Meeting of the Parliament 26 November 2025
The Parliament debated oil and gas policy just two weeks ago, and we now return to that policy in the light of significant United Kingdom Government announcements that have been made over the past hour—or, I should say, in the light of the lack of announcements, because the omissions from the chancellor’s budget statement are more significant than what was included.
The future of North Sea oil and gas remains of vital importance for Scotland’s energy transition, energy security, economy and society. Oil and gas still play an important role in Scotland’s energy mix and will continue to do so for decades to come. That role is declining as we reduce demand through decarbonisation of the systems that we rely on to live, and given the geological maturity of the North Sea basin.
The previous debate focused on consenting for offshore projects that are already in development—decisions that are reserved to the UK Government. Today’s motion focuses on licensing for exploration to identify new oil and gas fields and the associated fiscal regime. Those are, again, reserved matters.
On licensing, within the past hour, the UK Government has published its “North Sea Future Plan”, which includes how it will approach future oil and gas licensing in the basin. The Scottish Government did not receive prior sight of that document, so I will need to take time to carefully consider the detail and its implications for Scotland. We will continue to call on the UK Government to approach all its reserved decisions on North Sea oil and gas projects on a rigorous, evidence-led, case-by-case basis, with climate compatibility and energy security as key considerations.