4. To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the just transition secretary has had with ministerial colleagues regarding the role of industry in delivering a just transition. (S6O-02667)

Ministers including the Cabinet secretary regularly discuss Scotland’s just transition—including the role of key economic actors such as industry—in Cabinet meetings, Cabinet sub-committees or regular bilateral discussions. Industry and business will be critical in Scotland’s just transition, ensuring that we capture the economic opportunities and mitigate the risks from the transition.

I am very grateful for that answer, but the Scottish Trades Union Congress has previously slammed the Government’s strategy for failing to outline even the basic steps to ensure a just transition, particularly for offshore oil and gas workers. We have had promise after promise about Saudi Arabia’s renewables and the 120,000 green jobs by 2020, all of which have failed to happen.

More significantly, the Scottish Government has also failed to deliver a renewables supply chain of jobs here, in Scotland, or the publicly owned energy generation company that was promised back in 2017. After that, why should Scotland’s energy industry have any faith in this lacklustre Government to secure Scotland’s energy needs and create a smooth transition to net zero?

I recall some recent independent reports showing that, in relation to the creation of green jobs, Scotland was outpacing the rest of the United Kingdom. Further independent research carried out by a couple of universities showed that up to 100,000 new green jobs had been created in Scotland. We are making really good progress.

The Scottish Government helps to fund posts in the STUC to work on just transition issues. That was warmly welcomed by our trade union movement.

We will continue to work closely with the business community in Scotland and the trade union movement to secure a just transition for Scotland. Countries around the world are looking at Scotland with admiration and are full of praise for what we are achieving. It is a pity that some of the members in the chamber cannot recognise that.

Scottish supply chain businesses are key to delivering a just transition and ensuring the lasting industrial and economic benefit of Scotland’s renewable energy potential, which will support highly paid jobs locally. What work is the Scottish Government doing through its supply chain development programme to leverage procurement, in particular, to help to build robust local supply chains?

Ivan McKee raises a very good point. The supply chain development programme uses public sector procurement to improve the capacity and capability of Scottish manufacturing supply chains in the country. The programme is currently linking the opportunities that arise from our energy transition with the innovation and enterprise support that is provided by enterprise agencies such as the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland and others. At the moment, the programme is prioritising the opportunities in low-carbon heat networks and the Scottish Government’s affordable housing programme, so it is playing an important role in the transition.