4. To ask the Scottish Government what it anticipates the impact of the green jobs fund will be on the Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley constituency. (S6O-02279)

The green jobs fund aims to create green employment, drive economic growth, and support businesses to transition to a low-carbon economy through capital investment in equipment and premises, and research and development.

Discussions on projects in Ayrshire that could be supported by the fund are under way. There is the potential to create hundreds of new jobs in the area. As future green jobs fund awards are made, we will continue to update Parliament on the progress of the fund and the expected green jobs resulting from it.

I advise the cabinet secretary that, with its partners and employers, East Ayrshire has launched a net zero accelerator programme to focus on gaining knowledge on how best to move to net zero and to gain the required skills and accreditation. Does she agree that it is vital that every part of Scotland both participates in and benefits from the transition to net zero—in particular, through vehicles such as the green jobs fund? Will she give my constituents an assurance that the Government will assist in any way that it can to build such capacity locally, as we strive to make that important transition in every community in Scotland?

Willie Coffey makes an excellent point. The scale of the climate and nature crisis, and the pace at which our society needs to move to make the change commensurate with that challenge, means that progress must absolutely be built from communities, for communities and within communities. Only then can the transformational change that is required in the coming years and decades be delivered at the scale required and be sustainable, too. I give my commitment to Willie Coffey and his constituents that the Scottish Government is dedicated to working with them as we take that journey.