who is with us today, as he is a member of this committee—but of all parliamentary committees as we scrutinise legislation.

However, the letter also said:

“The Group noted that it was important that the Scottish Government was able to provide essential data to facilitate this scrutiny work. With this in mind, you will have seen the correspondence that I have had with the Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero requesting better information on this; the Group will return to this at our meeting later this month.”

I have not seen that correspondence, and I am unaware of whether the Scottish Government has replied to it. I would like to see those two essential pieces of evidence before we make a specific commitment to do further work, or even decide what such further work might look like, in relation to our approach to any changing of standing orders or rules in the Parliament with regard to net zero.

That is helpful. Do members have any other comments? It seems not.

Given that we are talking about the procedures, it seems sensible, if we are to arrive at something, for us to know what wants to be arrived at. That would be helpful for the committee. Therefore, does the committee agree to the suggestion that we correspond formally with the Conveners Group—and, if necessary, the Scottish Government—to get access to all the correspondence? Does the committee also agree to write to the requisite committee to ask what its views and asks are?

Members indicated agreement.