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Chamber and committees

Official Report: search what was said in Parliament

The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.  

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Dates of parliamentary sessions
  1. Session 1: 12 May 1999 to 31 March 2003
  2. Session 2: 7 May 2003 to 2 April 2007
  3. Session 3: 9 May 2007 to 22 March 2011
  4. Session 4: 11 May 2011 to 23 March 2016
  5. Session 5: 12 May 2016 to 5 May 2021
  6. Current session: 12 May 2021 to 19 August 2025
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Displaying 1071 contributions

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Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Electricity Infrastructure Inquiry

Meeting date: 9 May 2023

Neil Gray

We are working with the enterprise agencies not only on ensuring that we have a good supply chain for manufacturing the items and components that will be needed but on ensuring that they are supporting domestic and inward investment opportunities and that all of this potential is well serviced. I will make sure that we write to the committee with further information on the work that is being done with the agencies.

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Electricity Infrastructure Inquiry

Meeting date: 9 May 2023

Neil Gray

Yes, I think that we need to have those discussions. We also need to see greater consistency in where the community benefit money goes. In some areas, it goes to community development trusts; in other areas, it goes direct to local authorities to be distributed. I would like there to be greater consistency in where those payments are distributed. I also want the benefit that a local community derives from a neighbouring project to be more demonstrable. I say that as both a Government minister and a MSP who has quite a substantial onshore wind footprint around my constituency.

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Electricity Infrastructure Inquiry

Meeting date: 9 May 2023

Neil Gray

No, absolutely. I invite Ragne Low to comment.

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Electricity Infrastructure Inquiry

Meeting date: 9 May 2023

Neil Gray

Absolutely not. The Sumitomo announcement itself relates to manufacturing, as it will be manufacturing the cable required for the offshore wind industry. Given the world-wide shortage of high-voltage cable, the fact that Sumitomo has chosen to put a factory here in Scotland will be very important in that respect.

I hope that the announcement also gives confidence to other investors, both domestic and international, to base their operations here. The fact that we are a world leader in offshore renewables was made very plain to me when I was in Japan, and there are huge opportunities in this respect, but we must ensure that we are giving domestic and international investors confidence. That will come through the work that the committee is doing today and the report that you will bring forward on ensuring that we have sufficient capacity to respond to the demand for generation arising from our offshore potential.

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Electricity Infrastructure Inquiry

Meeting date: 9 May 2023

Neil Gray

The contracts for difference scheme has indeed made a difference鈥攁nd it is important to stress that鈥攂ut we are looking for it to go further. For instance, we know that the marine energy sector was looking for 拢70 million-worth of investment and 拢20 million came forward. The scheme is making a difference, and we can see that in the projects that are coming through, but we also want it to go much further than it is at the moment.

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Electricity Infrastructure Inquiry

Meeting date: 9 May 2023

Neil Gray

Because we believe that that is expensive technology with the safety and environmental impacts that come off the back of it. We think that huge opportunities are coming forward for us in our renewables capability. That will give us electricity that is cheaper than what is coming forward from the new nuclear power stations that are being funded to a very costly extent by the UK Government, and our future energy security will come from renewables.

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Electricity Infrastructure Inquiry

Meeting date: 9 May 2023

Neil Gray

As I said in response to Mr Kerr, decisions on new offshore oil and gas exploration are for the UK Government. We have made very clear our desire for the UK Government to have much stronger climate compatibility checks as part of that process. We await its decision in that regard.

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Electricity Infrastructure Inquiry

Meeting date: 9 May 2023

Neil Gray

We are continuing to discuss that with UK ministers. The Scottish Government judges that both suggestions鈥攁 nodal pricing system and a zonal pricing system鈥攈ave potential to disadvantage generators in Scotland because Scottish supply often outstrips demand in each area. We are concerned about the risks for generators. At the same time, it is important to acknowledge that, if the systems are designed well, they may have corresponding benefits for consumers, including business consumers.

We continue to engage with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero to understand the implications for Scotland and to do what we can to inform its decision-making process.

Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee

Crisis in Ukraine

Meeting date: 9 February 2023

Neil Gray

That is undoubtedly a challenge, and it was among the foremost issues in the discussion that I had with Mr Kuslii when I met him. We want to ensure that there is minimal disruption to people as they move鈥攅specially from the ships, but also from hotel accommodation. As I said, he has given a commitment to come with me to MS Ambition鈥攏ext week, I hope鈥攊n order to help to communicate what is available, the support that is in place and to give some reassurance around some of that work.

First, I am very heartened by the fact that Ukrainians who have arrived in Scotland, albeit that they are in temporary accommodation, have been able to put down roots and to establish themselves in schools, employment and other community settings. That is obviously what we want to see. Because, by its nature, temporary accommodation is temporary, there will be an element of disruption when people move on from that, which poses a challenge.

We are looking to do what we can to offer accommodation, where we can, as close as possible to where people have been based. That will not always be possible, which is why we have had staff from a number of local authorities from across Scotland go on to MS Ambition in the past few weeks. I think that 50 families are likely to move to Aberdeenshire in the coming period. We also want to impress on people the opportunities that exist for employment, schooling and housing across Scotland, not just in the central belt. When I appeared before the committee in June, I mentioned the opportunities that exist for people to move around Scotland and to be able to rebuild their lives from there.

We will work closely with Mr Kuslii and with our local authority partners. We will not work only with those that have direct involvement in the hosting of the temporary accommodation鈥擥lasgow City Council, in the case of the accommodation on MS Ambition鈥攂ut neighbouring authorities as well, to see what we can do to offer accommodation that would allow people to still be able to commute easily or to be able to go to school where they have already settled. However, I must stress that, because of the nature of temporary accommodation, there will be an element of disruption.

Finally, the national matching service has become very successful. I think that approaching 4,000 people have been matched from temporary accommodation into longer-term accommodation, whether that is hosted accommodation or longer-term accommodation in private housing or social housing. Conversations continue between people in the national matching service and those on the ships and in hotels in an effort to ensure that people can move on to areas of their choosing that will suit their needs from the point of view of education and employment.

Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee

Crisis in Ukraine

Meeting date: 9 February 2023

Neil Gray

Yes. We continue to monitor the war situation, because that is the best way of predicting what movement might be like. Obviously, the scheme itself is paused and only those who are in receipt of a supersponsor visa鈥攎ore than 13,500 of whom are still to travel鈥攐r those who have managed to find a private host through what is available UK-wide would be able to travel.

We keep a constant eye on the situation as regards the war, and we would look to procure the necessary temporary accommodation to keep up the provision or to go beyond that, given the contingency that, as Mr Golden points out, would be required, which we see elsewhere in Europe, where there has been a larger movement of people, which would be more typical refugee accommodation. We have been seeking to avoid that up until now, to ensure that people who arrive here are given the best possible start, but all those considerations are kept under review to ensure that we are able to offer appropriate accommodation as best we can.