Speeches by Murray.

“Do you think that all the costs of acquiring estates like this for regeneration are taken into account? You say that the council can only offer the market rate for each property, but given the length of time this has taken, that must have added significant cost to the council while no action has been taken. Or is that …”

“How long do you anticipate the whole process will take in the end?”

“How can the Industrial Strategy Advisory Council effectively gather local input to ensure a successful outcome all over Scotland?”

“Is that a result of the Penicuik BID?”

“Talking about attracting private business, do you not think that comes back to what you said before about skills?”

“If we can move on from benefits to opportunity, if you like, and the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, how has the shift in funding cycles affected local authorities’ ability to deliver growth?”

“In a previous life, I spoke to the Penicuik BID, but I also visited Yipworld in Cumnock. I am getting the impression that you are all talking about young people. Have you written off the older people market, the people in that segment of the population?”

“You mentioned regional funding and access to it. Are the criteria for accessing it clear, and is there any disadvantage to being in one location as opposed to another? It sounds as if there is disadvantage being in one sector compared with another—and the third sector does not necessarily get access to funding in that …”

“I am pleased to hear that because I have been a councillor in East Dunbartonshire and that almost cuts out my connection to the Coalfields Regeneration Trust. Clearly this was seen as a wealthy area and, therefore, it did not have the same access, even though pockets are just as needy.”

“We have heard in your answers just now that payment conditions are often a barrier to people moving, and that further education and industry are working to try and overcome these barriers. We are also hearing that people are relocating abroad, so it is not relocation itself that is the problem. What do you think the pr…”

“That is all really optimistic and everything, but does that make the workforce planning even more important? It is the number of jobs that are going to be transitioned across. It is the number of scholarships, which I presume are also limited by the caps on the colleges at the moment.”

“You are clearly concentrating on the jobs and the skills, but to move that skilled workforce into the north of Scotland, we are going to need homes and infrastructure for these people. At the moment, what is your impression on whether that will be available? If we can get the jobs, skills and training right, are we goi…”

“In that sense, do we need to have more training for joiners, plumbers and electricians at domestic construction level as well?”

“Finally, to move away slightly from that, I think to an extent you have answered this a little bit, but offshore wind developer Ocean Winds has told us that market signals are working against the development of clean energy projects in the north of Scotland. What are your views on that?”

“I met a young man in my community in Mid Dunbartonshire the other day who is a North sea diver and was training to move into the offshore wind sector. He was having to pay for it himself. Mid Dunbartonshire is on the west of Scotland. Is there more accessibility to funded retraining on the east side of Scotland rather …”

“We have heard quite a lot about the challenges that colleges are facing, and some of the solutions that you are putting in, but what should the UK Government be doing to support the provision of energy transition skills? What more should they be contributing?”

“We clearly need to transition the energy skilled workforce across. What you were saying earlier, Jim, about the wider skills base that is going to be necessary was interesting. Referring back to Kirsteen’s question, if there is no accommodation for people, it is very difficult for them to relocate. In terms of things t…”

“How confident are you that the Office for Clean Energy Jobs will have a positive impact on the workforce and workforce planning in Scotland?”

“To what extent do high-carbon employers have a responsibility for training a workforce transition?”

“You talked a little bit previously about the speed at which things are happening. Is it helpful when the Government are seen to draw back from net zero targets, or does that encourage existing high-carbon energy to look at diversification that would encourage more collaboration across the industries as there is more of…”