Chamber and committees

I think that there is good will across the committee for the regulations. I have just seen in my notes, and I think that you mentioned it, cabinet secretary, that similar regulations were approved at the UK level a few months ago, so there appears to be clear alignment in the UK with what we are doing here. Will there be a joint approach to monitoring the impact of the regulations? We do not want these emergency crises to happen, but we know that they do, so will there be a joint approach to monitoring the impact of the policy in the years ahead?

I just wanted to give the cabinet secretary the opportunity to put that on the record.

Notwithstanding any underlying structural issues and criteria for how the child maintenance service and other aspects of the system work, is the Scottish Government and its local authority and third sector partners well placed to offer tailored advice and support, even though that is not their responsibility? If the UK Government were to provide a quantum of £X million—I will let you fill in the blank for what the X would be—for the Scottish Government and its partners to pursue a strategy on advice, is that the kind of innovation that you would happily discuss with it, notwithstanding the fact that you would rather just control everything here in Scotland in the first place?

I may agree with those sentiments, but I am of course scrutinising the Scottish Government. What I am hearing is that the Scottish Government remains open to being constructive in this area, despite the fact that it takes two to tango, as you have said, and we are not getting there, thus far.

I will stay positive in my final question, however. The Child Poverty Action Group suggested that

“there is scope for serious joint working”—[Official Report, Social Justice and Social Security Committee, 15 January 2026; c 25.]

between the Scottish and UK Governments in a range of areas. CPAG gave the examples of housing and childcare. I will not ask you anything specific, but do you wish to reflect on that suggestion? Is there anything that you would like to put on the record in that regard?

I appreciate that tone, cabinet secretary. I have no further questions.

My next question was going to be about where not only social security payments but a range of other services and supports sit in the context of the Scottish Government’s spending review. Are you confident that the spending review will take account of our ambitions to meet our 2030 targets?

That is very helpful. Work across Government is important, but so is work between different Governments. I get your frustration that Scottish Government statutory targets can be impacted by decisions that are taken elsewhere in the UK, which can knock strategies off course. One Parent Families Scotland told us that the child maintenance service, which is a UK reserved responsibility, presents a significant issue for a lot of low-income, vulnerable families. One Parent Families Scotland has specifically asked whether the Scottish Government would consider funding advice services. Such services are not necessarily the Scottish Government’s responsibility, but it is an idea about working in partnership or in a complementary way on this.

I put it on the record that I know that we also have a statutory duty to maximise the uptake of devolved benefits. I know that the cabinet secretary is not blinkered to the opportunities to maximise the uptake of benefits, including reserved ones, across the board, even though neither that nor the child maintenance service are Scottish Government responsibilities. What added value can the Scottish Government give to assisting one-parent families to get the money that they need and deserve?

I have one specific question about electric vehicles. I do not know whether we have covered it already, cabinet secretary, but it is linked to the point that the convener has been making.

There was a discussion earlier about the cost of new electric vehicles, and I thought that we could take the time, during the meeting, to check the market. There is some evidence to show that electric vehicles are now cheaper in the used market than internal combustion engine vehicles. One periodical suggests that, over a five-year lifespan, used EVs could be £5,000 cheaper to run than ICE vehicles. I am putting that on the record because the market will dictate much of what the costs and benefits are. I have no doubt that the periodical that I am looking at is encouraging people to switch to EVs. I do not know how robust those figures are—or, indeed, all the figures that have arisen in the exchanges that the committee has been having with you and Mr Raines.

In relation to electric vehicles and the just transition, I am conscious of the conversation that we have been having about the challenges facing people in remote and rural areas and about the specific actions that the Government has taken in response. I represent a high-density urban area, with many tenements. You have said to Mr Lumsden that it is self-evident that there will be more challenges in certain areas. I accept all of that—and I am sorry that I am taking so long to get to my point—but I would be keen to know how all of this will be monitored. What if we find out that certain households will have to pay more, will have less convenience and will be more price sensitive? Those households tend to be in lower-income areas with higher-density populations. How will that be monitored or captured? Will the Government take corrective action in future? If, in three or four years’ time, we see an inequity for my constituents, what actions can the Government take to correct some of that?

I have a very brief follow-up question, cabinet secretary—again, it might be one for you to consider rather than answering just now.

Clearly, as Cabinet Secretary for Transport, you will have a lot of budget priorities. You have mentioned some of those today, and many are linked to net zero. However, difficult decisions have to be made, and we have another cabinet secretary in charge of the net zero aspect. What is the interaction between those two portfolios in coming to those decisions?

Cabinet secretary, the “Scottish Budget 2026 to 2027: climate change taxonomy” document, at the very end under the heading “Next steps”, says:

“the Scottish Government has launched a Net Zero Assessment of new and significant expenditure, which will be mainstreamed … throughout early 2026.”

The committee would be interested to know how those net zero assessments work in practice. It would be helpful if you were able to give us an example of the decision-making process that leads to specific budget decisions that are embedded in the draft budget before us.

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