Asked by: Andrew Bowie (Conservative - West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, when he (a) last met and (b) plans to next meet with the Chief Executive of the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency.
Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)
Scotland Office Ministers meet with a variety of stakeholders on a regular basis, including from the environmental sector, as required.
The positive reset of relations with the Scottish Government and, as appropriate, its agencies, is a priority for this Government. While the majority of environmental policy is devolved, we work with the Scottish Government on matters that fall within the scope of both of our administrations. We also meet their Ministers regularly at the Inter-Ministerial Group for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs where matters relating to the environment are often discussed.
Asked by: Andrew Bowie (Conservative - West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what the value of Scottish exports is to (a) England, (b) Wales and (c) Northern Ireland.
Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)
The latest official statistics, published on 29 January 2025, show that Scotland’s exports to the rest of the UK was worth over £60.5 billion in 2023, and valued at over £47.7 billion during the first three quarters of 2024. The rest of the UK includes England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Andrew Bowie (Conservative - West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on GB Energy’s job creation in Aberdeen.
Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)
This government’s priority is a fair, orderly and prosperous transition in the North Sea in line with our climate and legal obligations, which drives towards a future of clean energy security, lower bills, and good, skilled jobs.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero is in the process of establishing GB Energy, which will drive our clean energy mission. The company will employ staff in its Headquarters in Aberdeen and in additional sites in Edinburgh and Glasgow, making the most of the local skills and expertise available across Scotland.
The North East of Scotland is at the forefront of the UK becoming a clean energy superpower by 2030, the Secretary of State and I are in contact with a range of interested parties across the private sector on GB Energy’s potential to attract investment and create thousands of jobs in Scotland and across the UK.
Asked by: Andrew Bowie (Conservative - West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the estimated timeline for the creation of jobs by GB Energy on Scotland’s transition from oil and gas to renewable energy.
Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)
This government’s priority is a fair, orderly and prosperous transition in the North Sea in line with our climate and legal obligations, which drives towards a future of clean energy security, lower bills, and good, skilled jobs.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero is in the process of establishing GB Energy, which will drive our clean energy mission. The company will employ staff in its Headquarters in Aberdeen and in additional sites in Edinburgh and Glasgow, making the most of the local skills and expertise available across Scotland.
The North East of Scotland is at the forefront of the UK becoming a clean energy superpower by 2030, the Secretary of State and I are in contact with a range of interested parties across the private sector on GB Energy’s potential to attract investment and create thousands of jobs in Scotland and across the UK.
Asked by: Andrew Bowie (Conservative - West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether he has had recent discussions with the business community in Aberdeen on GB Energy’s long-term job creation strategy.
Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)
This government’s priority is a fair, orderly and prosperous transition in the North Sea in line with our climate and legal obligations, which drives towards a future of clean energy security, lower bills, and good, skilled jobs.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero is in the process of establishing GB Energy, which will drive our clean energy mission. The company will employ staff in its Headquarters in Aberdeen and in additional sites in Edinburgh and Glasgow, making the most of the local skills and expertise available across Scotland.
The North East of Scotland is at the forefront of the UK becoming a clean energy superpower by 2030, the Secretary of State and I are in contact with a range of interested parties across the private sector on GB Energy’s potential to attract investment and create thousands of jobs in Scotland and across the UK.
Asked by: Andrew Bowie (Conservative - West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether he has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero on bringing forward funding for the GB Energy headquarters in Aberdeen.
Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)
This government’s priority is a fair, orderly and prosperous transition in the North Sea in line with our climate and legal obligations, which drives towards a future of clean energy security, lower bills, and good, skilled jobs.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero is in the process of establishing GB Energy, which will drive our clean energy mission. The company will employ staff in its Headquarters in Aberdeen and in additional sites in Edinburgh and Glasgow, making the most of the local skills and expertise available across Scotland.
The North East of Scotland is at the forefront of the UK becoming a clean energy superpower by 2030, the Secretary of State and I are in contact with a range of interested parties across the private sector on GB Energy’s potential to attract investment and create thousands of jobs in Scotland and across the UK.
Asked by: Andrew Bowie (Conservative - West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero on next steps in relation to the (a) Rosebank and (b) Jackdaw field projects.
Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)
Oil and gas will be an important part of our energy mix for decades to come, but diversifying the North Sea industries is also key to protecting jobs and industries in the long-term. We have worked at pace to consult on updated environmental guidance so we can provide certainty to industry.
Scotland Office and DESNZ Ministers have been in regular contact regarding the issue and have jointly engaged with the industry on next steps.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what steps he is taking to encourage the Scottish Government to support Edinburgh's financial sector.
Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)
Promoting economic growth is one of the Scotland Office’s priorities and I am proud of the contribution of the financial services industry to the Scottish economy, with recent figures showing it is now worth £14.8 billion in GVA while directly supporting 148,000 jobs. Edinburgh makes up a sizeable proportion of Scotland’s overall financial and related professional services industry, employing 57,290 people.
To build on this sectoral success the UK government is developing a long-overdue industrial strategy, with financial services one of the priority sectors. This will ensure that the sector in his constituency is key to attracting investment and help support businesses in Scotland and across the UK.
The Secretary of State meets monthly with the Deputy First Minister to discuss a wide range of shared economic growth priorities.
Asked by: Andrew Bowie (Conservative - West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with Scottish (a) energy companies and (b) supply chain businesses on the potential impact of legal and regulatory uncertainty on future investment in Scotland’s oil and gas sector.
Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)
The Secretary of State and I regularly meet with Scottish energy companies, as well as the relevant business representative organisations, to discuss Scotland's oil and gas sector. We have been clear that North Sea oil and gas will continue to have a role in the UK's energy mix for decades to come.
Asked by: Andrew Bowie (Conservative - West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what steps his Department is taking to help support Scotland’s oil and gas industry, in the context of the Court of Session judgement of 30 January 2025 in relation to the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil and gas fields.
Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)
The recent decision made in the Court of Session regarding the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil and gas fields is an independent matter for the courts.
The Government has consulted on revised guidance for Environmental Impact Assessments to take account of scope 3 emissions from burning the extracted oil and gas, in anticipation of the outcome of this case
We will respond to this consultation in due course and developers will be able to apply for consents under this revised regime. We continue to engage regularly with all parts of the energy sector in Scotland.
Our priority is a fair, orderly and prosperous transition in the North Sea in line with our climate and legal obligations, which drives towards our clean energy future of energy security, lower bills, and good, long-term jobs.