Meeting of the Parliament 01 June 2016
No—I am not going to take interventions, because I am very short of time. I am sure that the new Minister for Business, Innovation and Energy will highlight the issues from the SNP perspective in his closing remarks.
Many challenged communities on the coal belt in Scotland literally face untackled opencast restoration. I ask the cabinet secretary to address with urgency that environmental justice issue.
We need to further develop renewable energy ownership models, including community, co-operative and public models, to generate and supply our energy.
In 2014, 845,000 households were living in fuel poverty, including half of all pensioners. The SNP was late with its plans for a warm homes bill during the election campaign. The cabinet secretary now needs to show how Scotland will ramp up the adoption of affordable district and community renewable heating. I am sure that she will have much support from across the chamber on those issues.
Marine renewables hold immense possibilities for the future, but transferable skills are essential. I ask the cabinet secretary to work closely with the new Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills on initial and in-job skills development.
More broadly, environmental regulation must be right to enable sustainable development by land, sea and air. The implementation of the national marine plan and marine protected areas will be fundamental to our seas and those who depend on them for their livelihoods now and in the future. In that context, I pay respect to Richard Lochhead for his work on protecting the marine environment, which is perhaps less well known than other aspects of his work.
Biodiversity across our environment must be addressed and support will be needed for local authorities and communities. Support for behaviour change will be essential. Research budgets—for flooding, for instance, as discussed by the cabinet secretary—must be protected, and maintaining a robust interface and developing partnerships with non-governmental organisations, businesses and local authorities will be vital.
I recognise the contribution of Aileen McLeod to the land reform process. Now that we have the Land Reform Act 2016, the development of the land rights and responsibilities statement, the role of the Scottish Land Commission and the regulations themselves will be fundamental to progress. Scottish Labour stands ready to contribute to that.
I move amendment S5M-00226.4, to insert after “Parliament”:
“recognises that, to meet Scotland’s climate change goals and protect the environment, there must be an outright ban on fracking in Scotland;”.
Motions, questions or amendments mentioned by their reference code.