Striking the Balance

As an amendment to motion S6M-17798 in the name of Kevin Stewart (Striking the Balance), That the Parliament notes the publication of a new report from Robert Gordon University’s Energy Transition Institute, titled Striking the Balance: Building a sustainable UK offshore energy workforce ; understands that this report warns that the UK oil and gas workforce could shrink by approximately 400 jobs every two weeks for the next five years without urgent government action; notes that this would mean the same number of redundancies as those caused by the closure of Grangemouth every fortnight until 2030; recognises that the report highlights the UK’s “widening gap between policy intent and real-world outcomes”, in comparison to countries like Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands, which continue to invest in domestic fossil fuel production while accelerating low-carbon growth.Believes this report is a damning indictment not only of the UK Government’s policy of not granting any new North Sea licences but also of the Scottish Government’s failure to deliver an energy strategy or just transition plan; condemns the Scottish Government’s presumption against new oil and gas developments, its vocal opposition to projects such as Rosebank and Cambo, and its failure to deliver on its own commitments—having spent only a fraction of the promised £500 million Just Transition Fund; further regrets the broken promise of £200 million in rail investment for the North East, a betrayal that undermines economic growth and connectivity in a region already facing significant industrial uncertainty.Calls on both the UK and Scottish Governments to stop laying blame elsewhere and instead work meaningfully with industry, workers and communities to deliver a joined-up, affordable transition that protects jobs, secures energy supply, and ensures that the North East of Scotland is not abandoned in the shift to net zero; and urges that this report be treated as a final wake-up call before irreversible damage is done to Scotland’s offshore energy workforce and wider economy.