 I have a question to the next item of business that is topical questions, which is the one question today from Alex Cole Hamilton. Do you ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the not-for-profit energy supply company, Our Power, going out of business? It is disappointing and sad that our power has had to cease trading. The Scottish Government has supported our power in its aim of tackling fuel poverty since 2015, somewhat fel cyfleidnet steil,festigol iawn cookedo'ch cyfleidnetau gyda ddledigol ar gyfer prwny established a'r byw sefyll gwyrdd ac yn gwênes. Rwy'n fyddwctffaig o'r rhanengymnonegau cyf stores Scotland service. It is a worrying time for our powers employees in Edinburgh and we have offered support through our partnership action for continuing employment, PACE. PACE aims to minimise the time that individuals affected by redundancy are out of work and we are making this help available immediately. We will also work with our powers partners to identify any further employment opportunities for those highly skilled and experienced staff. I am grateful to the minister for that reply. Seventy people in Edinburgh are fearing for their jobs and I welcome her commitment to supporting them through PACE. Our power's plight is a shame for staff, customers and the prospect of healthier competition in the energy supply market. Backers included housing associations and, of course, the government. When were the ministers first told about the company's cash flow problems and did it seek any reassurances or to intervene at that point? What is the total financial backing provided to our power by the Scottish Government? What was the balance of loans and grants and what ministers' expectations were for recovering them? Finally, can the minister confirm where staff stand in relation to other creditors in the event of the company's demise? We were informed of the collection difficulties found and that formal request was put into us on 21 December. Of course, as a foundation lender to our power, our relationship with our power has been long-standing and we have continued to always be supportive in that relationship. Alec LHamilton is right, though, to point out the other lenders as well. That was an enterprise designed to try and tackle fuel poverty and to try and do something different in this market. It should not be forgotten that, over three and a half years, this company has been providing low-cost energy to largely the social housing sector. The staff, though I understand absolutely, is a real worry and it will be a worrying time for the 70 staff who are mostly in the Cygmiller area of Edinburgh. Again, I reiterate our offer around the partnership action for continuing employment scheme to ensure that there is a speedy and effective response to their imminent plight. I am happy to engage with the member in any other details, of course, for by the exchange that we will have today, but we will continue to work with our power where we can provide support. The final point was that it was a £9.5 million loan that has been provided to our power over these years. Again, it has been a facility of constructive relationship that we have had with our power over the years, based on the fact that we are the foundation lender. I am grateful for that reply. It is not for profit that tackling fuel poverty, socially responsible, is a fair deal for customers. That is what our power stood for. The Scottish Government wants the same principles to underpin its own new energy company. Our power chairman, Alasda Seill, said that it is now generally accepted that it is unclear what level of financial backing is required for a new entrant to cope with market volatility and regulatory change. In the last year, 11 small energy companies have ceased operating. What has the Scottish Government learned from the recent volatility in the market? Have its own plans for an energy company altered at all? Has it learned or shared learning with local authorities thinking about similar ventures? Finally, has its outline business case been concluded? What guarantees are there that it is a safe use of taxpayers' money? Again, Alacly Hamilton raises very legitimate and important points. We will give that commitment to take any learning that we can from the experience that we have gone through with our power. On the relationship between our power and the creation of a public energy company, of course, we will continue to develop proposals that will deliver the ambition of a public energy company. We are on track to deliver that ambition by the end of this Parliament. Of course, my colleague Paul Wheelhouse has lead responsibility for that work and will be taking due cognisance of the points that Alec Cole-Hamilton makes. We cannot wait for the UK Government or for the market to deliver lower fuel prices for Scottish consumers in our power. A public energy company will support Scottish Government ambitions for energy consumers. It is about consumer confidence and choice, and over half of consumers remain on standard variable tariffs, which is currently the most expensive. The public energy company therefore forms part of a solution that will complement the Scottish Government's much wider work on energy consumers and on fuel poverty. We will endeavour to make sure that any member with a concern as a result of that is furnished with the facts and any developments on that. Alexander Burnett Thank you, Presiding Officer, and can I note my register of interests in renewable energy? So can I ask the Scottish Government what existing similar loans are on the Government's books and what assessment of those has been done for the coming financial year? Certainly, as it relates to the power industry, I think that that is the only area that we have committed to that enterprise. However, if we can make sure that we get any information to him on that basis, but certainly from our perspective, that is something that was a new attempt to try and find a way to help people who are predominantly in social tenants to have access to low-cost power. It has done so for three and a half years. Again, I suppose that it reiterates and underlines how disappointing it is that, ultimately, it has not quite succeeded in this case, but if there are any further enterprises such as this, we will ensure that Alexander Burnett is made aware of that. Thank you very much, and that concludes topical questions. We have finished rather abruptly, so I am just going to suspend very shortly to allow members and ministers to change seats.