Chamber and committees

During the most recent debate on oil and gas in the chamber, I stood here and said that the Scottish Conservatives were the only party that is committed to ensuring the future of the oil and gas industry in Scotland. A couple of months on, and that position has only been strengthened.

During this election campaign and in the television debate on Monday night, it was abundantly clear that Labour and the Scottish National Party will sell our industry down the river. Neither party will protect the jobs and investment in the north-east of Scotland; neither party will commit to issuing new licences; and neither party will stand up for communities and residents in the north-east. They are doubling down on their positions of destroying the energy industry for future generations, with one promising crippling taxes and refusing to issue licences, and the other failing to scrap its damaging presumption against new oil and gas. The industry condemns both parties for their records in that area.

Is there any time, Presiding Officer?

I am sorry, Mr Johnson. I will continue my speech.

I want to spend some time today in considering the recent report from the Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce on energy transition. It makes for sombre reading and rightly issues a challenge to all parties and Governments to protect the interests of this vital industry. It states that we have

“100 days to save 100,000 jobs”,

which is a stark and chilling challenge to us all. The industry is losing confidence in investing in Scotland. Optimism here is falling, but it is rising internationally, and we all know who is to blame for that.

The industries that fed into the report all said that they increasingly believe that Aberdeen and the north-east energy sector can play an important role in providing United Kingdom energy security and leading UK energy transition ambitions. However, the sector can do that only through support from the devolved SNP Government. There is belief within the industry that the north-east should play a leading role, but there is pessimism about the support that the sector will receive in order to fulfil that potential.

I am sure that we will hear from the minister later.

In fact, when asked, those who responded to the survey went even further. They were asked to rate the impact of the Scottish Government’s energy strategy on the energy sector and investor confidence, and 75 per cent of those who responded thought that the strategy had a very negative impact on the sector. That record has got worse and worse over the past year. It is clear that the SNP has lost the confidence of the north-east and the business community.

The report asked people in the industry how they viewed the Scottish Government’s just transition fund but, first, it asked whether they had even heard of it. A quarter had not; that is not a great endorsement of the Scottish Government’s record in that area. Fifty per cent said that they were not aware of how the fund could benefit their business, and 40 per cent thought that it was not important to helping Scotland achieve net zero.

When asked which party has the best policies for energy security, the Scottish Conservatives scored highest of all the parties.

The First Minister stood up on Monday night and claimed to work closely with the oil and gas industry. What a joke. John Swinney is completely out of touch with the industry and with the people of the north-east.

I make no apologies for sounding angry, because I am angry. I am angry on behalf of those hard-working individuals throughout the north-east who depend on the oil and gas industry for their livelihoods. I am angry on behalf of the companies that are being sent decrees from on high rather than being listened to. I am angry on behalf of all of us who represent the constituencies that are being ignored, sidelined and preached to by those who know nothing about the people who live and work there and know nothing about the energy industry.

One hundred days to save 100,000 jobs is a stark message that we should all be taking seriously. We should all be doing more to protect our communities. We are working with our friends and colleagues to do just that while Labour and the SNP look for ways to destroy the industry for good.

We will likely hear a lot from other parties today about moving jobs from the oil and gas sector into renewables. We have the potential but, without a proper plan, it is for the birds. We need to protect the supply chain that will be vital for the energy transition.

In the past nine years, Scotland’s low-carbon and renewables sector workforce has risen from 23,000 to just under 26,000, according to Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce—far less than what Alex Salmond promised. If that trend continues and the SNP continues to turn its back on the oil and gas industry, it will leave tens of thousands of people out of work, and tens of thousands of families right across Scotland facing economic hardship.

Many companies that are investing in opportunities such as floating offshore wind, carbon capture and hydrogen will require the cash flow from a stable and predictable oil and gas business to fund those opportunities. That is why we support the industry—without it, our path towards net zero will be so much harder.

Will the cabinet secretary today commit to what John Swinney found so difficult to commit to on Monday night and remove this backward-facing, science-denying and industry-destroying presumption against new oil and gas? It is a stupid policy that is harming our energy transition.

I move,

That the Parliament recognises the invaluable contribution that oil and gas makes to Scotland, with the industry supporting 94,000 jobs and providing over £10 billion in revenue in 2022-23; notes with concern that the Scottish Government has a presumption against oil and gas, whilst the Labour Party has said it will not allow any new licences, something that industry experts have said could lead to thousands of job losses; welcomes the provisions of the Offshore Petroleum Licensing Bill, which, when passed, will increase investor confidence in the oil and gas sector and reduce the UK’s dependence on higher-emission imports from overseas; welcomes the approval of the Rosebank oil field and awaits a similar decision on the Cambo oil field; appreciates that oil and gas will still be a vital component of the UK’s energy mix in the future and that it is more environmentally friendly for the country to produce its own oil and gas than import it from abroad, and notes with concern the extremist positions taken by some activists, who are opposed to the very existence of a North Sea oil and gas sector, and condemns their actions, which are irresponsible, damaging and disruptive.

Will the cabinet secretary take an intervention?

I am sure that we will hear from Mr Stewart later.

There is also huge distrust that the industry will be given the opportunity to expand, because of a backward-thinking SNP Government that wants to turn off the energy sector’s taps and decimate the industry.

We will hear from you later as well.

I apologise, Presiding Officer.

Indeed, the report shows that the political environment is now the biggest concern for those who are involved in the industry. We need stability and support, and the devolved SNP Government is not giving that.

Yes—it is still on ferries. I will pick up on something that was said earlier: I am looking for a bit of clarity. Cabinet secretary, you said that any mass restructuring or organisational change could not really happen until 2026, when the new ferries have arrived and are in service. Does that mean that things will stay as they are until 2026?

I will leave it there.