Oil & Gas Boom 2013

Forecasts that Scotland’s North Sea oil and gas industry will this year experience a "boom" in offshore jobs is being welcomed by people across Scotland.

Recruitment firm Oilandgaspeople.com has predicted that up to 50,000 new jobs will be created in the sector, which is further evidence that Scotland stands to benefit from vast offshore resources for years to come.

This huge potential for job creation is good news for the oil and gas industry, and Scotland’s economy in general. This supports figures which have also emerged early in the new year that Scotland’s economic growth is outstripping that of the UK as a whole – further underlined Scotland’s potential to become wealthier as an independent country.

North Sea reserves of oil and gas are a tremendous asset which remain largely untapped and could be worth up to £1.5 trillion, which will help an independent Scotland to prosper and become a wealthier and fairer nation.

Sadly, thanks to successive Westminster Governments Scotland has not seen the benefit of these vast resources and we need the powers of independence to ensure that oil and gas resources work for the benefit of the people of Scotland.

The anti-independence parties have been scaremongering about oil and gas running out since the early years of production in the 1970s. However, recent investment has shown that the industry does not share Westminster’s pessimism, and some forecasts suggest that more than half of the revenues are still to come, demonstrating how Scotland stands to be wealthier as an independent country.

Indeed, in the very timely Scottish Government debate on oil and gas in the Scottish Parliament my colleagues and I highlighted the fact that Scotland’s potential to remain at the cutting edge of future fuel and energy technologies is not just based on our natural resources.

With a long tradition of innovation in off-shore technology and engineering, the North Sea is world renowned for having strict safety standards and high levels of expertise. Indeed, I was relieved to see both in action, as the non-essential crew were so quickly and efficiently evacuated from the Cormorant Alpha, and I will be monitoring this situation as it develops.

Moreover, provision is being made for the future with the creation of the national Energy Skills Academy, which encompasses colleges in the Banffshire & Buchan Coast constituency. The graduates of this industry-leading skills academy will be at the heart of the development of future technology such as carbon capture and storage – a pioneering example of which is based at Peterhead Power Station.

With our natural resources and skills pool, Scotland can map an energy and economic future not just for ourselves, but Europe and the world. A huge economic and environmental opportunity comes from the development of carbon capture and storage not simply for us, but as an exportable technology and a technology that we can use our engineers to support.

For example, in Poland, 90 per cent to 95 per cent of the electricity comes from coal or lignite, which is not just CO2 polluting but is hugely sulphurous. We could play a key role in helping countries such as Poland to address their issues. That is not simply a matter of economic imperative; it also has an environmental benefit.

After independence, there is no doubt that the Scottish Government will be just as motivated to continue development and support a long-term future for the energy industry, but, importantly, they would have the necessary levers of power to regulate the market and ensure competition and innovation.

This, combined with pioneering technologies as well as a booming renewables industry, spells huge economic benefits for communities in the North-east, Scotland and beyond.

The Perfect Storm

The freakish combination of low pressure, gale-force winds and high tides has seen the coastline in the North-east severely battered over the weekend, causing damage and endangering lives throughout the area. Many of us will be aware of, or have seen first-hand, the damage caused, and know the danger and disruption it brought. However, it is thanks to the first-responders and those already working to repair the damage, that things were not more serious, and so few were in harm’s way.

People have been evacuated from their homes and workplaces, due to flooding and weather damage, and for some this is how things remain. However, had it not been for the hard-work and quick-thinking of the council staff, volunteers and the emergency services, matters could have been considerably worse. A variety of people and agencies have been working extremely hard together to help and advise those affected by the conditions and ensure people are quickly and safely re-homed, and I express my thanks to them for their vital service.

The emergency services have been on constant stand-by to react to any potential dangers. Indeed, the Peterhead lifeboat crew bravely deployed in awful conditions to rescue a group of people stranded on the east side of the harbour, potentially saving their lives.

Also, the Scottish Government Resilience Room has met to develop a response to the situation, and they have reiterated their commitment to assisting local authorities and agencies in rebuilding in the wake of the storm.

In several towns the damage has been concentrated in and around the harbour, with Fraserburgh and Peterhead particularly affected. Efforts are already underway to repair the damage to the harbours, which are vital for the local economy, with specialists being called in to assess the damage to the walls and facilities.

As people count the cost of the damage to homes and livelihoods, we should be thankful that matters were not more serious, and that so few people have been injured. Indeed, throughout the stormy conditions and damage to property I have been struck most by the community spirit shown throughout, as people have helped one another through a difficult period, which is vital as we get back on our feet in our towns and communities.

Winter assistance for Farmers

We, in the North-east, know as well as anyone how fundamental farming is to Scottish life and our communities. Agriculture plays an integral role in the wider community and sustains jobs in primary production and throughout related sectors.

We have had some extreme weather this year which has caused difficulties for Scotland’s farmers. However, the SNP and the Scottish Government are committed to helping Scotland’s farmers and producers who have been hit by the adverse weather this year and have taken steps to prioritise Single Farm Payments, and urge leniency from banks for those farmers who have yet to receive their payments.

Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs Richard Lochhead recently announced that he would be writing to banks to update them on the timing of Single Farm Payments and asking them to provide maximum flexibility for those farmers whose payments are not made at the start of December.

So these measures from the SNP Government are very welcome – we must do all we reasonably can to help support our farmers.

The Scottish Government has increased resources to pay Single Farm Payments as quickly as possible – including staff working in the evenings and weekends and given a two-month invoices extension for 2012 rural priorities capital works.

Further, those who have encountered problems with the slurry rules are being helped by staff who are working to help farmers avoid or reduce penalties in Nitrate Vulnerable Zones. It is particularly encouraging to hear that most of the small number of farmers who have contacted the Scottish Government for help have avoided penalties completely.

It is only right that we, as a nation, support those who provide for us year-round.

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Best wishes for the festive season and the new year!