Chamber and committees

As an amendment to motion S7M-00290 in the name of Stephen Flynn (Growing Scotland’s Economy), leave out from “, improving” to end and insert “and improving public services; agrees that lowering the tax burden and bureaucracy are essential to support enterprise, investment, innovation and trade, in order to kickstart the economy, which has stalled due to the high tax regime implemented by the SNP administration; supports action to remove unnecessary barriers to success; acknowledges Scotland’s economic potential, including its key strengths in sectors such as energy, food and drink, financial services, and space, and endorses a continued focus on economic growth as the best way to create a prosperous Scotland where there is hope for a better future, people can thrive and hard work is fairly rewarded."

As an amendment to motion S7M-00159 in the name of Stephen Gethins (It’s Scotland’s Energy), leave out from second "that" to end and insert "Scotland’s current net zero-driven energy policies are failing, contributing to deindustrialisation through high energy costs and also increasing grid instability, including with the planned closure of Torness nuclear power station, thus creating a significant risk of blackouts; recognises the continued dependence of renewables on UK Government subsidies; acknowledges Scotland’s past leadership in nuclear power; calls for renewed investment in nuclear capacity, further calls on the Scottish Government to recognise the ongoing importance of oil and gas and to fully support the sector in the North Sea, including through unambiguous support for the Jackdaw and Rosebank oil fields and new drilling and licences; calls on the Scottish Government to apologise for its previous lack of support of the industry, including for what it considers has been the presumption against new developments, and considers that, in light of the challenges facing the sector, that energy powers should remain reserved to the UK Government."

That the Parliament notes with concern reports that the UK Government has quietly eased restrictions to allow greater access to Russian oil-derived products; further notes reports that this has taken place without a full debate, ministerial statement, or vote in the UK Parliament; believes that Scotland’s oil and gas sector continues to face significant challenges, including regulatory barriers, high taxes, and what it considers to be a lack of clear long-term support from government; acknowledges what it sees as the vital role that the North Sea oil and gas industry plays in supporting jobs, economic growth, and energy security across Scotland and the wider UK; considers that there is a contradiction between restricting domestic production, where environmental and regulatory standards are among the highest in the world, while potentially increasing reliance on imported energy sources; believes that reducing domestic production, without any reduction in demand, risks offshoring jobs and investment, and calls on the Scottish Government to urge the UK Government to provide full transparency on its policy regarding energy imports, to ensure proper parliamentary scrutiny of such decisions, and to prioritise support for the domestic oil and gas sector, including providing clear and unequivocal backing for North Sea developments and future licensing.

That the Parliament condemns proposals by the UK Government to formalise the ban on new drilling in the UK sector of the North Sea, as set out in the UK Government's forthcoming legislative programme; believes that under all possible scenarios, the UK will need oil and gas for decades, and further believes that it would be more sensible to maximise the use of the UK's own oil and gas resources rather than import them from neighbouring Norway or countries further afield.