Chamber and committees

A 40GW pipeline of potential projects is both welcome and massive, and is a fantastic opportunity, particularly once we add the development in the rest of the UK. We know that 35 per cent of embodied carbon can be saved if new turbines are manufactured using recycled content and that 95 per cent of turbines can be recycled. Will the cabinet secretary commit to supporting the creation of a decommissioning hub here in Scotland?

Scotland will fail to meet its target to reduce food waste by one third by this year. In 2019, the Scottish Government said that it would deliver sustained communication to drive change. Unfortunately, that change was to increase food waste. What work is on-going to engage consumers and businesses to deliver behaviour change?

I begin by joining colleagues and the committee in supporting the general principles of the bill. We all want the regeneration of our local economies to create new wealth and, crucially, keep it within the communities that we represent.

Over the years, we have seen legislation that aligns with the pillars of community wealth building, such as the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014, the more recent national planning framework 4 and the 2022 national strategy for economic transformation, which identified community wealth building as a key equality policy. There are concerns about individual measures, but it is important to recognise that the Scottish Government has shown a commitment to the underlying principle. That gives me hope that ministers will be open to strengthening the bill at stage 2 and beyond, to ensure that it delivers tangible economic benefit. It needs strengthening.

The committee made the point that both communities and councils must be empowered if the legislation is to succeed. Around two thirds of local authorities already have or are developing community wealth-building plans. That is encouraging, but councils are also being asked to deliver more with fewer and fewer resources. It is concerning that the financial memorandum reflects only the cost of developing plans, not implementing them. Without proper resourcing, the risk is obvious—the plans will become box-ticking exercises rather than engines of local economic change.

However, it is not only about new money. The bill also fails to make the best use of the money that we already spend, particularly the vast sums spent in public procurement. Imagine the impact if more of that spending was directed towards small and medium-sized enterprises and microbusinesses—both of which are the backbone of our local economies. That is why the Federation of Small Businesses has proposed setting local spending targets. Those proposals should be taken seriously.

Some people question putting targets in law, but without hard targets, change simply does not happen.

To use a Scottish Government phrase, it has to be a process of co-design with our local authorities.

In all seriousness, I think that a top-down approach might be very difficult for our island communities—I am looking at the Deputy Presiding Officer, who hails from Orkney—to give one example.

However, with the bill there is an opportunity to deliver more for the SMEs and to develop sustainable local solutions that keep wealth circulating in communities. We could go further. Targeted support for materials could create ripple effects across multiple sectors. Take textiles, for example. Supporting farmers to grow native fibres, such as nettles, would in turn support rural manufacturers, retailers and service providers. I am afraid that I do not have the time to fully explain that point, but I want to be clear that, in the bill, we have an opportunity to build new wealth for our communities.

I hope that the Government will work constructively with members and outside stakeholders to strengthen the bill to ensure that that happens.

Will the minister commit to utilising public procurement to support the uptake of recycled aggregates, and if so, what are his plans for that?

The cabinet secretary referred to energy market reforms, spiralling energy costs and fuel poverty in her statement. Does the cabinet secretary agree with me—and not her predecessor—that the floor for the transmission demand residual should be removed in order to lower bills for Scots?

To ask the Scottish Government how it is reviewing the effectiveness of firework control zones. (S6O-05131)

I associate myself with the minister’s comments. Last week saw a marked reduction in trouble on bonfire nights compared with those in previous years, and there were no reports of injuries to emergency crews. Those outcomes reflect the professionalism and dedication of our police officers. However, the chief constable has warned that the force risks losing 1,000 of those officers if there is no increase in its budget support. Will the minister join me in praising emergency services, while recognising that the front line must be properly supported?

In recent years, a number of infrastructure projects, from energy transmission and battery storage to housing, have been proposed or developed on agricultural land. Although individual projects may have a limited impact and some, such as solar farms, may be reversible in the long term, does the minister share my concern that, if the Scotland-wide cumulative effect of such projects is not monitored, localised planning decisions could undermine our long-term food security?

To ask the Scottish Government how it monitors the change of use of agricultural land classified as grade 3 or above, including for infrastructure projects. (S6O-05096)