Committee
Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change Committee 25 January 2011
25 Jan 2011 · S3 · Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change Committee
Item of business
“Low Carbon Scotland: Public Engagement Strategy”
It is important to recognise that there is a spectrum of opinion among the public at large and we need to decide where we want to focus our biggest effort. Whichever specific policy we are talking about, that will be the overarching issue. On the one hand, there are the people who are already absolutely convinced and are self-starters, who are taking the message and turning it into reality in their own lives. At the other end of the spectrum there is the small group of people who continue to deny climate change and who might refuse as aggressively and noisily as possible to change their behaviour simply to make a point.The most important part of the population for the public engagement strategy is the huge group of people in the middle who are neither convinced purists nor outright sceptics. They accept at a certain level that there is a problem that needs to be addressed, but they cannot quite see how their behaviour as individuals makes a difference.Two years ago when I was first made a minister, a big Scottish environmental attitudes and behaviours survey was done, and it highlighted some of the specific obstacles that we have to get over. The clear obstacles that people face are cost and convenience: there is no point in pretending that they are not big issues. We need to tackle whatever aspect we are looking at—it almost does not matter what it is—in language that ordinary people will understand and that will be of benefit to them.Most people understand the more general benefits of climate change policy, but they have difficulty translating it to their individual level. There is the capacity for all sorts of useful suggestions to come from everywhere. The convener might be pleased to know that I have already asked for, and got a copy of, a document that the Green party published last week. It was published down south so I am not sure whether the convener is aware of it.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Convener (Cathy Peattie)
Lab
Welcome to the second meeting in 2011 of the Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change Committee. Committee members and members of the public should turn ...
Roseanna Cunningham (Minister for Environment and Climate Change)
SNP
Thank you, convener. I have some opening remarks. The job titles of my officials clearly indicate their specific areas of interest. They, too, will be able t...
The Deputy Convener
Lab
The committee will obviously want to ask questions on your statement. You spoke about the importance of involving people and about how dynamic the two-way pr...
Roseanna Cunningham
SNP
As I think everyone here will know, we did not engage in a formal consultation process because the strategy is not a policy document. We tried to engage acro...
The Deputy Convener
Lab
We are aware that it is a new way of working. A public engagement strategy is important, so I welcome your answer. What consideration was given to publishing...
Roseanna Cunningham
SNP
As I understand it, the strategy was only ever going to be published after the other documents were published, which meant that there was a narrow window in ...
The Deputy Convener
Lab
You will understand that a number of organisations were concerned and felt that there should have been a bigger launch for a public engagement strategy. They...
Roseanna Cunningham
SNP
I can see that that might be a concern or criticism, but the truth of the matter is that the publication of the strategy was not a public engagement one-off ...
The Deputy Convener
Lab
I am aware that the deadline was set and I understand the difficulties.Does the Scottish Government have an internal engagement plan on climate change issues...
Roseanna Cunningham
SNP
We are doing lots of internal work and lots of cross-organisational work. Anybody who knows how government works—whether at national or local level—will know...
The Deputy Convener
Lab
I agree that it is difficult. Are you confident that climate change issues and the engagement strategy are being mainstreamed across Government departments? ...
Roseanna Cunningham
SNP
It would be fair to say that there will be different levels of understanding between different departments and at different levels within those departments. ...
Shirley-Anne Somerville (Lothians) (SNP)
SNP
I want to ask about some of the quotations that the committee used when it reported on the Scottish Government’s report on proposals and policies on climate ...
Roseanna Cunningham
SNP
It is important to recognise that there is a spectrum of opinion among the public at large and we need to decide where we want to focus our biggest effort. W...
The Convener (Patrick Harvie)
Green
It is a different Green party.
Roseanna Cunningham
SNP
I think that it is a really interesting take on the matter. It talks of using wartime propaganda ideas as a way of getting across the messages. It is a great...
Shirley-Anne Somerville
SNP
I am pleased that the Government is open to picking up good practice wherever it finds it. Are you picking up on any primary research from Government or othe...
Roseanna Cunningham
SNP
Some of the barriers to behaviour change are set out clearly in the survey of two years ago. As it happens—it is always this way—just this morning I was hand...
Shirley-Anne Somerville
SNP
Perhaps we could receive something in writing.
Roseanna Cunningham
SNP
That might be an idea. I have only just received it this morning. I am sure that you do not want me to read out the submission. I could do it, but—
Shirley-Anne Somerville
SNP
It might take up slightly too much time.
Roseanna Cunningham
SNP
I want to reassure people that we are very alert to all of this. In terms of the submission, we are talking about a two-years-on study of the Scottish enviro...
The Convener
Green
I will be sure to ask for clarification on the last point next time I see her.
Roseanna Cunningham
SNP
She has a darning mushroom, but does she actually darn her socks?
Shirley-Anne Somerville
SNP
On that note, I am happy for us to move on, convener. The minister has covered the remainder of my points.
The Convener
Green
Before we move on, I have some supplementary questions on the points that have been raised thus far. I apologise for being a couple of minutes late for the s...
Roseanna Cunningham
SNP
There is the Scottish environmental attitudes and behaviours survey, to which I referred previously and which is quite a detailed assessment of behaviours th...
Paul Tyrer (Scottish Government Rural Payments and Inspections Directorate)
We did a detailed evidence review internally in the Scottish Government to develop the headline behaviours that appear in the public engagement strategy. How...
Roseanna Cunningham
SNP
Members would find it extraordinarily helpful to look at the Scottish environmental attitudes and behaviours survey. I will ensure that we follow up with the...
The Convener
Green
I look forward to the further data being published in February. We move on to some of the specifics with Marlyn Glen.