Speeches by Downie.

“Thank you.”

“One last brief question. We have a difficulty sometimes in these sectors where energy is reserved to the UK Government, but we have skills policy devolved to the Scottish Government. [Interruption.] That is often my reaction as well. What engagement are you having with the Scottish Government? We heard from the previou…”

“Thank you, Chair. I am also a member of GMB. David, let me pick up on some of the issues you talked about earlier around opportunities and investment. You are in the press today talking about the oil and gas price mechanism, which could raise a significant amount of funding. Is that something you are looking for becaus…”

“If, say, there is a 20, 30, or 40-year decline in UK oil and gas and therefore less of a domestic market, how do you try to make sure that those businesses are supported? Does it become: those are market forces?”

“What do we need to do to support those kinds of things—that kind of diversity?”

“What assumptions are the figures that you have put out this morning based on? If this is something that is in some ways a higher tax, what are the assumptions that say it will raise the funds that you are suggesting it will?”

“Verity, did you have anything to add to that?”

“Verity, what impact would a change in policy to either reverse or accelerate the decline in domestic oil and gas production have in the UK, or in UK manufacturing?”

“As part of transition, should we be looking to make those businesses 100% export? Are there ways and how can we try to support that, if there is a long-term decline in UK oil and gas?”

“Yes. My concern is always the loss of opportunities for people in my constituency, frankly, because they will move people from England rather than—”

“I share the Chair’s scepticism about level playing fields and different wordings for how we support or choose not to support. How do we decide what area to focus on and help them with, and what does that level playing field look like? Which playing field is level?”

“If these businesses are exporting anyway, what is the effect of a reduction in domestic UK oil and gas services?”

“Would you say they are secure no matter what happens in the North sea or to UK oil and gas?”

“Tessa, Norway continues to extract oil and gas for export and has very high renewables. It uses the tax profits to fund a social model that I would certainly like to see in the UK. Is that something the UK could or should pursue as well, based on what David just mentioned about the possibility of increased investment?”

“How certain are you that investment will follow a change to an oil and gas price mechanism?”

“My other colleagues have questions on decommissioning coming up.”

“I am about to run out of time. Claire, what is your view of signals that the Government could send or would be sending by either moving to the OGPM or not, or by legislating for a licensing ban or not? Would you have any concerns for you and your workers about the signals that might send?”

“What would be needed in order to give them some vision of what the plan is?”

“My other colleagues have questions on decommissioning coming up.”

“Due to the EPL, more of that tax was allowed to stay in the UK and could then be spent. Is that not a social good for the UK?”