Okay. That is helpful.

I am going to go back and read the project willow report again, because it gets very techy about the alternatives. Sustainable aviation fuel stood out for me.

I am also thinking about rail and bus. I know that we are using hydrogen in Aberdeen. What are the opportunities in terms of joined-up thinking, electricity supply, the site and potential networks, given that we are talking about the central belt as well as the north-east? Dr Hawker, do you want to comment on the issue of green hydrogen, how you would use it and whether SAF is on the table?

It did.

I am keen to dig down into the opportunities for Grangemouth, particularly the green hydrogen options. As we know, the closer we get to new technology, the more the price can be brought down if the tech and the skills are available. What are the other opportunities for developing green hydrogen in Scotland? Would you put Grangemouth on the list? Where else would you identify?

This is an important issue for people’s quality of life and health. The committee has now had a response from the Scottish Government. Given the petition’s importance, could we write to the stakeholders who were involved in the inquiry that the committee did on this matter a couple of years ago to get an update and see whether they have any more thoughts? That might allow us to think about how we take the matter forward and whether we have enough information.

Supporting the most vulnerable people in our society at the early stage of their lives is vital if we are going to improve the wellbeing and living standards of people across Scotland, so I thank Michael Marra for bringing the debate to the chamber.

Unfortunately, children with additional support needs are paying the price for a lack of funding by the Scottish National Party Government. Our councils have faced a decade of underfunding, which means that there is massive pressure on education and on local support services in the third sector. Parents have raised the issue with me directly, and I heard from them at an Inspiring Scotland event about the pressures that local charities, our services and parents face.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child says that children with ASN, as well as their carers, have the right to special care and support during the child’s growth and development. As Michael Marra highlighted, the need for support does not stop once the school year is finished—if anything, children with ASN and their families or carers require more, not less, support outside term times. However, they suffer from a significant lack of consistent, accessible and affordable summer activities for children with ASN.

I thank the Edinburgh REPAIR—robust engagement with parents for ASN and inclusion reform—network for its excellent briefing. The City of Edinburgh Council organises the holiday hubs scheme, which is fantastic, but we do not have that support at the scale at which it is needed. Last year, only 260 of the 460 applicants were able to get places, and they received at most 16 days, from 9 to 3, of holiday hub care. That means that parents are struggling to balance childcare responsibilities with work obligations. There are massive pressures in that regard, and—as Michael Marra commented—the need for more information and support is key.

Studies have shown that children with ASN mostly just want to feel included, but the summer holidays bring isolation, boredom and social exclusion. The lack of support means that those young people and their working parents are going to struggle to get the opportunities that they need, and working parents are struggling to work around their jobs to care for their kids.

Carers of children with ASN often experience burnout and isolation as a result of those increased pressures. A 2020 report by Shared Care Scotland, “‘Holidays or Isolation?’ Research into holiday activity provision for disabled children and young people in Scotland”, noted that

“96% of respondents said that the summer holidays were when they needed most support.”

As Jeremy Balfour said, we need action, not warm words. The adult carer support plan was introduced under the Carers (Scotland) Act 2016, which states that local authorities “must provide support to” unpaid carers. However, the “State of Caring in Scotland 2024” research

“found that just 20% of unpaid carers said they had received an ACSP in the last 12 months.”

We need action now, and the lack of funding is a key reason why parents and their children are not getting the support that they need. Michael Marra’s point about having clarity on the additional funding that has been mentioned is absolutely critical. I want to know what that means for the councils in my region, because the holidays are weeks away and parents and their children need support now. We need increased investment, training and support for our carers, recognising and amplifying the vital role that they play in safeguarding Scotland’s public health, keeping our economy going and, crucially, giving our young people the support that they need now so that they can achieve their potential. Everybody should be signed up to that, and the Government needs to give that support now.

It is also the case that it could be more expensive to repair something than to replace it. That is an economic issue, which you cannot fix, but is there a case for getting the sectors to work together or having better standards?

What are your priorities for achieving a joined-up win-win on territorial emissions and consumption emissions? The statistics show that, when it comes to our consumption-based emissions, our carbon footprint has fallen by only a third, and that, on consumption per capita, we are at double the world average. What would be game changing in lowering those figures so that we can have a much more circular economy and, as people, we are able to reduce our carbon-based emissions?

What advice is Zero Waste Scotland feeding into the upcoming climate change plan? Iain, you have already mentioned the carbon emissions issue. How can we link the opportunities that come through the climate change plan with waste so that we deliver reductions in waste and reduce climate emissions?

It is a lot cheaper.

How do we communicate that? Earlier, one of you said that local authorities are not putting as much effort into communicating with members of the public as is necessary. In addition, if people want to recycle things or to get stuff repaired, it is hard to find local opportunities. How can we ramp up that activity?