Chamber and committees

I want to make a couple of points, convener. The first is about construction.

During the evidence sessions, we heard that the amount of waste produced by the construction industry is huge. If we can make an impact on that, we will take huge steps towards reducing waste overall. I understand that that should not be addressed in the bill itself because, as Maurice Golden said, our biggest polluters might change, and it is important to have flexibility. However, I would like to know what is going to be done in that regard.

Will the minister give way?

Will the member take an intervention?

She can dictate to them what they cannot do.

As we have already heard, you have planning powers to stop nuclear power stations, for example. You used the powers then—you could use those powers in exactly the same way to stop what we are seeing across the north-east of Scotland.

We are elected to the Parliament to represent and speak up for our constituents. Judging by the hundreds of emails that I have had on this subject, and the demonstration that we have had outside today, that is exactly what I am doing.

SNP MSPs are failing in their duty to represent the needs of our hard-working constituents. Gillian Martin is meant to be in Parliament to represent communities; instead, she is ignoring them: ignoring their pleas, emails—as I heard earlier—and calls, and their protests at what is being done to them.

We have seen and experienced the abject failure of the SNP Government in listening to the needs of our rural communities. It is a litany of failures and there is no end in sight, no matter whom the SNP chooses to lead it or with whom it partners. The party is so focused on independence that it has lost the ability to listen to our communities, which I am proud to serve.

I am fully behind our move towards net zero, but it cannot be at any cost. The decisions that we make now will be with us for the next 50 to 100 years, so let us do it right. We cannot allow the desecration of the north-east of Scotland to take place. We must work with our communities, not against them.

I think that we all agree that something needs to be done, but—[Interruption.]

Sorry—is that an intervention from Michael Marra? No.

The vandalism of our natural environment, the focus on the needs of the central belt and the deliberate rush to destroy our beautiful countryside with unwanted, unnecessary pylons must stop. I am proud to support the motion today, and—more importantly—I stand with, and support, my constituents, who have travelled here today. I fully support them.

Does the point about extreme weather not make the case for more undergrounding of cables? Or do you believe—

You are right: you cannot dictate to the operators what they must do, but you can dictate to them—

—like Mark Ruskell that it is a fait accompli—that these pylons will go up regardless of the result of any consultation and that communities just have to get used to it? I think that that attitude, which we heard earlier, is appalling.

New figures show that just £67,000 has been spent on improvements to the A90 north of Ellon at the Toll of Birness since 2017. Three flashing signs are not enough to prevent the daily accidents and near misses that occur at one of the north east’s most dangerous junctions.

Now that the coalition of chaos with the Greens has been relegated to the scrap heap, will the cabinet secretary finally commit to installing a roundabout at the junction and dualling that deadly road once and for all?

I start by congratulating my colleague Tess White on securing this vitally important debate. I pay tribute to Tess, who, like my colleague Stephen Kerr, has raised this issue time and again in the chamber. I also give big thanks to all the campaigners who have made their way down to Parliament today to have their voices heard on what is such a vital issue.

We often hear calls from the Government for a just transition for the north-east. However, what is going on with the electricity infrastructure plans is an unjust transition. Would it be just if we saw the mass industrialisation of the north-east of Scotland in the pursuit of net zero? I do not think so, but that is exactly what is happening right now. Local communities such as those in Turriff and New Deer are angry at the lack of understanding from this central belt-focused Government. They feel ignored, sidelined and shut out by a distant Holyrood, which is completely unaware of the needs of rural Scotland and is hell-bent on destroying vital natural environments that are key to the economic future of the north-east.

It is nothing short of vandalism that is being done to rural communities throughout the north-east. Last week, I asked the Minister for Energy, Just Transition and Fair Work, Gillian Martin, to ensure that the devolved Government used the planning powers that it has to ensure that the overdevelopment of those areas is stopped. The answer then was nothing short of a disgrace: passing the buck and saying that the Scottish Government has no powers to instruct the transmission operators to opt for underground cabling. Well, minister, you have—

The latest Scottish Government report shows that growth in Scotland’s economy for 2025 is expected to be 1.1 per cent; in the rest of the UK, growth is expected to be nearly double that. Does the cabinet secretary agree with me that that failure by the Scottish Government will mean an even bigger black hole for our budget in future years? What actions is the devolved Government taking to have growth levels that are comparable with those in the rest of the UK?