Chamber and committees

Of course there are opportunities, and I will come to them, but we need to ensure that we make the transition in the correct way. I have concerns about the impact of transition on some communities, and I will address them as I go forward.

Yesterday, we saw the new strategy, although it would have been helpful if it had been available more than 24 hours before the debate. That would have given us more time to digest it and go through it, so that we could have had a better debate than we might have today.

The strategy makes zero mention of our biggest energy industry—oil and gas—and that cements the industry’s concern that the Government is offering a cliff edge in terms of transition. There is no just transition to green energy without the inclusion of our oil and gas sector. While we continue to need oil and gas, we must work with the industry to produce it on these shores with high standards, lower transportation impact and costs, and support for our local industries, businesses and communities.

The strategy is a slap in the face to those industries, and the exclusion of our largest energy industry is simply a disgrace. The oil and gas sector is working tirelessly to move towards net zero and is investing billions in technology and research to achieve those goals. It is committed to developing new industries, some of which are mentioned in the paper, but it recognises that, while we need oil and gas, it is best produced on these shores.

Once again, Patrick Harvie seems to ignore the fact that much of the investment in renewables is coming from profits from oil and gas. If we switch off the oil and gas industry, those profits will not be generated and we will not have the transition that we all want. He has his head in the sand once again over this.

I do not know who the Scottish Government thinks will invest in new energy technology in the future. It is not going to be the chocolate industry; it is going to be the oil and gas industry. We need it to invest, and I am sure that the Government agrees with that.

Some 93,000 jobs rely on the oil and gas sector. It is the biggest provider of energy in Scotland and one of our biggest industries, but it was not mentioned in the strategy document. That is utterly shameful of this Government, which is intent on taking the industry off a cliff edge by failing to listen to its concerns, focusing on the central belt and ignoring the needs of the north-east.

In reading the strategy, one thing that struck me was the reliance on working with local government. I would be interested to hear from the cabinet secretary what discussions have been held with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities on the development of the strategy, particularly around the proposed changes to the planning system and the delivery of local development plans—a key area of work for our local authority colleagues.

The strategy states that land will be identified for affordable housing, but there is no detail about what that will mean for local authorities. Perhaps that can be covered in the cabinet secretary’s closing remarks.

I thank the Deputy First Minister; that is very helpful.

There is much in the strategy, but I feel that it is lacking in detail and targets, and it misses so much. We would like to know when we are likely to see the energy strategy and just transition plan, the national marine plan and details on the Circular Economy (Scotland) Act 2024, which is framework legislation with little detail. We also want to know when carbon budgets will be produced and when electric vehicle charging points will be rolled out.

I would also like to have more detail on hydrogen. I hope that Grangemouth will play a huge part in our hydrogen strategy going forward, especially after the news today. I would like to hear more about what we will do with the hydrogen when it is produced and how we will do it. I often get frustrated to hear that we can export hydrogen to other countries, because I think that we should be a bit more ambitious than that. Instead of exporting it to other countries for them to produce goods—

Of course.

I will come to a close soon.

We support the development of renewable technologies to build Scotland as a powerhouse of renewable energies, but we want to do that in a way that takes communities with us and we are against the mass industrialisation of the north-east. We will take a close look at what changes will come on the planning side, and we back nuclear energy.

I move amendment S6M-14431.2, to leave out from first “recognises” to end and insert:

“is disappointed with the actions outlined in the Programme for Government 2024-25, as they fail to set out an ambitious plan to grow Scotland’s green economy and tackle the climate and nature emergencies; notes with disappointment the short time available to MSPs, industry experts and vital stakeholders to scrutinise the Green Industrial Strategy, which undermines the Scottish Parliament’s ability to hold the Scottish Government to account; expresses dissatisfaction with the Scottish Government in its failure to publish the delayed Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan and its continued opposition to vital oil and gas extraction; condemns the UK Labour administration’s windfall tax, which risks 35,000 jobs and reduces the economic value of the oil and gas sector by £13 billion, and calls on the Scottish Government to deliver a jobs first transition and support the Energy Transition Zone in Aberdeen.”

Will the member give way?

What about the presumption against oil and gas?

The Scottish National Party and Labour Governments are failing to support the oil and gas sector in the north-east. The SNP has a presumption against new oil and gas exploration, while Labour’s disastrous windfall tax will risk 35,000 jobs and wipe £13 billion of economic value off the sector. Neither Government has a plan for a just transition. Will the minister end the SNP’s attack on the oil and gas sector, stand up for the north-east and support the Scottish Conservatives’ plans to create a national centre for green jobs in Aberdeen, deliver a jobs-first transition and give everyone the right to retrain?

On CCUS, we have the Scottish cluster, but does the member think that that should just be scrapped and all the jobs lost?

Will Lorna Slater give way again?