Chamber and committees

On the point about people, we know that people who have less money are likely to find it harder to protect themselves from flooding and to recover when flooding arises. What will the Government’s plans today do to address that inequality?

The Daily Record’s save young lives campaign is calling for properly funded suicide prevention in our schools. Bereaved parents and teachers agree, and the trade union NASUWT Scotland has this week backed the campaign. Given that mandatory suicide prevention lessons are now included in England’s secondary schools, when will the Scottish Government fund equivalent education to help save young lives here in Scotland?

I am grateful to Graham Simpson for securing the debate a couple of weeks ago. It is important that communities believe that the Parliament is listening, so I thank him for his work on the issue. I heard the minister say that it is highly unlikely that decisions would be made before Christmas, but that is not a guarantee that there will be a pause. For communities who are concerned, including those in the member’s region, does he agree that an official pause, as proposed by Labour’s amendment, would provide comfort that we can take the time to get the guidance right?

There are a few little elves in here today, by the sounds of it.

There are some really serious points to make. We have all been a bit freaked out by some of the media reports that we have seen, even in the past couple of days, but we are here to talk about how we deal with this issue in planning terms. On days like this, I miss my old job as a planner, because it can be very rewarding and exciting. Planners often think long term and well beyond election cycles about what the country needs and seek to strike a balance between the economy, the environment and what society needs.

I gently say to the minister that this is not day 1; my colleague Paul Sweeney was asking written questions about data centres three years ago, and I know that colleagues across the Parliament have been raising the issue during what I will call my sabbatical. [Laughter.] This is not day 1. I do not know whether the minister can answer this now, but if there is a decision tonight that alerts planning authorities to the possibility of guidance coming in time for Christmas, with a big Christmas bow on it, what will they do with the applications that are on their desks right now? Do they just put them in a drawer or file them away somewhere and just sit back and say, “We’re not going to look at them”? Are they still obliged to actively consider those applications? Indeed, one of the minister’s own colleagues asked whether there was a need to continue looking at them. There is a difference between continuing to do the work—

The key point is that, as the majority of Scots—and certainly those who have emailed all of us—feel, we need to have a pause to get that robust guidance. What we are saying is that we want the Government to report back to Parliament before the end of the current calendar year—again, let us say Christmas—and for that full guidance to be published within 12 months. We do not want this to roll on and on.

I will not apologise for saying that we do not have full confidence in the Government, unlike the Liberal Democrats, perhaps, and colleagues across the chamber from me. The Government will come back with guidance, and there will be no scrutiny of it. The important thing that I heard today, and which I welcome, was Stuart McMillan’s comment that the Climate Action Committee was about to launch an inquiry to scrutinise data centres and to do the work that, frankly, should have been done by the Government. I think that it would be prudent of this Parliament to let the committee lead on that issue and do the work, and then we can come back and look at the guidance. Is the Government going to work on the guidance without listening to the committee?

I have been back only three weeks, and we have had a members’ debate on this issue, courtesy of Graham Simpson; a public rally outside; and now this debate in Scottish Green Party time. I agree with others in the chamber, including Keith Brown, that we need a Government debate not just to look at the planning implications but to take a full look at the matter.

I think that there is a lot of agreement across the chamber. People do have genuine concerns, and they want a more strategic approach; more leadership; clarity on what the vision is and what Scotland wants; and detailed guidance. It is difficult for those in planning authorities to look at such applications and know what to do with them when this sort of vacuum exists.

It sounds as if we are building up to a very exciting Christmas. Everyone is talking about guidance coming in time for Christmas, so perhaps we will see the minister dressed as Santa in the chamber.

I will gladly take a brief intervention from Graham Simpson.

I think that Stuart McMillan wants to come in. I know that he is not speaking as a convener, but I am keen to hear what he has to say.

I thank the member for that clarification. I know that all members in the Parliament will want to engage with that inquiry, and I am sure that they will be made very welcome by the convener.

My time is coming to an end, but even from what has been said just in the past few seconds, it is very clear that there are still lots of unanswered questions. We do not know what planning authorities are meant to do between now and Christmas—perhaps they should put their feet up. That would be very nice for our planning colleagues.

The Climate Action Committee has an inquiry coming up, and we will all want to engage with that. We also do not know what the guidance will say. Paul Sweeney was right to say that we do not know the scope of it. That is why a short pause is sensible and reasonable.

I hope that colleagues will support our amendment.

16:10

Will the minister give way?