Meeting of the Parliament 28 May 2026 [Draft]
I have great respect for the member, and I thank him for his kind words. He is an advocate for the north-east and for Dundee. However, he must understand that, as we sit here exporting electricity while the Treasury in London benefits from it, we could introduce measures such as a social contract or a social tariff to help lower bills for those most in need. That is only one of the things that could be done.
The benefit is not only to Scotland’s citizens. I will talk about the rest of my brief. Scotland is a responsible and outward-looking member of the European family of nations. Yesterday, my first meeting as part of my external affairs brief was with the Ukrainian consul general. Back in January, I sat in a bunker for two nights as the Russians bombarded Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. In a more dangerous world, Europe needs to move closer together. Parties that have turned their back on Europe ignore that at their—and our—peril. We are rich, and we should be thriving. We are part of Europe’s solution to the energy crisis.
Other members will be glad to hear that I saw that for myself in Aberdeen, on my first ministerial visit on Monday. I am grateful to colleagues from across the sector for meeting me. Those businesses matter. Yesterday’s Confederation of British Industry report showed that net zero-related industries are worth more than £10 billion, that they account for 5 per cent of Scotland’s total economic output and that they provide jobs for more than 100,000 people, as the member for Moray raised at First Minister’s question time. Those opportunities, which exist onshore and offshore, are set to grow.
That could be game changing for Scotland, with around £100 billion of global capital expenditure coming down the track. Westminster is holding back that huge potential, not least through the punitive transmission charging charges that it has set, which business cited to me.
The Scottish Government is doing everything that it can within its limited powers. We have provided £150 million of investment, which will attract wider investment and create a funding stack of almost £900 million-worth of projects across Scotland.