Brian Whittle
Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party · Scotland
“As Jamie Halcro Johnston said, roads, rail networks and ferries—we keep coming back to ferries—are key to keeping those communities where they are and stopping migration away from them. The chamber will welcome the fact that this— eventually—is my last speech in this parliamentary session.”
“Speaking as somebody who got his first mobile phone—a brick of a thing—at the age of 32, I find that quite astonishing. It is important that pupils have the opportunity to put their phones down in school, but also important is what happens outside school.”
“As always, I want to introduce a slightly different approach to the subject and so I will talk about how we should develop health policy. We must start from the position that services should be available to our communities no matter where they are, whether they are urban, rural or on islands.”
“It is interesting that the girls attitudes survey carried out by Girlguiding UK in 2025 found that girls are restricting their online activity in order to protect themselves, with more than a third of respondents reporting that they avoid using certain apps and platforms in order to protect themselves.”
“It is a pleasure to follow Beatrice Wishart, who, as we all know, has been a real champion for her communities in the time that she has spent here.”
“That was an interesting question from Mr Harvie, as the Scottish Greens have spent the majority of this session of Parliament demonising our farmers and food producers.”
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“Despite our increased investment, we know that the social care sector is dealing with heavy and entirely avoidable financial pressure, thanks to the Labour UK Government’s decision to increase employer national insurance contributions and to lower the threshold at which employers start to pay them. That short-sighted and reckless decision is estimated to cost the adult social care sector more than £84 million in Scotland alone. I have heard loudly and clearly from the sector that the UK Government must fully fund the cost of the national insurance hike to alleviate the pressure that the sector is under. I echo those calls, and the Scottish Government will continue to apply pressure. I have listened to the debate in the chamber today, and I understand the strong feelings that many members hold.”
“In the meantime, we are supporting the sector with funding to deliver the real living wage—I think that the bill for that is £950 million this year—so that care workers are paid what they deserve. Despite an incredibly challenging financial situation, the Scottish Government has prioritised investment in social care, including almost £2.2 billion in social care and integration, exceeding our commitment to increase funding by 25 per cent over this session of Parliament by more than £350 million. There is more than £88 million a year in local carer support through funding to councils under the Carers (Scotland) Act 2016, £13 million a year for voluntary sector short breaks, a further £13.4 million to support growth in the independent living fund and £5.9 million of additional investment in the Care Inspectorate.”
“The bill also establishes a national chief social work adviser role to provide professional leadership and champion the sector. They will lead a new national social work agency, which will advance and advocate for the profession, and there will be new powers to improve social care procurement, including a new route for the third sector. We know that we must improve the system for lasting progress to be made across Scotland, and in order to do that, it is vital that our hard-working and dedicated workforce feel engaged, supported and valued for their important work. We are working hard to introduce voluntary sectoral bargaining for the care sector through the fair work in social care group. We continue to drive that work forward while we wait for the UK Government legislation to extend devolved powers.”
“The bill introduces Anne’s law, which will make a groundbreaking change by ensuring that the family and friends of people in care homes are seen not simply as visitors but as an essential part of the care team. The bill contains a legal presumption that suspending visiting is likely to cause serious harm to their loved one’s health and wellbeing. The bill also contains a new right to breaks for unpaid carers to protect their health and wellbeing by giving them the rest that they need. There is expanded access to independent advocacy for our most vulnerable citizens to ensure that their voices are heard in decisions about their care. We are improving the flow of information across care settings so that people do not have to share their stories multiple times.”
“The Government is unwavering in our commitment to create a national care service that meets the needs of the people of Scotland. I agree with Mark Ruskell that now is not the time to dampen our ambition. As I laid out in my opening speech, we will drive enhanced oversight and support of the care system, through the national care service advisory board, to provide a level of independent oversight that has been missing for too long. However, in order to unlock the full potential of the national care service, we must pass the vital changes that the Care Reform (Scotland) Bill will bring. Brian Whittle: Will the minister give way on that point? Maree Todd: I would really like to make some progress—we have all had a chance to have our say.”
“Over the past four years, my predecessors and I have spoken to hundreds of people who use care services, to their families and to those who deliver care, and each of those conversations has left a profound and lasting impression. Today, we have an opportunity to reflect those voices in our decisions by passing legislation that will make a real and lasting difference. The Conservatives and the Lib Dems—as we have heard today—have always opposed the creation of a national care service. From the very beginning, they were against it. The Labour Party claims to support a national care service—in fact, it was apparently Jackie Baillie’s idea, long before Feeley—but there has never been clarity on what that would look like. Every member in the chamber knows that the status quo is not an option and that social care must improve.”
“To be frank, I think that it is cynical of the minister to make everyone wait for the legislation instead of bringing forward items via regulations. That is politics at its worst. Social care is in crisis. Four years and £31 million later, the SNP is desperately trying to claim a victory. The members of the Scottish Government have forgotten why they are here. This place is not about trying to save political face; it is about delivering the very best for Scotland. Once again, the Scottish Government has fallen very far short of what could and should have been achieved. The Deputy Presiding Officer: I call the minister, Maree Todd, to wind up the debate. 18:45 Maree Todd: In 2021, following publication of the Feeley review, the Government made a clear commitment to reform Scotland’s social care system.”
“As members know, I am one of life’s great optimists, but the minister called me cynical for daring to suggest that we measure the outcomes of the bill and that we should know the outline cost of it. The reality is, I believe, that most members are engaged in developing and amending the bill in an honest way to deliver the very best for Anne’s law and for carer respite. I find it quite disrespectful and disingenuous, therefore, to suggest that I was cynically trying to delay the implementation of the bill and the introduction of Anne’s law and provisions for carer respite. The cynicism lies at the feet of the minister and the Scottish Government. The Government has cynically—once again—delivered a bill whose outcomes and the cost of which it does not want to be measured against.”
“Many of the initial proposals were vague to the point of abstraction, and, as I have said, there does not appear to be any overriding objective for the changes. We will support the bill today, not because we believe that it is the best solution available, and not even because we believe that all of its aspects will deliver progress, but because, within this disaster-strewn bill, there are a few ideas— including the carers’ right to breaks and Anne’s law—that have the potential to deliver meaningful change. The issue of digital patient records was also raised, although the minister and the Government do not seem to understand the phrase “agnostic technical interoperability” and therefore voted against that amendment. Much still depends on the Scottish Government following through effectively on its commitments.”
“Anne’s law is long overdue, as is unpaid carers having the right to breaks, but there are serious questions about why the SNP has waited until now to deliver on pledges that have been so desperately needed for so long. Scotland’s social care system desperately needs reform—we all agree on that—but this bill is not going to deliver the level of reform that is needed to secure the future of social care in Scotland. A more accurate title for the bill would be the “Care Reform (Tinkering Around the Edges) (Scotland) Bill”. Far too many of its proposals fall into the category of, “We must do something about social care and I’ve found something, so let’s do that.” There does not seem to be a clear aim in mind.”
“When we make laws, our overriding objective should be to make the very best law possible for our constituents and for the country, but this bill is a prime example of how not to do that. A bill that began as the National Care Service (Scotland) Bill has been hollowed out after years, and the Scottish Government has wasted millions of pounds on a fundamentally flawed plan. The husk of that bill has been reshaped as the Care Reform (Scotland) Bill, a grab bag of random policies that have been sitting in the Scottish Government’s social care filing cabinet, gathering dust. Of course, the bill does contain policies that we support.”
“We often say that it is a privilege to do the job that we do. Even after almost 10 years of walking into this place, I am still a bit in awe of working here, and I remind myself every day of why I came here. I imagine that it is similar for most of us here, because we have a passion for our country and want to have the privilege of making a difference for the people we serve. There are many good people in this chamber, some of whom I agree with and some of whom I do not agree with. All elected members, of whatever persuasion, have my respect for sticking their heads above the parapet. Nonetheless, I believe that there are some who have allowed their political objectives to overtake the fundamentals of what we are meant to be doing here.”
“The Presiding Officer: I call Mark Ruskell to speak to amendment 53 and other amendments in the group.”
“Amendment 2C seeks to give examples of the types of health information that should be included in the digital care record, but it is not exhaustive. I understand that the minister might feel that doing so is redundant, but it is important to list in the bill the minimum level of service that the records should supply information about, with the caveat that is provided by subsection (2) in amendment 2, which sets out that the sharing of information is contingent on comparability and existing data protection principles. Mark Ruskell’s amendment 53 gives individuals and their guardians control over access to their digital care records and ensures that records are provided in an accessible format. That is an important addition to the bill, and I support the amendment.”
“That is important as it will facilitate information sharing between social care providers, pharmacies, general practitioners, secondary care, hospitals and beyond. At the moment, the way that records are shared and kept varies between services and health boards. The amendment ensures that each professional who should have access to the care record will be able to deploy the technological solution. The amendment also has the support of Pharmacy in Practice, which feels very strongly that it is vital that, in this context, the shared record is a technologically agnostic interoperable solution. In pharmacies and beyond, we are seeing an arms race to offer care record solutions, many of which we do not need, among private providers. Confusion in information sharing increases the risk to patients.”
“All those amendments have the support of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and Community Pharmacy Scotland. Amendment 2A places emphasis on the fact that the record will be an “integrated” health and social care record to ensure that, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the records will no longer be managed and used separately. It is important for healthcare providers and social care providers to have that information so that they can make safer decisions for patients, leading to better patient outcomes. The amendment also has the support of Pharmacy in Practice. Amendment 2B specifies that, although no specific technological solution will be required by the bill, any technology solution must be “interoperable”.”
“However, Part 2 of the Care Reform (Scotland) Bill, if passed, will create the enabling conditions for success of a digital health and care record by improving information sharing and usage between individuals and organisations within the health and social care system.”—[Written Answers, 22 May 2025; S6W-37823.] I have been vocal about my disappointment with the bill, but it is a consolation that it takes steps to enable the use of digital integrated health and care records in the future. In that spirit, I welcome Jackie Baillie’s amendment 2, and we will be happy to support it, even though I lodged a similar amendment at stage 2 that was turned down. My amendments 2A, 2B and 2C seek to add important clarity on the digital care record.”
“I did not expect digital integrated health and care records to receive as much attention as they did during stage 2, and nor did I expect so many of my colleagues to agree with me that creating such records is a step that must be taken now to give the national health service and social care providers the tools that they need to do their jobs safely in the modern era. In answer to a written question that I submitted on whether legislation is required to deliver an integrated social care and health record, as referenced in the Scottish Government’s “Care in the Digital Age: Delivery Plan 2024-25”, Neil Gray answered: “The Scottish Government ... can confirm that legislation is not required to create such a record.”
“On a point of order, Presiding Officer. My app would not connect. I would have voted yes. The Presiding Officer: Thank you, Mr Whittle. We will ensure that that is recorded.”
“I beg to differ on whether the greatest challenge in our social care sector is finance or people; the answer varies in different parts of the country. I refer members to the SAMH briefing that was provided to us for a grasp of the scale of the challenge that the social care sector faces. The ENICs increase this year will cost SAMH £500,000, which it has to find from a relatively fixed budget. It cannot increase its charges to the public in the way that all other employers can. I have been saying for months that the ENICs challenge—the tax on jobs—will lead to redundancies. The Deputy Presiding Officer: I will need responses to be briefer.”
“We spoke to a group of chief executive officers of organisations that provide social care. They told us that they need to reduce their staff numbers just to keep their heads above water, yet the minister comes into the chamber and complains that recruitment is the biggest challenge that the sector faces, while it is having to shed jobs to stay afloat. Will she explain how she proposes to support care providers to retain existing staff in the face of the SNP’s cuts and Labour’s NI increase? Maree Todd: Let me be clear that the Scottish Government is increasing the funding to social care. We have provided record funding to the NHS and local authorities. That is how social care is funded in Scotland.”
“However, the Scottish Government has produced no timeline or process for how that money will be disbursed, and it is imperative that that is clarified as soon as possible. If Liam McArthur’s bill, at the very least, brings a focus on the need to improve palliative care, his efforts will have been more than worth it. I have significant concerns about the practicalities of the bill, and it will, at the very least, need amended. However, stage 1 is about the principles of the bill and of assisted dying. I think that the bill deserves to be heard again at stage 2 and stage 3, so I will be voting yes to it at stage 1 tonight. 16:02”
“Brian Whittle: I heard that evidence in committee, too, and I acknowledge it. However, we also heard about issues with access to palliative care. For example, as I was saying, there are issues with accommodation and how palliative care providers meet terminally ill people’s preferences and needs. There are also issues of affordability for people who live in rural and island communities. The Government-funded hospice care sector in Scotland started 2024 with a budget deficit of more than £15 million, even before the NHS pay awards and the employer national insurance increase were announced. In the 2025-26 budget, the Scottish Government promised independent hospices £5 million to help to deliver pay parity with agenda for change staff in the NHS.”
“We know that geographical proximity to in-patient palliative care is associated with where people die. Patients who live more than 10 minutes away from in-patient care are less likely to die there, irrespective of their wishes. There are issues in respect of accessing palliative care and support, such as the availability and resources of palliative and end-of-life care providers, including specialist palliative care teams, the social care workforce and carers. Accessibility is an issue, given the challenges that terminally ill people and their families and carers face in accessing such care. Rona Mackay: Would the member acknowledge that in countries that already have voluntary assisted dying, more than 80 per cent of people are already receiving palliative care or are in hospice care?”
“There are those who have issues because of religion and those with conscientious objections. Palliative care is one of the main issues that I have. Last year, I had the personal experience of one of my family members reaching the late stages of cancer and the end of her life. She was in extreme pain—it was described to me as excruciating pain—waking up in the middle of the night with no access to care. However, she then managed to access palliative care, and her end-of- life experience changed at that point. That is why I welcome the work by Miles Briggs on palliative care. In 2023-24, almost 63,500 deaths were registered in Scotland, and around 90 per cent of those people needed palliative care. Two thirds of all deaths in Scotland will take place in community settings such as people’s own homes, care homes and hospices.”
“It should be noted that when we looked at the draft of the report, we had to change only two words, which I think speaks volumes of the work of the clerks and other officials. It is fair to say that we heard some very conflicting evidence, some of which was so polarised that it became difficult to gain anything from it. No bill has exercised me more than this one has—colleagues in the chamber have said similar—because it is quite literally life changing. Many constituents, many of those who gave evidence and many colleagues in Parliament have reservations about the bill, but many others are strongly for the bill. People have talked about palliative care. They have raised concerns around coercion, because we actually cannot afford to make a single mistake.”
“I start with an apology to members and to the Presiding Officer for having to leave early. I am grateful to the Presiding Officer for still allowing me to contribute. I thank my friend and colleague Liam McArthur for bringing the bill to the Parliament. I recognise the amount of work and diligence that he and his team had to do to get here. I recognise, too, their willingness to collaborate, to listen and to discuss with colleagues. They organised many meetings at which we heard from people who have witnessed others suffer a bad death. I also thank my colleagues on the Health, Social Care and Sport Care Committee for their consideration in developing what I think is a very comprehensive report.”
“To ask the First Minister, in light of the publication of the programme for government, what action the Scottish Government is taking to ensure that prevention is more strongly integrated into the health system. (S6F-04062)”
“If we tackle those issues, we can perhaps get away from the need to increase capacity, because we are always behind the curve and always playing catch-up, which is unsustainable. Instead, we should work on reducing need. The Deputy Presiding Officer: Thank you, Mr Whittle. It takes less and less to get a big sweat up these days. 17:46”
“When I spoke to the people who go along to Killie Heartmates, they talked about going home and almost waiting for, and being frightened about, their next stroke. The group put together an exercise programme for people who have suffered a stroke, which is supported by a stroke physiotherapist from Kilmarnock hospital. I went along, and let me tell you: I got a fair sweat up. However, the reality is that the most important part of it is the community. After the exercise class, people get a cup of tea, a biscuit and a chat, which is unbelievably important. I could talk about this all day, as the Deputy Presiding Officer well knows. However, for me, the three pillars are good nutrition, physical activity and inclusivity in our communities.”
“That is why I will continue to promote the need to be physically active and the need for sport, music, art and drama to be available in our schools. Our schools are such a battleground when it comes to tackling health problems and poor mental health. In our schools, we are trying to tackle poor mental health, poor physical health, poor attainment and poor behaviour. I go back to my point that a good diet and being physically active tackle those issues better than just about anything else that we can do. I was interested to hear Roz McCall talk about the plight of stroke victims. I want to highlight some really good practice in Kilmarnock with the Killie Heartmates, whom I visited not that long ago. Those who have a stroke get about six weeks of rehabilitation in hospital, but, after that, they are kind of left to their own devices.”
“SAMH is a great exponent of the need to be physically active to tackle poor mental health. As I always say, SAMH sponsors jogscotland not out of the goodness of its heart but because it promotes an active lifestyle in tackling poor mental health. Access to physical activity is important. I was pleased to hear Christine Grahame talk about the impact of social media and the omnipresent mobile phone. We have to give our youth, primarily, the opportunity to disconnect from social media and their mobile phone. I have not seen too many kids running about a hockey pitch, a netball court or a football pitch while carrying their mobile phone. The ability to disconnect and not have to worry about what our peers are saying about us on social media for a period of time gives us an outlet for anxiety and energy.”
“I thank my friend and colleague Roz McCall for bringing the debate to the chamber ahead of mental health awareness week. Members will not be surprised to note my direction of travel in this debate—I can almost see their eyes rolling already. On the wall in my office, I have an ever-present poster that says that food is the most abused anxiety drug and that exercise is the most underutilised antidepressant. I keep quoting “Food for Thought”, a Mental Health Foundation report that is now becoming quite old, which discusses the importance of nutrition to our mental health, not just our physical health. That makes sense—of course it makes sense—because the brain is an organ like any other organ in the body, and if we feed it properly, it will work better.”
“When we talk about productivity, we actually mean helping our healthcare professionals to have more time to deliver effective healthcare. Technology is the obvious solution, particularly when the whole of the health service is currently plagued by systems that do not talk to one another and by paper records, with pharmacists unable to reliably check basic medical details about patients. Does the cabinet secretary agree that creating a single shared patient record and a universal digital platform for healthcare is absolutely key to improving productivity? Neil Gray: Yes. General Practitioner Funding 6.”
“We can continue to tinker around the edges of hydrogen production, only to adopt and import technology as the rest of the world develops and adopts those fast-developing technologies, as we did with wind and solar, or we can buck the Scottish Government trend, be bold and encourage the development of those technologies so that we can lead the world in decarbonisation to the benefit of the economy. That goal is worth shooting for. The Deputy Presiding Officer: Before I call the next speaker, I confirm that the time that we had in hand has been just about exhausted. Interventions will need to be accommodated within the time allocation. 15:58”
“Scotland has the well-developed renewable electricity sector that is needed to create hydrogen and significant expertise in working with gas, both offshore and onshore. Crucially, it also has generating capacity, as nearly £1 billion paid to generators in constraint payments shows. Imagine that, instead of paying to switch off generation, we would be able to use that electricity to generate hydrogen for use elsewhere. Not only would we eliminate constraint payments and lower bills, but we would build a new industry that creates jobs and tax revenues that benefit the whole country.”
“The shift to decarbonise the world has enormous economic potential for Scotland if it is in a position to make the most of its knowledge and natural resources. When it comes to net zero, we need to consider not only how we decarbonise but, crucially, how we benefit economically from the decarbonisation of the world. Deputy Presiding Officer, I realise that I am running out of time. Is there a little bit extra? The Deputy Presiding Officer: We have exhausted most of the time that we have in hand. I can give you the time back for the intervention. Brian Whittle: Hydrogen represents one such opportunity to capitalise. Global demand for hydrogen is growing rapidly, as an alternative to natural gas and, in some cases, as an alternative to electrification.”
“Despite President Trump stating that the USA would “drill, drill, drill”, hydrogen is still in the top 15 per cent of US exports to Japan, Vietnam, South Korea, Belgium, Mexico, Denmark and even Saudi Arabia. What are we waiting for? Do they know something that we do not? We are already behind the curve. Why are so many other countries benefiting from hydrogen production? It is increasingly being recognised that, although decarbonising our economy and society remains a crucial long-term objective, the approach that we have taken to meet that goal risks costs becoming too great for too small a gain. Ultimately, Scotland, or even the UK, reaching net zero will not be the turning point in reducing global emissions. With that in mind, I believe that our approach should focus less on when we reach net zero and more on how we reach it.”
“A joint statement on industry co- operation between Danish producers and suppliers of green hydrogen and the Dutch industrial offtake market said that the Dutch offtake of hydrogen of 1.3 million tonnes per year “is the second largest in Europe and is expected to increase significantly towards 4.5 Mton per year by 2050.” The International Energy Agency states that Belgium is positioning itself as an “import and transit hub” for hydrogen, with domestic demand estimated to be as much as 6TWh of renewable hydrogen or its derivatives by 2030, potentially rising to 165TWh by 2050. In 2024, the United States of America exported $1.8 billion of hydrogen.”
“Potential hydrogen users want to convert to a greener fuel source but hesitate to make that investment without confidence that the supply of hydrogen will be available to them. All the while, global demand for hydrogen continues to rise. The German federal Government estimates that total hydrogen demand will be up to 130 terawatt hours by 2030, with about 70 per cent of that supply having to be imported.”
“I will come on to what other countries are doing. The UK Government is taking decisions that could lead to the gas grid being wound down before we know for sure what its potential is for the hydrogen economy. Right now, the gas grid could take blended green hydrogen of up to 10 or 20 per cent, if we had the will to do that. Given that home heating is such a big part of our emissions, why are we not making that change very soon? We should be encouraging innovation in all aspects of renewables, especially in green hydrogen, given that Scotland’s natural resources of wind and water are exactly what the production of green hydrogen requires. We have a chicken-and-egg situation with supply and demand. Hydrogen companies want to grow and invest significantly but hesitate to do so without a clear demand from offtakers.”
“The reality is that the priority for Scotland should not be how quickly we can decarbonise but how we use the opportunity to sustainably decarbonise, to demonstrate to the world what can be achieved to the benefit of our economy. We are in danger of picking winners too soon before all that research is done. There is no doubt that heat pumps are important to the jigsaw, but they are not the silver bullet that I think Patrick Harvie has tried to make us believe. Sarah Boyack: There is an issue. It is not just about being ahead of the game but about learning from other countries. Lots of European countries have heat networks that are supplied by electricity. It is not just about inventing new tech; it is about learning from other countries and making that work where possible in our communities. Brian Whittle: I appreciate that intervention.”
“Are we really going to support increased strip mining of cadmium in Canada or cobalt in east Africa, or even the coal-powered extraction of lithium in China, just so that we can import those rare metals and be smug and self-righteous? That approach does little for climate change. A point on which all members broadly agree is that hydrogen has an important role to play in our future energy mix. How big that role will be remains to be seen and will, in no small part, be determined by the Scottish Government’s choices in the coming months and years. Too often, our approach to decarbonising the country has been focused on what can achieve the quickest win, or on strategies that are overambitious and unrealistic but generate good headlines, leading to an inevitable ditching of targets.”
“I am delighted to speak in the debate. As many members know, I extol the virtues of green hydrogen. From listening to the debate so far, my concern is that too many of the renewable eggs are being put into the electricity basket. The reality of moving every aspect of our lives that is currently powered by fossil fuels to an electric alternative is that the resources that are required either do not exist or cannot be extracted in a way that is economically or environmentally viable. Studies project that, by 2030, the UK will require up to 40 per cent of current global lithium production and 29 per cent of current global graphite production. That would require us to increase copper mining by 300 per cent and cobalt mining by a staggering 8,000 per cent.”
“Daniel Johnson: Will the member take an intervention? Patrick Harvie: Do I have some time in hand?”
“Any use case in which direct electrification can be achieved will always be the better choice when compared with hydrogen, not only with today’s technology, but under the laws of physics. That argument is only stronger for heat, because the technology that some countries have been deploying at scale for decades, and with which Scotland is struggling to catch up, goes far beyond even the theoretical limit of the 100 per cent efficiency that a closed system can reach. Heat pumps do not turn electricity into heat, but rather use electricity to gather heat from the ambient environment. They can produce up to three or four times as much heat output from the electrical input that they run on. Hydrogen can never do that, yet the Scottish Government continues to promote the notion of hydrogen for domestic heating.”
“Where hydrogen comes from is not the end of the story. We also need to address how it is used. There are still those who cling to the idea that we can simply inject hydrogen into existing energy systems, whether that is the gas grid for heating or transport systems to displace fossil fuels, but there are some fundamental limits that we need to address. We can generate renewable electricity and use it to produce hydrogen. The hydrogen can then be stored, transported to where it is needed and turned back into useful energy, but at every step in that journey, efficiency is lost, so we end up with less useful energy at the end of the process than was generated at the start.”
“I find myself in the uncomfortable position of agreeing with some of what Patrick Harvie has to say—I am very much an advocate for green hydrogen. Blue hydrogen, however, can be produced from waste. The reusing of waste to deliver blue hydrogen should be considered as a potential alternative. Patrick Harvie: If I understand the argument correctly, that still depends on the development and efficiency of carbon capture and storage, which has yet to be proven and will always add additional cost. Green hydrogen is where Scotland has a massive advantage. The potential scale of renewables generation in Scotland is immense, and if we develop that potential fully, we will be producing far more electricity than we need or can export through transmission infrastructure, which means that the production of hydrogen is an obvious opportunity.”
“Back benchers will have speeches of up to four minutes. 15:49”
“We cannot just let that continue to happen, which is why I, Sir Ed Davey, Angus MacDonald, Andrew Baxter, who is our Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch candidate, and David Green, who is our Caithness, Sutherland and Ross candidate— The Deputy Presiding Officer: Mr Cole- Hamilton, please resume your seat for a second. I appreciate that an election is coming up, albeit not until next year, but we are not in a hustings. We are in a Parliament, and I hope that members will act accordingly. Please conclude. Alex Cole-Hamilton: It is just a measure of the passion that we all feel and why we signed the pledge in the Inverness Courier to dual the A9. We know how vital that is, not only for our Highland economy but for the safety of the road users who are trying to get to it. The Deputy Presiding Officer: We move to the open debate.”