Chamber and committees

I think that it was £56 million, as part of the emergency budget review in 2022.

I want to better understand some of the figures. Perhaps Mr Gray can help. What has the £56 million been used for so far? That was allocated back in 2022, so what has happened to the £56 million?

Again, thanks for reminding us about the context in which we discuss these matters; we know that there are many challenges. You have talked about the methodology and the importance of transparency in budgeting—being able to look line by line and see the impact. The Government’s original commitment was to use the ScotWind money to tackle the climate and nature emergency, not to deal with the NHS or public services more generally. Given that my original question was about your level of confidence to meet interim 2030 and 2045 emission reduction targets, are we to take away that you, today, cannot guarantee that that ScotWind money will be used for tackling the climate and nature emergency only?

No—that was very helpful.

Will the member take an intervention?

I have been waiting all day to hear that story at the start of Graham Simpson’s speech because he and I did the same school chat this morning and he promised that there would be a story.

The union that he refers to, PCS Scotland, commented in December that its members were given just an hour’s notice of the decision before it was announced on 7 December. As we have had the Christmas period and people, including trade union officials, have had time off work, we might hear more this week. Does he recognise that giving an hour’s notice for a plan that is not a real plan—because there is no named location in Glasgow for the move—is really ropey? Rather than have a go at trade unions for not saying more, we should be taking it back to the UK Tory Government in order for it to give a proper, coherent explanation.

Presiding Officer, I wish you, and colleagues in the chamber, a happy new year.

I, too, am grateful to Collette Stevenson for securing the debate. It feels like a debate, and I am grateful to Graham Simpson for taking some interventions. I will not repeat some of the things that have been said. In his thoughtful remarks, Ben Macpherson, who paid tribute to the workforce that has been in place over many decades, made us realise that not only are there local impacts and factors but there is also a global dimension to the issue. We should remember the important internationalist values that are in play.

I remind colleagues that I am a member of the PCS parliamentary group and I refer members to the voluntary heading in my entry in the register of members’ interests. Many of us recognise that there are important stakeholders involved, including the trade unions. I suggest to Mr Simpson that he does not have to wait to be approached; he can pick up the phone to workers as well.

I am here tonight because I am a Central Scotland MSP, so I represent East Kilbride, and I live next door in Blantyre. This is a big deal for us locally, and it is a real pity that we do not have unity among all the local elected members. I suspect that Graham Simpson probably feels the same way and would rather that we were in a different situation. However, we find ourselves in an election year and perhaps people feel that they cannot say what they really think.

People are concerned about the UK Tory Government’s announcement that it is closing the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office offices at Abercrombie house and moving those highly regarded civil service jobs out of East Kilbride. That is the key point that I will focus on tonight, because it is a hard pill to swallow.

The UK Tory Government promised more FCDO jobs in East Kilbride but, instead, it is moving them out of the town. It is doing that at a time when the council and others are working really hard to think about the future of East Kilbride, its regeneration and ways to give people hope and confidence.

As we have heard, Abercrombie house was first established in 1981, which happens to be the year in which I was born. The expansion of the Overseas Development Administration provided a massive boost to the area, giving East Kilbride residents access to stable and secure employment, at a time when communities across the central belt were suffering due to de-industrialisation and Thatcherism. Before his days playing for the Scotland football team, Ally McCoist worked at Abercrombie house part time while playing for St Johnstone Football Club, as one of the first 350 employees at the start of the 1980s. He said that when the building opened,

“It was a massive boost for East Kilbride”.

Abercrombie house is a central feature of East Kilbride’s economic and social life. Councillor Joe Fagan, who has been mentioned already, is the leader of South Lanarkshire Council. He said:

“I am frankly astounded by the announcement on the FCDO—both the decision itself and the way it has been made. These staff have been working, and in many cases living, in East Kilbride for decades and are important contributors to our local community and economy. The FCDO announcement has been made out of the blue, suggesting not just a failure of communication but also a lack of coherence in their decision-making process. The reasons given for the decision are also weak, to say the least.”

I know that some people who work there and live in Glasgow perhaps feel that the move might not be too big a deal, but others who live beyond East Kilbride—for example, in Strathaven or Stonehouse—including people with caring responsibilities, are worried about the commute. There are so many unknowns. The fact that staff were given one hour’s notice before the decision went public, just before Christmas, does not sit easily with me. A few of those points have already been made.

There is time to unite, to put East Kilbride first, to put those jobs first and to go back with questions for the Secretary of State for Scotland and other UK ministers, who have a plan that does not really add up. There is still time for Mr Simpson and Lisa Cameron to get behind the community and the workers. If we can speak with one voice, we will be much stronger.

I thank all colleagues for their support, and I thank Collette Stevenson for bringing the debate to the chamber.

Other witnesses should indicate if they wish to come in. Paul, do you want to say something?

Thank you. Ailsa Raeburn has been waiting patiently to come in.

Thank you, Ailsa. You packed a lot in there, and I am grateful that you have put that on the record.

I will squeeze in a final question, if that is okay with the convener, because I want to cover objective 6, which is to

“Take action on the indirect drivers of biodiversity loss”.

The draft plan states that action will be taken to

“strengthen the connection between people and nature”

through

“Nature positive developments and stewardship of public, community and private land”.

I am keen to hear what nature-positive development looks like in practice, and whether we have a blueprint for that in Scotland. I see that Caroline Brown wants to come in.