Meeting of the Parliament 16 April 2024
In this case, I am not even sure that the UK Government was asked for its opinion.
That gives parliamentarians in the Scottish Parliament a problem, because we have only one side of the story. It may be that the Scottish Government is right, but, unless we hear both sides of the story, how are we to judge?
That frustration—my frustration—is echoed in the report from the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee. The committee is quite clearly not in a position to say who is right and who is wrong, and it calls for further talks between the Governments. We have heard from the minister today that UK ministers have now reached out—perhaps it is late in the day, but they have asked for a meeting. That meeting has not yet taken place, and it should have taken place much earlier.
I am not interested in whose fault it is. Both Governments ought to be working together to resolve these matters—in essence, I share the committee convener’s frustration. Having said that, however, we will support the motion.
17:17