Meeting of the Parliament 03 October 2024
I hope that the member will forgive me, but I have to make progress. Perhaps later on.
There are long-term plans to support long-term outcomes. We have started the journey and must continually refine and develop our approach.
This work sits alongside a wide range of related work, such as our green industrial strategy, which was published last month, and substantial investments, including the just transition fund, offshore wind investment, the energy transition fund and Scotland’s heat network fund.
On the north-east and Moray specifically, I have noted the committee’s recommendations and make it clear that we remain committed to supporting just transition in the region through our fund. We are currently commissioning an independent evaluation of the fund’s impact, but it has already provided hundreds of fully funded training courses and direct investment into 26 supply chain companies in the region, estimated to create more than 1,200 new green jobs in the process. That evaluation will help to inform how funding can be further developed to best serve the needs of the region’s businesses, workers and communities.
We are also providing targeted support to the area through the £125 million Aberdeen city region deal and the £32.5 million Moray growth deal, as well as through the energy transition fund, thereby protecting existing jobs, skills and knowledge while supporting new job creation in the region and across Scotland. However, public funding alone cannot finance the region’s transition, and it is critical that we work closely with the private sector to realise our ambitions. The just transition fund has already directly unlocked a minimum of £10 million of private sector investment, and the £25 million of funding that has been allocated to the Scottish National Investment Bank has helped to leverage around £40 million of additional spend.
It is clear from the committee’s inquiries that both Grangemouth and the north-east are critical regions in Scotland’s energy system and wider economy today. It follows that they should have a critical role to play in the transition to net zero. The Scottish Government is committed to fairly managing the significant structural changes that can be expected to take place, and to support the workers and communities who are critical to the journey that lies ahead.
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