That is a good point to raise. Although there is an update on capacity at Rossie, what is it in addition to, and how does it affect the overall figures? I have made a note on the reform of the contractual model too—thank you.

Will the member give way?

The safety of vulnerable individuals must be at the forefront of all actions in our justice system. Can the cabinet secretary provide further detail on how Police Scotland ensures that personal information remains secure when it is shared with third parties?

Has the member taken some time to read the recent Scottish Renewables “Scotland’s renewable energy industry—supply chain impact statement”, which sets out some of the excellent inward investment, job opportunities and value to the Scottish economy that we have seen over the past year?

The urgent need to deal with the risks of climate change and the challenges of an uncertain geopolitical and energy security landscape underpin the direction of travel of our energy industry. For more than five decades, Scotland’s oil and gas industry has supported thousands of well-paid and highly skilled jobs, underpinned a significant domestic supply chain and provided more than £400 billion of production taxes for the public purse. The North Sea is, as we know, a mature basin and the transition away from fossil fuels to a different, commercially viable energy mix, through the redeployment of the expertise and skills that are already in the energy sector, is of vital importance to Scotland’s economy and that of the UK.

In my constituency of Aberdeen South and North Kincardine, I have already seen many brilliant examples of that transition, where oil and gas businesses are actively seeking and embarking on new opportunities in offshore wind, hydrogen transportation and accelerator programmes that will support start-ups and scale-ups. However, as we know, sentiment in the sector has been taking a knock. The increase in and extension of the UK Government’s energy profits levy by the previous Tory and now Labour UK Governments has damaged North Sea investment, with Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce highlighting that 10,000 North Sea jobs have been lost since the EPL was introduced in 2022. Last week, as we have heard, Harbour Energy, which is the UK’s largest oil and gas producer, confirmed that it would cut 250 jobs in Aberdeen. Scott Barr, Harbour Energy’s UK managing director, said:

“The review is unfortunately necessary to align staffing levels with lower levels of investment, due mainly to the Government’s ongoing punitive fiscal position and a challenging regulatory environment.”

Of course, the Acorn carbon capture and storage project has been the focus of continuous pleas from business leaders, parliamentarians and stakeholders urging the UK Government to provide investment certainty in the upcoming comprehensive spending review. As a recent letter to the UK Government from a host of parliamentarians set out, Acorn could be a major driver of economic activity and growth. It could unlock £7 billion in private investment, create 15,000 new jobs, protect 18,000 existing ones and generate £17.7 billion for the UK economy.

I do not think that we can have a debate about oil and gas without acknowledging the North Sea transition task force’s report, “Securing the Future of the Energy Transition in the North Sea”. Among the many points that it raises is the importance of public bodies, businesses, industry and Governments collectively creating the right conditions to bring investment and entrepreneurship to the North Sea, with the UK Government leading the way—which, at the moment, it is not.

Without glossing over the challenges, there is a great deal to be optimistic about. Scotland is already punching above its weight to support the UK to become a clean energy superpower. Significant work is under way to attract investment, upgrade the grid and revitalise our ports infrastructure.

Despite net zero and the benefits of clean technologies coming under attack, particularly by the Tories, I commend the work by developers, supply chain, Government and communities who are making a strong case for renewables. In my conversations with stakeholders in the renewables space, it has been clear to me that a stable policy environment, unity across the Government and stakeholders, and leadership from the UK Government—rather than the damaging decisions that we are currently seeing—will ensure a viable energy sector for Scotland for the future.

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the introduction of quota management groups and whether they would benefit fishers and coastal communities. (S6O-04612)

I thank the minister for the update. In 2020, the Scottish Government initiated a quota management groups trial. What does the evaluation of that trial demonstrate, how has any learning from the trial been carried forward and how does the Scottish Government envisage that QMGs might maximise the contribution that fisheries make to Scotland?

On the point about economic growth, earlier, my colleague Kevin Stewart intervened on the Deputy First Minister to highlight Harbour Energy’s announcement on the loss of 250 jobs. I press the member to ensure that our Scottish Labour colleagues do everything that they can to persuade the UK Government that its fiscal regime—in other words, the energy profits levy—is damaging Scotland.

Will the member take an intervention?

The ambitious but focused scope of today’s programme for government is very welcome, given that, yet again, it is drawn together in the most difficult of times, as the UK Government chooses an austerity agenda that continues to limit Scottish Government actions and the fiscal context in which it operates. As the UK Labour Government continues to embrace the folly of Brexit, I welcome this programme for government, which centres on economic growth, tackling child poverty, improving public services and delivering on net zero. The climate crisis is very real.

Scotland hosts an abundance of small and medium-sized businesses, including in the energy sector. They support well-paid jobs and play a fundamental role in the wellbeing of communities.

The Scottish Government’s renewed focus on the economy over the past year or so has been very much welcomed across the energy industry. The fact that the current global environment for trade is challenging, not least because of US tariffs, makes it all the more important that our domestic policy gets it right for our businesses.

The UK Government’s decision to increase employer national insurance contributions has increased the tax burden on businesses, with a disproportionate and hugely damaging effect on the most labour-intensive sectors. I welcome the First Minister’s update on supporting our food and drink sector and the development of a new six-point export plan to support exporters to diversify and grow their markets.

Fundamental to the success of our businesses is having a skilled workforce. In the energy transition ecosystem, the long-term sustainability of our workforce is crucial to securing investor confidence and continuing to develop the next-generation clean energy technology that is already globally recognised and delivering on many of the Scottish Government’s policy priorities. PwC’s latest green jobs barometer shows that Scotland has the highest proportion of green job adverts in all UK nations and regions, with the size of the green jobs market in Scotland having tripled since 2021.

The north-east is already home to an incredible range of start-ups and technologies that have been successfully commercialised. I know that there is an appetite to tie in a new accelerator programme in the north-east to the national strategy for economic transformation. I gently put that on the Deputy First Minister’s radar as part of a programme for government going forward.

The skills of our existing talented oil and gas workforce are transferable and mobile, so it is crucial that we harness them here, in Scotland, to scale up our offshore wind sector. I very much welcome the creation of a new £2.9 million proof-of-concept fund to support the commercialisation of research projects with significant economic potential and an improved ecosystem fund to support the start-up environment. That is highly relevant to the north-east and the wider Scottish economy.

I particularly welcome the removal of peak rail fares. That is an excellent announcement, and I welcome this afternoon’s debate on increased Scottish Government funding, should the Acorn project get the go-ahead. I join the Scottish Government, business leaders and colleagues in calling on the UK Government to support Acorn without delay.