Chamber and committees

I want to ask about the joint report that was carried out last year with the National Audit Office, Audit Wales and the Northern Ireland Audit Office on approaches to achieving net zero across the UK. From that work, how do you feel that the UK and Scottish Governments are working together on this?

There is something in the minutes from the initial meeting about the work programme submission date being 20 May 2024. How will the Parliament and the committee be able to see what the work programme is and will we have any opportunity to make any suggestions on what it might be?

In light of the answers that you gave to Monica Lennon, Auditor General, I was thinking about the 2030 emissions targets. Is the Government now in a good place to reach those 2030 targets?

So, you have not done any work on those targets; you have listened to what others have said.

Did you find any good practice in some of the other devolved nations that we could copy in Scotland?

The review group has said that consumers will be vulnerable to rogue traders if there is not sufficient capacity in the market to install new products. What actions is the minister taking now to prevent rogue traders from entering the market?

I thank Mark Ruskell for bringing the debate to the chamber. It is an important debate, because, as we have seen from the announcement that was made on Grangemouth, the facilities will not be around forever. The planning process for what is next for the workforce and the local area needs to take place now, so that, in theory, we can have a smooth transition from one industry to the next.

I start by thanking the workforce of Mossmorran. The plant plays a key role in meeting the existing UK energy needs, given that 80 per cent of UK homes still rely on natural gas to keep them warm. However, the work at Mossmorran goes towards not just heating but the production of tyres, deodorants, cooking fuel, car windscreens, food packaging, detergents and anaesthetic for medical procedures. We therefore have much to be thankful for.

That demonstrates why having sites such as Mossmorran in our oil and gas industry is so incredibly important. However, that is about not just the production of vital goods but the highly skilled, well-paid jobs that contribute to local economies.

I think that everyone in the chamber agrees that we need to stop burning fossil fuels, and that will take time. What we sometimes disagree on is how we get there. Mark Ruskell takes a hard stance against any new licences in the North Sea. That position is shared by Labour and the SNP. However, I feel that, while there is still a demand, we should focus on reducing that demand and on ensuring that our consumption of oil and gas products is done in a way that causes least harm to the environment.

That is why it is important to note the work that Shell, especially, has done to decarbonise the yard—albeit that I am sure that it can go further. The yard will always be a large consumer of energy and producer of emissions, so doing more to reduce those emissions will impact significantly on Scotland’s overall emissions. Mark Ruskell made a good point about bringing together all the players to develop a decarbonisation pathway.

I have not been to Mossmorran, but I met Petroineos at Grangemouth and was impressed by how much work it was doing on decarbonisation—it had a huge programme, with huge investment to match. Maybe Mossmorran has the same. If so, that is great, but maybe those plans should be shared more widely. It is strange that Shell and ExxonMobil are not engaging in the process that Mark Ruskell set out.

Mr Ruskell was also right to highlight the contractor workforce in his motion. Too often, it is only the direct workforce that is taken into account when planning for a site’s future, but we need to consider the wider economic impact of a facility. That goes even further than the contractors to the indirectly related jobs in nearby communities—taxi drivers, hairdressers, bartenders and teachers—which have to be taken into account when we look at a transition to make sure that no one is left behind.

A Unite the union survey of workers in Grangemouth showed that only 3 per cent of the workers expressed confidence in the Government’s just transition plans for oil and gas workers, so there is clearly more that can be done. It will be good to hear from the minister what discussions the Government has had with Shell and ExxonMobil about the future of those facilities. In the case of Grangemouth, it appears that the Government was warned about what was coming by Petroineos but failed to get ahead of the game and start the planning process for the workforce earlier.

In conclusion, I agree with Mark Ruskell that planning for the future of Mossmorran and the community that depends on it must start now. I hope that that can be done in a cross-party, consensual way, with everyone at the table. We owe it to the community and the workers of Mossmorran to ensure that there is a safe economic future. I look forward to hearing from the Government what progress has been made to date.

The minister mentioned the £500 million just transition fund for the north-east, which is good for a north-east MSP, but I guess that other people who are watching might think, “What about my area?” or, “What about Mossmorran?” What can the Government do to help other areas, not just the north-east?

The cabinet secretary talks about prosperity. Does she support the award of a licence to the Rosebank oil field, the investment of over £8 billion that that will bring to Scotland, and the protection of thousands of jobs, many of which are in the north-east of Scotland?

Will the member take an intervention?