Chamber and committees

On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I would like to question whether proper procedures have been followed in relation to the requirement, under standing orders, that any member who has a declarable interest in any matter declares that interest before taking part in any proceedings of the Parliament relating to that matter.

In Murdo Fraser’s contribution, when speaking to his amendments 5 and 6, in relation to caravan parks, I did not hear him refer to his entry in the register of members’ interests, which states that, on 18 August 2024, he received a donation of £2,000 for his leadership campaign from Hamish Mair. If that is the same Hamish Mair who is head of private equity funds at F&C Investment, which invested £3.3 million in Park Holidays UK, which seems to be the country’s fourth-largest caravan park operator, I believe that the member ought to have declared an interest, and I seek your ruling on that matter.

The energy transition for workers in the oil and gas supply chain must be a truly just transition. It is therefore particularly concerning that approval of Rosebank might risk breaching international law due to Ithaca Energy being majority controlled by the Delek Group, which has enabled and facilitated illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Does the cabinet secretary agree that oil and gas jobs in the north-east should never come at the cost of supporting Israeli apartheid, illegal occupation and persecution of Palestinians? Will she make clear the Scottish Government’s commitment to a just energy transition for all?

That will require innovative redistributive plans for how we decarbonise and transition, along with transformative workforce planning, which means that workers and families will benefit from the just transition. We must be steadfast in our opposition to decarbonisation by deindustrialisation, which would have just as disastrous an effect as the status quo.

I echo the recommendation in the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee’s report that the Scottish Government’s climate change plan should include clear timelines, targets and costings, and be clear about who is responsible for delivery. In particular, no Government should shy away from the report’s point that the inclusion of data and workings is crucial for scrutiny. However, given how soon the plan is to be finalised after the publication of the committee’s report on the draft, I agree with the committee’s scepticism about the likelihood that its recommendations will be reflected on by the Government and incorporated into the final climate change plan.

I want to take a moment to respond to an issue that Kevin Stewart, in particular, has raised repeatedly. He does his constituents a great injustice and disservice by propagating the myth put around by international oil conglomerates that seek to blame fair taxation of eye-watering profits for what is in fact their own mismanagement of the industry: an industry that should never have been allowed to fall into private hands, because energy is an issue—[Interruption.]—of national security that is fundamental to our economy. I agree with Mr Stewart that we must stop our reliance on importing gas. However, the solution is not endless drilling, because what is there is not actually what we need, and it is gone—[Interruption.]. The real solution—the only solution—is to pivot to a mix of renewable options, and that includes the untapped potential of geothermal, among other renewable options that members have raised. Sarah Boyack spoke passionately about solar, and we already have the option of wind and tidal.

Over the course of this parliamentary session, decisions about the energy transition have, too often, been taken at great distance—[Interruption.]—from the workers and communities at the heart of it, particularly those in the North East Scotland region that I represent. We cannot allow a just transition to remain an academic term used to greenwash industrial vandalism by an irresponsible state that is content to let the market decide our future. Instead, a just transition must represent something tangible in workers’ lives, through the jobs that it brings, the regeneration of our environment that we will see and the gains in our health and quality of life that we will feel. That will be the job of the next Parliament and the next Government, but it is also the job of all of us in Scotland to hold that Parliament and that Government to account.

The draft climate change plan was developed around the principle of decarbonising our society and economy to meet Scotland’s net zero goals. Although the plan is a welcome and crucial step to decarbonising our economy, there remains a real risk that Government and business will continue to take decisions in the name of climate action without the inclusion of workers and their unions.

So far, ordinary Scots have been disempowered from taking ownership of Scotland’s energy transition, and they have been paying the price through job losses and the knock-on effects on our high streets, family life and mental health.

Like many communities across the country, Dundee, where I live, bears the scars of Thatcher’s deindustrialisation of Scotland. Further north in my region, Aberdeen runs the risk of bearing the same social and economic issues that resulted from Thatcher’s legacy should we continue to fail to get the energy transition right. Any transition that fails to reckon with the concentrated hoarding of wealth, land and resources cannot ever be just.

The choice before us is business as usual or seizing the opportunity of clean energy.

The Just Transition Commission’s final report is clear about the necessity of an accelerated timescale in the delivery of climate action. It is clear that a just transition can be achieved only through our workplaces, organised labour and trade unions. If we do not treat the climate crisis with the urgency that it demands, we run the risk of falling prey to the whims of the market, which can only benefit big business and its shareholders. We must therefore address the issues raised by the Just Transition Commission to enable a clear understanding of where climate action laid out in the draft climate change plan should be taking us.

The Just Transition Commission’s report—[Interruption.]—makes a number of recommendations for the Scottish Government. It highlights the need for proactive, forward-thinking, place-based planning for workplaces and communities that are heavily entwined with high-polluting sectors, namely energy, transport, industry and agriculture.

Will the member take an intervention?

I thank Liam Kerr for taking the intervention. I will make it brief.

On the point about the banks having benefited from the bailout, does Liam Kerr agree that that means that they now have a moral obligation to guarantee the Scottish public a public service that benefits people, rather than one that is solely about corporate profit?

Will Liam Kerr take an intervention?

Will Liam Kerr take an intervention?

I thank Liam Kerr for taking the intervention. I will make it brief.

On the point about the banks having benefited from the bailout, does Liam Kerr agree that that means that they now have a moral obligation to guarantee the Scottish public a public service that benefits people, rather than one that is solely about corporate profit?

I thank Liam Kerr for taking the intervention. I will make it brief.

On the point about the banks having benefited from the bailout, does Liam Kerr agree that that means that they now have a moral obligation to guarantee the Scottish public a public service that benefits people, rather than one that is solely about corporate profit?