Chamber and committees

I am sorry; I cannot take that intervention.

We were used to seeing huge amounts of innovation, growth and investment in the north-east and, with energy transition, could see that again. However, for that to happen, we must stop the demonisation of the oil and gas industry. Historically, energy companies have spent vast sums on research and innovation and could do that again when it comes to energy transition, but they need the revenue from oil and gas to provide them with the cash to spend on research and development. While there is still a demand for hydrocarbons, we should produce those in this country, not only to protect the thousands of jobs that rely on the sector but to safeguard the huge amounts of cash that will be invested in renewables.

I am sorry; I do not have time. I will come back to the minister if I have time.

The strategy goes on to tell us how much stronger we are as part of the United Kingdom with the financial weight that that brings. The UK Government has invested significant funds to drive up innovation and productivity: it has invested in free ports and in the regional growth deals that much of the life science innovation mentioned in the report comes from and it wants to go further in developing our nuclear energy capacity, which will bring huge investment in research and development but is, of course, being blocked by the SNP-Green coalition.

Let us be really clear about the facts: the SNP has reduced enterprise agency budgets this year, stifling those organisations’ ability to make significant impacts on their regions. The SNP-Green Government talks a lot about higher education in the strategy, but we must remember that it has cut £46 million from college and university budgets this year.

The strategy has lots of warm words about economic growth for our central belt cities, but sets out no roadmap to get there and there is very little mention of how our rural communities will play their part.

I welcome the strategy and its recognition of the strength of being part of the United Kingdom. I have no ambition to be in a leading small country when we can be part of a leading world power with the economic strength that that brings. I welcome the strategy’s recognition of the investment that being part of the UK has brought to Scotland at a time when the SNP Government is cutting budgets. After 16 years in power, the minister should be embarrassed to place the strategy before us today. It lets down our rural communities, is an admission of failure by the broken SNP-Green coalition and is a clear indication of how we benefit from being part of the United Kingdom.

The Scottish National Investment Bank invested £9 million of public money in Circularity Scotland. Is that money now gone?

Is there time, Presiding Officer?

I thank the minister for the advance sight of his statement. Most members of the public will be shocked to hear that there was an underspend of nearly quarter of a billion pounds last year. [Interruption.]

Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Last year, nearly quarter of a billion pounds was underspent. It seems that, in key areas, the Government likes to announce high spending figures in its budget, but it is woeful on delivery. It talks the talk, but it does not walk the walk. At a time when our local communities are seeing swimming pools, libraries and sports facilities being closed, how can that be the case? For a Government that talks about there being a skills crisis, how can it be that its education and skills budget has been so massively underspent? For one that claims that tackling climate change is a key priority, how on earth is it that the net zero and transport budget has been so massively underspent once again? Those are serious questions, so perhaps we could have serious answers.

This morning, the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee heard evidence about swimming pools closing right across Scotland. Vibrant, packed community hubs such as Bucksburn in Aberdeen have shut because the Scottish National Party administration slashed the sports budget.

As we heard, there is money from the UK Government to fund swimming pools, so, as some of that needs to be used to get Bucksburn swimming pool back open again, can the minister tell us today when that money will be allocated?

No—you’ve got the money for it.

All the examples that you gave are of bodies becoming more efficient in themselves and working better but still operating within their silo, although that might not be the best word to use. I am talking about how we get bodies to work better together across the board—that includes, for example, getting local authorities to work better with health boards and integration joint boards. Will that have to be mandated in future?

Do you think that the bodies concerned will do that voluntarily or will it have to be mandated? That is the key thing that I am trying to understand.