Speeches by Crichton.

“No, it is not.”

“Conversely, you are also scared that you are trying to subvert—”

“That is something that policymakers have to look at. Charles, did you want to say something?”

“I want to ask a slightly different question and take advantage of Eleri’s and Chandni’s experience. Chandni, you talked about how difficult it is to get these things to the start line. You are spending millions of pounds, and then you are spending millions of pounds on construction as well. We have just recently seen t…”

“I will bring it back to the agenda now and ask about the Planning and Infrastructure Bill. You mentioned that you were happy with it. The Government have put amendments down that would abolish pre‑application consultation. How does that improve community engagement and consultation?”

“Charles, that is really not how it is seen. Communities see this as a green light for developers to do the least possible.”

“I have one last question, which picks up on what Polly was saying. People feel consulted, but they do not feel listened to. That is a problem. How do we overcome that?”

“Eleri, you are nodding vigorously.”

“I suspect that even if there was a barrel of salt herring in it for every Opposition Member, this fishing deal would still not be salty enough for them. In fact, it is a sweet deal for prawn fishermen and shellfish fishermen in Na h-Eileanan an Iar, for salmon producers and for crofters, although not for their lambs. I…”

“Will the Minister join me in congratulating the crew of HMS Dragon, which succeeded in obliterating a supersonic missile with a Sea Viper missile off the coast of the Hebrides? The Royal Navy hit their target thanks to the work of the MOD Hebrides range. Will he also congratulate them on their continued work?”

“On a point of order, Mr Speaker. I thought this was a debate to discuss amendments, not a general debate.”

“Pupils at Leverhulme Memorial school in Harris, in the most beautiful constituency in the country, have won the top prize in the Eco-Schools Scotland awards. They are the most environmentally aware pupils on the planet, and when I visited the school they gave me a lesson on the effects of microplastics on the marine en…”

“rose—”

“I thank the Minister for—”

“We can assure the Minister that he remains popular, as well as generous with his time. He mentioned the Government consultation. It has caused deep and sustained anxiety across the sector. When can we expect a substantive response to the consultation?”

“There will be a number on the west coast, I hope.”

“There is the skills gap, there is attracting people in, there is building the workforce. Will the mission of the Office for Clean Energy Jobs be expanded to fill this, to take that responsibility?”

“Minister and Mr Jones, thank you for coming in. I want to ask the question a slightly different way. The immigration parameters, the Migration Advisory Committee and the skills gap—who is going to be in charge? In terms of working with people with diametrically opposite points of view, you work with the SNP Government …”

“My sense is that the whole area needs direction. You are coming up with a plan, and you are saying that is not going to be part of this?”

“One of the big gaps is in domestic retrofit. We have had evidence that no domestic retrofit, no net zero. Are the Government considering expanding the office’s remit to cover retrofitting homes?”