Chamber and committees

Previous Scottish Government guidance on mobile phones in schools was developed by listening to the voices not just of headteachers and school staff but of our young people. It is crucial that we continue to engage with those affected. Will the cabinet secretary outline any plans to consult our young folk on the changes that she is proposing?

This week, it was announced that the energy price cap was going to increase by 13 per cent, which will lead to an estimated bill rise of £221. What assessment has been made of the impact that that will have on poverty and child poverty in Scotland?

That was history. We then went and—[Interruption.] I am surprised that it was the member from the north-east, Liam Kerr, who asked me that question, and not his colleague, who I cannot see in the chamber. Perhaps he is not getting on with the day job but is instead out trying to find another day job.

One of my ambitions, which is perhaps rather lofty, is for Aberdeen to become the net zero capital of the world—I will never stop trying to push for that for Aberdeen—in order to reap the benefits of the well-paid jobs and strong local economy that would come with that. It would ensure that our region experiences a lasting legacy from North Sea oil.

My other ambitions are somewhat more humble. For example, it is my ambition that, in the energy capital of Europe, nobody should be afraid to put the heating on because they are worried about their energy bills. In a city that is surrounded by farms and fishermen, it is also my ambition that no bairn should go to bed hungry. All that ties in with the Scottish Government’s commitment to eradicate child poverty, build a more prosperous economy, help folk during the cost of living crisis and tackle climate change.

All those commitments have been undermined by the UK Government, whether it is run by Labour or the Tories. I will start with the Tories, the party that introduced the windfall tax, which was brought in under Boris Johnson and maintained throughout the premierships of Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak. The energy profits levy and the years of lost investment that it led to are the legacies of the Tories. Now, they have the cheek to come out with the mantra of “Drill, baby, drill”. However, even if drilling started again tomorrow, it would still only be, by itself, a short-term solution. The Tories consistently fail to outline what should come next, let alone invest in it. They are actively campaigning against investment in renewable energy and infrastructure, which will support the next generation of jobs. The biggest asset that we have in Aberdeen is not oil and gas, wind or tidal power, but our workers—that innovative, pioneering, highly skilled and world‑leading workforce. We need those workers for our long-term prosperity and for whatever comes next.

In the short term, yes, we should drill, baby, drill. However, if we want lasting prosperity, the focus must be on our workforce and on skills, baby, skills.

Not just now, Mr Kerr.

Then we have the Labour UK Government, which has increased and extended the windfall tax and now wants to close down Aberdeen’s biggest industry altogether while opening the doors to Russian oil.

The Labour Party—irrespective of who is in charge—is betraying thousands of energy workers. The UK Government has failed to match the just transition fund, failed to fully back the Acorn project, failed to fix the windfall tax, failed to invest in renewables, failed to invest in the north-east, failed to support oil and gas workers, and failed to bring down energy bills.

What can I say? The UK is a failing state, so let us be ambitious and do better. Let us give ourselves and our country a fresh start with independence.

Thank you, Presiding Officer; I welcome you to your new role. I am also delighted to be returned by the good folk of Aberdeen Donside to their Parliament to represent them.

Today’s debate is about being ambitious for Scotland. I will start with my simple and greatest ambition for our nation. It is an ambition that I have had since I was a bairn growing up on the farms across the north-east of Scotland, where my dad worked. It is an ambition that grew from when I got my first job in a petrol station as a teenager and throughout the 14 years that I worked for Tesco. It is an ambition that I wanted for my daughter’s future, right from the very day that she was born, and it continued to grow as I was raising her. It is an ambition that I fully saw the need for when I was a councillor representing some of the most deprived communities in Aberdeen. It is an ambition that I will do everything in my power to realise as a member of our Scottish Parliament.

That ambition is for Scotland to be an independent country, not just so that folk have a real and meaningful say in shaping and determining their own destinies and those of their bairns and their bairns’ bairns, but because of the difference that it will make when major decisions, which have so much impact on folk’s lives, are taken in Scotland for Scotland.

Right now, the need for that feels especially obvious in Aberdeen, where decisions that are taken in Westminster are having a devastating impact on the city that I represent. I will take this opportunity to talk about Aberdeen and its future, how the Scottish Government is supporting the city to be ambitious and how the north-east has been failed by successive UK Governments.

When I moved to Aberdeen as a young quine, it was already known as the oil capital of Europe. The industry reached into every community and just about everyone had a family member or friend who worked on the rigs. For me, it was my long-suffering partner who would often go offshore. Today, it is now my daughter who goes offshore when needed for her work.

Throughout all that time, oil and gas—and now energy more generally—have defined Aberdeen, and they have treated us well. Yes, there have been downturns and, sadly, tragedies, but, for the most part, oil has meant prosperity for the north-east of Scotland, and oil and energy have become a part of Aberdeen’s identity. However, oil is finite, and even before there was any suggestion of phasing out oil, and long before the windfall tax started forcing out oil companies—

I will take the intervention.

I will address the “Drill, baby, drill” mantra later in my speech.

There was an acknowledgement that we needed to start investing so that Aberdeen would continue to be prosperous after oil. I remember having those conversations nearly 20 years ago as a councillor, and the hope was that such investment would be made during prosperous times so that it would be there to see us through when it was needed. Unfortunately, in those 20 years, there has been the financial crisis, austerity, the oil price crash, the vote for Brexit, the pandemic and the actual leaving of the EU. When the oil price finally picked back up, the windfall tax was introduced and, with that, investment started moving elsewhere.

A lot of great work is being done by the business community in the city to diversify our economy and build us up as a hub for renewables, which has been supported by the Energy Transition Zone and Aberdeen and Grampian Chambers of Commerce—among many others—as well as the Scottish Government’s £500 million just transition fund. However, so much of that work is being undermined by the energy profits levy.

I will share some of my ambitions for Aberdeen, one of which is perhaps rather lofty.

I, Jacqueline Edith Elizabeth Dunbar, do solemnly, sincerely and truly declare and affirm, that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles, his heirs and successors, according to law.

Ah, Jacqueline Edith Elizabeth Dunbar, div depone solemnly and sincerely aat Ah wull be faithful and leal tae His Maijesty King Chairles, his heirs an aa fa come aifter him, accordin tae laa.