FMQs: Greens ask for update on Just Transition plan for North East Scotland
Scottish Greens MSP for North East Scotland, Maggie Chapman, has today asked the First Minister to provide an update on the plans for a Just Transition in the region.
Workers and communities in the North East face uncertainty on the future of the energy sector in the region, and on the jobs and local economies it can sustain. But the region is a major hub for renewables investment and infrastructure, and has a workforce primed and ready to make the switch.
A just transition means ensuring there is a plan in place that creates decent green jobs, retains skilled workers who can transfer or upskill from polluting industries like oil, gas and coal into the green sector like renewables, and supports local supply chains. Such a transition must have workers and communities at its heart.
Speaking at First Minister’s Questions today, Maggie asked the First Minister:
“Whether he will provide an update on the development of a Just Transition plan for the north east of Scotland, including how communities and workers have been engaged.”
The First Minister responded saying that the Scottish Government is committed to a just transition in the north east and that site closures show the need of proactive planning with the aim to guide a new Just Transition Commission in the next parliament.
In her follow up question, Maggie said:
“My constituents want to know when they will see a plan that responds to the decline of the North Sea basin. The £500m JTF isn’t a strategy. Neither is hope.
“We need a plan that provides jobs and training for oil and gas workers, one that creates the conditions for the development of offshore clean energy, one that supports job creation and economic sustainability of an effective domestic supply chain.
“Specifically, when will the SG publish its overarching strategy that draws together existing policy levers including licensing, procurement and regional planning, that enables the North East to be the powerhouse of our new, green economy, and that gives workers and communities the future they need and deserve.”
The First Minister did not provide a timescale for the introduction of a plan for the North East, nor did he say how communities and workers would be at its heart.