Absolutely. That was an important intervention by the deputy convener. Skills are critical for delivering a circular economy, because we will need them in every single community and local authority across Scotland. I am sure that we will come back to the issue of how we deliver that later.

I move on to Ben Macpherson’s amendments 122 and 123 about the issues that he raised at stage 1 on construction, on which I totally agreed with him. Action on the matter needs to be ramped up—the committee recognised that in its report on the extensiveness of construction material waste. There is something about working with businesses, but also something about prioritising investment in existing buildings and on the nature of the materials used, which is way more efficient than demolition and starting again from scratch. As the world changes at a rate of knots in relation to digital relationships and retail, there are important issues around town centre renewal. I hope that, if Ben Macpherson negotiates with the minister, we do not lose the amendments on construction from the bill, because they are critical.

Mark Ruskell’s amendments 182 and 183 on transition materials are really important. They go back to the discussion that we had about e-bikes, batteries and renewables. These materials are critical. Although technology is moving at pace and, as the minister pointed out, we could be thinking about the matter differently in the 2040s or 2050s, it is actually a “now” issue. We need to influence the producers in a constructive way so that we get more efficient, safer products that we can all buy. That is absolutely critical in relation to the use of minerals. We need to question that. I would much prefer those points to be in the bill, given the importance of the issue, which goes back to human rights and production.

There have been several references to other pieces of legislation such as the 2019 act, the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 and the Environment Act 2021. What all those references had in common was the fact that we are not making fast enough progress and that this bill is critical to our economy, our environment and our communities.

We will come on to local authorities later, but I want to finish on the point that this is our opportunity to deliver. This issue is really important and I hope that, if members do not move their amendments today, we can come back to them in advance of stage 3—that was a welcome offer and there will be a queue at your door, minister.

I will press amendment 93.

As a further intervention, is there an opportunity to reconfigure Zero Waste Scotland so that it is able to use the expertise that it clearly has and which is of huge benefit, while at the same time ensuring that it has independence on this issue? We have to be thoughtful in setting up new organisations. I totally understand the ambition behind Mr Golden’s amendment 141, but I want to tease out its implications and understand whether there might be other ways of delivering its aim.

Will the member take an intervention?

Your point about leadership is critical. I very much agree with you that, at COP26, Scotland put itself on the world stage in terms of best practice. Through the bill, we have an opportunity to follow up that best practice by embedding in legislation not just leadership, but an obligation on the current and future Governments to have conversations to make sure that we are not offshoring our emissions and our waste. I hope that you will consider supporting my amendment on the basis of that principle, which would deliver on the very issues that you have just raised.

Will the cabinet secretary confirm that the just transition plan for Grangemouth will be published this month? Does she acknowledge that staff working at Grangemouth need assurance that their skills, knowledge and experience will be key to a just transition to the cleaner, greener energy projects that can make Grangemouth and Scotland successful leaders in renewable energy and to meeting the aspirations that Unite says are in critical need of our support?

To deliver a just transition, we need to make sure that Scotland’s workforce has the skills that are needed by industry. Approximately 80 per cent of the skills of workers in the oil and gas sector could be used in renewables, but demonstrating those skills is a challenge. That is why we support the development of an energy skills passport, but that has repeatedly been delayed. The former Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity said that a passport would be delivered this April, but April has gone and there has been no announcement.

Will the minister intervene urgently and work with trade unions, industry and skills accreditation companies to get a passport in place as soon as possible to open up opportunities for those workers in Scotland?

I am disappointed that the minister did not acknowledge the importance of consenting timeframes. Last month, I visited Forth Ports, where considerable private investment is already being made to ensure that our renewables infrastructure is ready to go and to attract manufacturing to Scotland. That is a great example of businesses investing in Scotland, but they need signals and support from the Government if they are to have confidence in making that investment. The consenting of projects such as Berwick Bank is a signal that industry—particularly those in the supply chain—is keeping a close eye on. Will the minister say what is being done to reduce the timescales of consenting applications, given the concern in the sector that the energy strategy is being delayed?

The Berwick Bank offshore wind farm has the potential to create more than 4,500 jobs, from engineers and technicians to jobs at the beginning of the supply chain. What action is the Scottish Government taking to reduce consenting application timescales, and will the minister confirm when a consenting decision on Berwick Bank will be made?

To ask the Scottish Government what potential impact the proposed Berwick Bank offshore wind farm not being included in the contracts for difference allocation round 6 will have on achieving Scotland’s climate targets. (S6T-01932)

Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I note the comments that both you and the Presiding Officer have made about the statement.

Thursday 18 April 2024 will go down as the day that Scotland officially went from being a world leader in climate targets to a world leader in scrapping targets. Ambitious targets were not backed up by ambitious action. The Climate Change Committee identified 19 policy areas where the SNP-Green Government has no plan, has an insufficient plan or needs to take action to meet the target of net zero by 2045. Can the cabinet secretary clarify whether any interim targets and legal reporting will be ditched in the bill that she mentioned?

She made a series of announcements about upcoming work, but can we get the timescale and the publication dates for all the delayed strategies—the climate change plan, the green industrial strategy, the energy strategy and just transition plan, and the draft set of plans for agriculture, construction and transport? We are still waiting for publication dates for those.

Can the cabinet secretary clarify what action the Scottish Government will now take to deliver affordable rail services and to support local authorities to provide bus services that people can use—rather than having hundreds more of those services cut—so that constituents can make low-carbon, affordable public transport choices?

When I launched the first climate statement in the early days of the Parliament, I reflected on the worst flooding in living memory in southern African states. We are now seeing regular extreme flooding in Scotland. Will the cabinet secretary commit to annual reporting on climate change so that we do not lose the momentum and the proper parliamentary scrutiny that we need in order to work together to tackle the climate crisis?