Question
In 2024 the Scottish oil and gas industry supported 118,000 direct and indirect jobs, and after much dither and delay, thankfully the Government have approved Jackdaw, which will safeguard jobs that otherwise would have been lost, and create more. The Government need to do more to support Scottish oil and gas, so what steps is the Secretary of State taking?
Answer
Conservative Members are experts in dither and delay, and over the decade preceding July 2024 and the election of the Labour Government, alas 70,000 jobs were lost. Of course, we hit peak production in the North sea more than 20 years ago. That is why we need a credible plan for transition, and that is what we are putting in place.40% point-scoring
Verdict: RED (20/100)
The reply stays on topic by saying a credible transition plan is being developed for the Scottish oil and gas sector, but it does not name any specific support measure the department is taking. Much of the rest of the answer is political comment and background, such as job losses and peak production, rather than actions. The answer is therefore mostly vague, and the person who asked would likely need to follow up to get concrete information.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| What is the department doing to support the Scottish oil and gas industry? | Partially Addressed | Hedged | The reply stays in the right area by stating that a credible transition plan is being put in place, but it names no concrete support measure for the Scottish oil and gas industry. The remaining statements are political point-scoring or background (job losses, peak production) and do not describe what the department is doing to support the sector. |