Grangemouth Oil Refinery Closure: Job Losses
Debate between Lord Wilson of Sedgefield and Lord Jack of Courance
Lord Wilson of Sedgefield (Lab)
All jobs are important, and I will write to the noble Lord on exactly what we are doing about that. Our vision for the future is that it is sustainable and that we utilise EVs more than we are currently. There is a future in all this, and I am sure that we will do everything we can to ensure that those jobs are sustainable.
Lord Jack of Courance (Con)
My Lords, I think the Minister said that there had not been a ministerial visit to Grangemouth in the last 13 years; I certainly went to Grangemouth as Secretary of State for Scotland. Let me give him an easy question: to add to the factors creating uncertainty for the Scottish jobs market cited by the noble Lord, Lord Forsyth of Drumlean, does the Minister agree that another is the Scottish Government’s obsession with independence?
Lord Wilson of Sedgefield (Lab)
I thank the noble Lord for that. As far as Scottish independence is concerned, it is not the position of this Government, and it is something that I actively campaigned against 10 or so years ago. I do not deny that the noble Lord went up to Grangemouth, but the point I made in my answer was that there was no ministerial meeting with the industry in 13 years.