During the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government Debate on the 8th of September, local Linlithgow Constituency MSP, Fiona Hyslop, spoke about the importance of a green economic recovery and called for all parties to come together to face the pressures of Covid recovery and the drive to net zero.
Fiona also stressed the importance of a just transition to green energy and highlighted that her constituency of Linlithgow has experienced several industrial transitions which have not always been positive. Fiona called on the Parliament to learn lessons from previous transitions which have occurred in West Lothian to help shape a fairer future.
Speaking in the debating chamber on Wednesday (Sept 8th) Fiona said;
“This Programme for Government is ambitious, and it is bold and is based on a very full manifesto which was emphatically endorsed by a victory in the election in May.
“The people of West Lothian have known their fair share of industrial transition, but often unfair unjust transition and we must learn the lessons of the past in shaping the future.
“I welcome that the Scottish Energy Strategy will have Just Transition at its heart and that the 10-year Economic Transformation Plan will have it embedded and that sector plans will be part of that and that there will be a skills guarantee for transitioning energy workers.
“We must move beyond strategy and policy and funding announcements and focus on effective delivery and implementation. This Programme for Government matches the reality of coping with immediate issues but also has policies, funding and drive to deliver for a just transition to a net zero future and I commend it to Parliament.”
ENDS
Notes:
Longer term measure to secure a green economic recovery include
- £1.8 billion to reduce the emissions of home and building heating, and tackle fuel poverty.
- £500 million for a just transition in the north east of Scotland.
- £500 million to support the new, good and green jobs of the future, including upskilling and reskilling people to access those.
- £5 billion to maintain, improve and decarbonise rail services.
- £240 million in an Energy Transition Programme,
- £1 billion for the Scottish National Investment Bank and only yesterday they announced £6.4m in tidal energy company Nova Innovation
To see Fiona’s speech in full click the below link to Parliament TV: https://www.scottishparliament.tv/meeting/debates-september-8-2021?clip_start=16:08:33&clip_end=16:14:44