Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government chaired the Grangemouth Future Industry Board Industrial Leadership Forum on 18 January which included representation from the UK Government and Petroineos to explore all options regarding the future of the refinery site. I am encouraged that, at this meeting, the UK Minister of State for Energy Security and Net Zero confirmed the UK Government's willingness to consider any proposals that support a long-term and sustainable future for the refinery business, recognising its strategic importance to the economy of the whole of the UK.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-24394 on 19 January 2024 which outlined the objectives of the Climate Challenge Fund (CCF) programme and covers the 2019 period. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .

The Scottish Government has provided no direct funding to the Al-Mahdi Foundation beyond the Climate Challenge Fund projects.

The Scottish Government will continue to work closely with the business on its plans to bring forward new low carbon projects at Grangemouth. We are committed to exploring all opportunities that would preserve employment and maintain the cluster’s position as a supplier of critical fuels.

As I outlined in my correspondence to you on 17 January, presently and historically, the vast majority of the crude oil transported into Grangemouth via the FPS is exported and not refined at Grangemouth.

We are currently in the early stages of establishing a Fair Work Task Force for the creative and cultural sector. The first date will be agreed in due course.

We recognise the important role that the Grangemouth refinery plays in meeting current fuel demand in Scotland and we know the wider cluster will be key to meeting fuel demand in the future.

It is our preference that refining should continue for as long as possible and Ministers are considering every realistic option to extend the life of the asset. This would provide the critical time and space for the refinery business to expedite transition opportunities at Grangemouth and protect as many existing jobs as possible.

The Scottish Government has committed to working with operators across the Grangemouth cluster to bring forward new low carbon projects at Grangemouth, in technologies such as CCUS, hydrogen and bio-refining. These projects will take time to be brought forward, however they do offer an opportunity to transition the site and cement the cluster’s role long into the future.

The Scottish Government has not provided funding to Irvine Burns Club since 2019.

I have assumed the chair of the Grangemouth Future Industry Board’s Industrial Just Transition Forum following its meeting on 18 January.

As outlined in the recently published ‘Culture Strategy for Scotland: Action Plan’, we will continue to work with Creative Scotland, and stakeholders from across the sector, to scope the youth arts strategy which will follow ‘Time to Shine’.

This strategy will be centred on embedding children and young people’s rights under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) principles, including the voices of children and young people at its core.

The development and implementation of improvements to the data landscape, including the creation of a central repository for culture sector research and data, is a long-term strategic action which will be delivered in close collaboration with sector and expert partners and is currently in the early co-design stage.