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I will respond to Ms Hyslop’s previous question about the risks to Scotland’s economy. I should have mentioned that Scotland’s economy is performing resiliently considering the difficulties that we have faced following Brexit, Covid and the UK mini budget. Economic growth here currently outstrips that of the rest of the UK; last year we had much stronger economic growth than the rest of the UK had. We will continue to do what we can to support our economy through the difficult challenges that businesses and the third and private sectors are facing.

It has decreased substantially. I have a rough figure in my head, but I do not want to provide an incorrect number to the committee. I will make sure that that is followed up in writing so that Mr Halcro Johnston’s inquiry can be satisfied.

First, I accept the charge of a “manel” being before the member. I was cognisant of that before we came to the meeting and I made that very reference to colleagues. I should say that yesterday, when I went before the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee, I was flanked by two incredibly able women. We have incredibly strong women across the Scottish civil service, as well as very able men, such as the ones who are before you now.

Ms Thomson is absolutely right to focus on the opportunities that will arise from our narrowing not just the gender pay gap but the gender employment gap and from ensuring that women are able to get on in enterprise. It will be a massive economic opportunity as well as the right thing to do. If we are to succeed in our aims for economic growth opportunities, having women get on in enterprise will be incredibly important.

I happen to be meeting Ana Stewart later today, and I look forward to discussing her report and how we might be able to implement it. I am committed to ensuring that we honour its findings as best we can in the timescale that is allowed by our resources. That is absolutely central to the opportunity that we have to transform our economy into one that is not only innovative and agile but one which ensures that women are able to continue to perform well within it. After all, that will drive the economic growth that we want.

The honest answer is that we are competing—we are competing on an international scale. That is why our international network and the work being done by the likes of Scottish Development International and by our office network internationally are so important. They build the relationships, such as the one that we have with Sumitomo Electric, to provide confidence and they outline the opportunities that investing in Scotland gives. We will continue to work with Scottish Development International and our international network to ensure that our investment priorities—which, as we have already outlined, are around our net zero commitments and the supply chain—are communicated to potential investors globally.

If you look at investments that have been made both in the United States and in Europe through the green deal, you can see that we are competing in a highly competitive international market. We cannot afford to allow ourselves to be left behind at a time when our net zero ambitions are very challenging, and when the decisions that are taken over the next couple of years on areas such as offshore wind and hydrogen will be crucial in determining whether we continue to be a world leader in offshore wind and whether we will still have the opportunity to be first to market with green hydrogen. I therefore encourage the UK Government to look at matching some of the investment incentives that have been made by the European Union and the United States, to ensure that we are not left behind on a competitive front with regard to those nations and regions.

I am happy to do that, and I will ensure that I follow up in writing with the committee.

Yes, I absolutely take that suggestion from Ms Hyslop and will ensure that it is given due consideration as we examine the consultation responses. I cannot pre-empt that process, obviously, but I expect to go into some of the areas that she has laid out. We will ensure that we have a concrete strategy that ensures that we can realise the potential and have a just transition that does not leave communities behind in the way that they were left behind in the 1980s and 1990s under Thatcher.

NSET is the guiding light—it has the metrics and measures to ensure that we are tracking our progress. I do not think that there are tensions. There are areas where we need to ensure that we are delivering well for people and for our planet; the deposit return scheme is one example of that. However, the DRS is also an economic opportunity because, if we can get recycling rates right, that will show that there is a clear business opportunity for dealing with commodities that come through the waste market.

Major opportunities are coming forward. The wellbeing economy elements ensure that we are focused on delivering for people; we are not focused just on the traditional gross domestic product growth elements. Growth is important for the purpose of ensuring that we are delivering better lives for people across Scotland.

It is fundamental. Grangemouth produces 8 per cent of our carbon emissions. As Ms Hyslop rightly outlines, it is our greatest emitter. Ensuring that there is a just transition means that we need the UK Government to move much faster on delivering Acorn from track 2. It is an absolute priority for us to continue pressing the UK Government for that, and I am sure that it will come up in the discussions with Graham Stuart following my appearance today.

Place is incredibly important. I represent a constituency with an incredibly strong feeling of place, but I also come from Orkney, where place-based economic development is well defined and there is a very strong feeling of place. Therefore, I understand well the importance of place.

As I said, we have discussions with our enterprise network to ensure that there is good, strong support for economic development in their regions, but we are also ensuring that we capitalise on the good work that is going on indigenously in those areas, as well as responding to the economic priorities that we have set out in NSET and in our just transition strategy, to ensure that we are taking advantage of the opportunities in different areas across Scotland.

It would be a challenge for us to say that there will be a homogeneous approach across different areas, because each region, area and place will have its own strengths, so we must build on the strengths of each area to ensure that we see the best economic performance possible. I think that Mr Cook wants to come in.

A panel meets with business to consider regulation. I have already set out the new deal for business that will be discussed over the coming months. We are looking at all those areas to see whether there is anything more that we can do, and we can consider how we can provide greater support. We have listened to business and have delayed the DRS, and we will continue to respond as best we can.

Mr Halcro Johnston has raised the issue of short-term lets. There is a competing issue, because we both know about the challenges that people living in rural areas face when trying to access housing. There is support for our looking to do what we can to make more rural housing available. The decisions that we are taking are about trying to make those situations easier for people.

It will always be a balance. We take feedback from colleagues who represent rural areas—or who, like me, are from those areas and still have family there—to ensure that we continue to get that balance right. I take seriously the feedback that Mr Halcro Johnston has given and we will continue to consider the matter as best we can.