Chamber and committees

I do not get as much time as many others do.

Scotland does not need Reform; Scotland needs independence.

16:32

I congratulate my neighbouring MSP, Jack Middleton, on securing his first members’ business debate. He has chosen a very good subject: a topical one that matters to folk right across Aberdeen and the north of Scotland.

I grew up watching “North Tonight” on Grampian TV. When I was little, I would watch the news and learn what was happening around the world, followed by what was happening across the north-east. It made the news matter to me when I was a bairn. It was everything that local journalism should be: high quality, engaging and trusted. That is why I kept watching the programme under the various different names that it has been called over the years, and continue to do so. I am one of 277,000 folk across the north-east and the Highlands and Islands who tune in to STV to watch it. I imagine that the vast majority of those hundreds of thousands of viewers will be far from happy with the idea that their local news will no longer be local.

I know that I have given the viewing numbers already, but I want to emphasise how phenomenal they are for STV North news across the north of Scotland. There are 277,000 viewers—a 40 per cent viewing share—all tuning in to “STV news at Six”. In a world of myths and disinformation online, where folk are increasingly questioning news sources, there is something we can trust in the fact that we are able to turn on the television and watch the local news on STV, or, for that matter, walk into a shop and pick up a copy of The Press and Journal and the Evening Express. That trust and local connection resonates with folk in Aberdeen, and it means that they are more willing to trust those outlets on matters that are further away from home, too. That is why the decision by STV is disappointing.

Our local news is being taken away at the whim of a London-based chief executive, with the decision being rubber-stamped by London-based Ofcom. STV’s argument is that it wants to focus on digital output instead. It feels that it can try to address the lack of truth that exists online by leveraging the trust that folk have in its news output. The problem is that the foundation of that trust is built on STV’s local and regional news. I would love to see more STV content on social media, but STV will be able to retain the high level of trust that it enjoys only for as long as it continues to anchor itself in our local communities.

Aberdeen faces an uncertain future. We are an oil capital whose businesses have been battered by the energy profit levy. We are a coastal city during a climate crisis. We are home to critical national infrastructure, while Russia is becoming more of a threat. We are a cash cow whenever the UK Government cannot balance its books. Despite being surrounded by farms, wind farms, fishing boats and oil rigs, people are struggling with their food and energy bills. With all that going on, if folk cannot find news from a source that they can trust, some will turn to outlets that tell them what they want to hear instead. Local journalism builds trust, and the need for high-quality local journalism across every format is greater than ever. That includes TV coverage, and it includes STV North news.

STV and Ofcom are both in the wrong here, and I hope that one of them will see sense and reconsider before it is too late.

18:43

Thanks to the ambition of our Scottish National Party Government and the action that it has taken on child poverty, child poverty rates in Scotland are substantially lower than the UK levels. However, it is appalling that the Scottish Government still has to spend money on mitigating the UK Government’s lack of action. Will the cabinet secretary update the Parliament on the impact that long-standing UK Government policies such as the bedroom tax, the benefit cap and the local housing allowance freeze have had on Scotland’s progress towards ending child poverty?

Living, working or studying abroad is a hugely enriching experience in which we encounter new cultures and skills. What estimation does the minister make of the social and educational impact on Scots young people, who are being denied the opportunity to expand their horizons in a way that was previously facilitated through freedom of movement within the EU and programmes such as Erasmus+?

Labour’s national insurance hike continues to place huge pressures on the budgets of our public services, as it costs them an estimated £400 million per year. I find it unacceptable that our public services are paying the price for that Westminster stealth tax. Will the minister join me in once again calling on the UK Labour Government to fully compensate our public services for that tax hike, so that they can continue to deliver the high-quality services that folk in Scotland deserve?

Folk tend to go into city centres not because they are city centres, but because of the businesses that occupy them and the events that take place there. Will the minister share with us how the Scottish Government is supporting Aberdeen to tell the story of Union Street and what is happening in the city centre?

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.