Mr. Stewart Stevenson:

I will give a quick overview of some of the matters in it. I highlighted the work we had been doing with Mary Robinson through the Mary Robinson Foundation - Climate Justice. She was kind enough to appear with our First Minister to launch the climate justice fund. The former President does not comment on Irish political matters but she is widely respected internationally. I also highlighted one or two of the comparisons between the draft heads I have seen and the legislation we passed concerning the committee advising Government and Ministers. We took the option in legislation to create structures for a Scottish climate change advisory committee, which is a committee of independent people appointed by Ministers but who are difficult to discharge from office for Ministers. We also left ourselves the option to use the United Kingdom Committee on Climate Change. We have gone down that road and it is worth saying that the UK Committee on Climate Change costs us less money, gives us access to more scientific advice and is the committee for which all four jurisdictions in the United Kingdom must agree each individual appointment. No jurisdiction has single control.

We are firmly in the camp of those who have chosen to make binding targets within our primary legislation and support it through secondary legislation. Our targets are annual so it is a tough regime. If members want to ask me questions, that will give me a real opportunity to expand. The Chairman can rein me in as required.