Chamber and committees

I certainly acknowledge that we will not reach the 2045 targets unless we include tenement properties. That has to be part of our thinking, so today’s debate is very useful in raising some of those issues.

I might be running out of time, but I will touch on a couple of other points that have been made. Carol Mochan made some important points about skills. It is worth saying that, in 2023, the Home Energy Scotland grant and loan scheme funded significantly more installations of heat pumps in Scotland per capita than the boiler upgrade scheme in England and Wales—in fact, it did so at almost double the rate. That has implications for skills, so the Government is very much alive to the issue.

The independent green heat finance task force, which will publish its part 2 report shortly, has been considering some of the barriers that constrain private finance provision for installing clean heating systems, and it has been identifying opportunities to develop new products along the way.

I also draw attention to the importance of the reform to energy performance certificates and to the role of other assessment methods. Those issues were rightly raised in the report. We are aware of the limitations of the EPC system, particularly in providing recommendations for home owners, and we are considering other assessment methods to improve the situation.

Retrofitting existing homes across Scotland—not least tenements—to make them warmer and more energy efficient, and to transition them to climate-friendly heating systems, is a vital part of our plans and our responsibility to address the climate emergency and meet our net zero ambitions. However, we remain clear that we will achieve that in a way that is proportionate, fair and just for everyone, including people living in Scotland’s tenements.

With legislation, it is important that we scan the horizon for anything that might come in the future, but I hope that, in its own right, the heat in buildings bill will be relevant to tenements. Next year, we plan to publish a heat in buildings delivery plan, which will set out some of the foundations for a clearer path towards the 2045 targets.

Yes, I very much wish to acknowledge the work that has been done by those organisations. The Government aims to publish a future public consultation on some of the issues that we have been talking about, particularly on new cross-tenure housing standards. I agree that any future legislation should consider the recommendations of the tenements maintenance working group. It is worth mentioning that the Tenements (Scotland) Act 2004 was amended in 2009 to include the installation of insulation. I accept, however that we need to continue to engage on that.

As Mark Griffin pointed out, around a fifth of Scotland’s emissions come from our buildings. To address that, we must work to improve the energy efficiency of our homes and transition them to clean heating systems. We must do that at scale and pace but, vitally, in a way that is fair and just that brings the people of Scotland with us.

The publication of the report that we are discussing today serves as a timely reminder of the importance of joined-up policy making in achieving all that we want to achieve. Paul Sweeney provided a historical context, which was really valuable, and pointed out the intrinsic value of tenement properties across Scotland.

Legislation can certainly play a vital role in driving the transition. As part of the recent programme for government, the First Minister announced that the Government will introduce a heat in buildings bill, which will be a significant step forward in that journey. The bill will be a significant means by which we can set a long-term direction of travel that is deliverable and affordable for households and businesses, and it will also provide certainty to building owners and those in the supply chain.

I thank everyone for the nice things that they have said about me in my new job, which is a rare opportunity in which I will happily bask.

I thank Sarah Boyack for lodging the motion and securing today’s debate on the UN’s draft Declaration on Future Generations. This Government recognises the draft declaration and eagerly anticipates the summit of the future this month, so I very much welcome Ms Boyack’s drawing the issues to the fore and bringing them to the Parliament’s attention.

It has been a useful debate and, of course, were Scotland to participate in our own right as an independent UN member state, we would be able to have a much more direct input into the development of UN positions. However, even as a devolved Government, we are committed to ensuring that the interests of future generations are central to our decision making.

The upcoming summit presents an opportunity to renew international commitment to and co-operation on the UN’s 2030 agenda. Scotland remains steadfast in making our contribution to that agenda to secure a safe and prosperous world for future generations, and it is also an opportunity to take up the challenge of long-term thinking that many members rightly highlighted today.

Our goal of a sustainable wellbeing economy seeks to leave a better future for generations to come. We are devoted to the principles of a fair, green and growing wellbeing economy that reinforce our four key priorities. By addressing those priorities now, we are investing in the wellbeing of the future.

Our programme for government reaffirms our commitment to the sustainable development goals, which reflect our common vision for Scotland and beyond. They help us to keep future generations in mind, to work to deliver public services, to protect our planet and to empower people and communities.

Maggie Chapman rightly pointed to the international context. Scotland continues to be active and engaged internationally. That includes contributing to multilateral discussions and programmes on biodiversity, climate change, health, education, human rights and humanitarian crises, including working with the UN and others. The actions that are being progressed in Scotland’s international strategy will further Scotland’s contribution. That includes pioneering global action on climate justice and galvanising international agreement on a loss and damage fund.

Scotland is leading on climate action at home and abroad, including in the global south. That includes leadership roles as president of Regions4 and co-chair of the Under2 Coalition, and collaborating closely with other devolved Governments to progress action, including our world-leading climate justice fund.

As Maurice Golden rightly said, some of our environment in Scotland remains degraded, which is a challenge for us all. When we listen to young people, they can often identify solutions to that and other questions. That includes through Scotland’s Climate Assembly, where contributions through the Children’s Parliament fed into recommendations to ministers, including on legislation to restrict the use of single-use plastic. We continue to engage young people in our just transition plans and the path to net zero. By prioritising climate action, we will safeguard the future for Scotland’s coming generations.

The Government remains dedicated to protecting, promoting and advancing human rights, and to developing ambitious legislation to incorporate more international treaties into Scots law. We have successfully incorporated the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, aligning our nation with UN standards. That develops our commitment to place children who are alive today as well as forthcoming generations of children at the heart of our decision making, as those with the greatest stake in our future.

As Ben Macpherson has emphasised, we are taking concrete steps to eradicate poverty in line with UN commitments, with child poverty being the Government’s top priority. We are progressing action to reach the ambitious targets of the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017, including assigning £3 billion a year to tackle poverty and the reality of the cost of living crisis.

The Scottish Government is happy to continue dialogue with Ms Boyack on her bill. We are staunch in our objective of developing sustainable public health services, including through programmes such as our centre for sustainable delivery and through bolstering preventative support.

As a Government, we will continue to take action to combat numerous inequalities, both in Scotland and in our international development partner countries, to leave a fairer world for future generations. That includes our equally safe delivery plan, which progresses action on the UN priority of eradicating all forms of discrimination and violence against women and girls.

Mr Whitfield highlighted the importance of intergenerational planning as opposed to short-termism and, again, I think that there is consensus in the chamber on that. I have to point out, though, that we face challenges in that respect when the Parliament does not know from year to year what income it has to work with or what it will be allocated. However, we will act, and we do need to meet the challenges of the future.

Mark Ruskell said some wise and challenging words about the difficulties at the heart, perhaps, of democracy, or the difficulty of thinking of the long term in the heat of an electoral cycle or the heat of political events. We need to think about that, and we need to build genuine political consensus on these issues.

In conclusion, the draft declaration challenges this and other Governments to act as a global team player and to strengthen the foundations for lasting action on sustainable development, thereby safeguarding the interests of future generations. As emphasised by the First Minister in the programme for government, we are committed to working across party lines, not least via the declaration, to improve the lives of the people of Scotland and well beyond.

Amendment 13 would insert a new paragraph into section 27(3), adding new matter to that list:

“circumstances in which a person who would otherwise be required to undertake particular, or a particular amount of, CPD activities does not have to do so”.

The amendment provides that there may be particular circumstances in which persons who are required to undertake compulsory CPD are justifiably not able to for various reasons such as illness or other reasonable circumstances. I ask Parliament to support amendment 13.

We have talked a bit about the transparency of the data that exists, and you have talked about some of your preferences around that. Are there any developments to update the Scotland’s Aquaculture website? Related to that, are you able to say anything about how the data in the public domain in Scotland compares to that which is available in other countries?

The second part of my question is around how the situation that you have described in terms of transparency and data compares with other places.

Related to the last question, and specifically on regulation, does regulation need to get ahead of those scenarios? I know that it is not your responsibility, but do you think that there is a need for regulation to anticipate new technologies? If not, is the existing regulation adequate?

It is curious that the member has mentioned migration, given that his party has just abolished our freedom of movement across Europe, the effects of which have been keenly felt in fragile rural areas in particular.

We can argue all day about whether broadband is or is not reserved. The Scotland Act 1998 says that it is. The more important point is that we have to support our rural communities in many ways.

The language that we use to describe our rural communities is also important. For starters, they are not “remote”, although worse descriptions have been used in recent months by certain individuals. We have seen the former Tory deputy chairman describe my own constituency as a place where “nobody lives”, and suggesting that it should be used as a sort of surrogate Rwanda for asylum seekers. Meanwhile, a Labour parliamentary candidate has implied on television that northern Scotland’s apparent “remoteness” makes it an ideal location to berth accommodation barges packed with smuggler gangs.

I am confident that the Parliament will take forward to the future its commitment to tackling depopulation in our rural areas. We need such debates to renew our focus on the priorities that we should have now for rural Scotland, as well as the ambitions that we should have for rural Scotland when we have the full powers of a normal independent country at our disposal.