Part of Portfolio Question Time – in the Scottish Parliament at on 3 September 2025.
Kate Forbes
Scottish National Party
Michelle Thomson has raised a number of important issues, and I will start with the wider cluster. We are very conscious of the challenges faced by the wider chemicals business. I meet the chief executive of Ineos O&P Europe (UK) monthly to provide the business with an opportunity to update me on how global market pressures in the wider energy landscape are impacting on operations at Grangemouth. I am also engaging directly with the UK Government on those matters—indeed, I raise them at most of my meetings with the Secretary of State for Scotland—and I am pleased that the Scottish Government has been able to make some progress on the issue.
The member mentioned the energy profits levy. She will have seen my comments yesterday on the need for a very urgent replacement of that fiscal regime and on certainly not having to wait until 2030.
Lastly, the member talked about some of the wider opportunities that are emerging through project willow and how we unlock the National Wealth Fund commitment to funding. That is a particular priority at the moment. We know that some of those opportunities are far advanced. In fact, that was the nature of my conversation with Michael Shanks yesterday—looking at how we progress that to secure the funding and get the opportunities in place.
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Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
