Meeting of the Parliament 06 December 2016
I refer members to my entry in the register of members’ interests, in particular to my involvement in renewable energy.
The Scottish Conservatives welcome the debate on renewables and support the Government’s acknowledgement of the opportunities that the latest round of contracts for difference brings to the Scottish economy. We also strongly support the Scottish Government using powers within its means to further develop the renewable energy sector. As for the Labour amendment, I think that we can safely say that we will support anything that uses transferable skills and creates jobs. Even in the Green amendment, there are elements such as sectoral targets, repowering and energy bonds to which we might be sympathetic. I hope that today’s debate will develop those areas.
However, as always, it is important to note the absolute hypocrisy that is displayed by the Scottish National Party. The SNP continues to moan about the lack of funding for Scotland—but only in this chamber. I am not sure whether the minister is aware, but his colleagues at Westminster, who were, on the Thursday, full of indignation at the CFD announcement, had by Monday calmed themselves so much that they did not even bother to raise an emergency question. So, apparently, the issue is problematic for Scotland, but it is not problematic enough for them to change their weekend plans. Alternatively, perhaps they—unlike their colleagues here—appreciate that, although Scotland contributes less than 10 per cent of the levy that raises funds for CFD, we received more than 43 per cent of the allocation of CFD.
The UK Government remains committed to helping the offshore wind sector in Scotland, with a record level of investment. I will put that in context for members. Before 2010, under the previous UK Labour Government, the average level of investment in renewables was £3 billion. In the six years since then, that figure has more than doubled to £7 billion a year. The minister may not like it, but he must acknowledge that it is the UK Government that is currently steering us towards meeting our COP21 targets. It should therefore come as no surprise that the UK has now moved up to second place in the latest climate change performance index.
We have now committed the UK to stop using coal—the dirtiest of fuels—from 2025. That bold commitment shows the great progress that we are making in decarbonising our energy sector, but it is not only our Westminster colleagues who are taking the initiative. We on the Conservative side of the chamber have always supported the attempt by Scottish Renewables to create a new sustainable energy innovation centre in Scotland, as it would be a great opportunity for Scotland to harness its research and development abilities and to export those skills all over the world. Unfortunately, so far, that is going down on the list as just another missed SNP opportunity.
It is no wonder that the polls are tightening. It appears that, as well as powering our grid, the winds of Scotland are changing. As we move to decarbonise Scotland, it is clear that the Scottish Government has to deal with the elephant in the room—heat. Heat accounts for 54 per cent of our energy usage, and 49 per cent of our home energy usage is space heating, which is effectively wasted. We are charging consumers for heat that they are, in effect, pumping into the sky. That is ever more worrying when one considers the rising levels of fuel poverty in Scotland, as it means that more than 40 per cent of Scotland’s households are spending more than 10 per cent of their income on fuel. That is simply not good enough, and the Scottish Government must take action on the matter immediately. It is another problem, and another SNP fail.