Meeting of the Parliament 18 February 2026 [Draft]
There are two forums where those conversations happen. The task force is meeting again in the next weeks, and Richard Lochhead attended the last one, with Chris McDonald, I believe, and made the case for additional funding. Secondly, I have also made the case, alongside the Secretary of State for Scotland and others, to recognise the value of match funding—at the very least, the £9 million—because it will go further.
I know that other members in the chamber will share my desire for further funding to be provided by the UK Government. The UK Government will point out that its funding support to Ineos O&P at Grangemouth mandates that redundant Mossmorran workers be prioritised for new roles advertised by the business. However, that mandate support does not offer much comfort to those who require financial support right now, so we call on UK ministers to urgently consider how to match the £9 million that is being provided by this Government over the next three years, and to match the funding that I have announced today to support the workers and to secure a prosperous future for the community.
Our amendment recognises the announcement that I am making about accelerating funding to Mossmorran immediately this month, as well as the funding that is committed over the next three years and the need for the UK Government to join us, as it has done in relation to Grangemouth, in matching our funding, and maximising the support to Mossmorran workers.
I pay tribute again to the ExxonMobil and contractor workforce, who have made such a vital contribution to the Scottish economy and to whom we owe our support. I will continue engaging with all relevant stakeholders, partners and cross-party MSPs to shape how we deploy our significant funding support, with a view to securing the best possible future for the site and for the workforce.
It is not too late for the UK Government to join us and match the Scottish Government’s support. I am more than happy, after listening to the debate, to respond to any specific questions in my closing remarks.
I move amendment S6M-20820.3, to leave out from “and Scottish Government” to “deliver” and insert:
“must match the Scottish Government’s support by urgently delivering”.
Motions, questions or amendments mentioned by their reference code.