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Official Report: search what was said in Parliament

The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.  

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Dates of parliamentary sessions
  1. Session 1: 12 May 1999 to 31 March 2003
  2. Session 2: 7 May 2003 to 2 April 2007
  3. Session 3: 9 May 2007 to 22 March 2011
  4. Session 4: 11 May 2011 to 23 March 2016
  5. Session 5: 12 May 2016 to 5 May 2021
  6. Current session: 12 May 2021 to 2 April 2025
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Displaying 2588 contributions

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Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Energy Price Rises

Meeting date: 26 April 2022

Mark Ruskell

It has been a sobering and moving session. I want to try to wrap things up. We have had a lot of information from you, but what should the Scottish Government be doing in the next three months? We have a window of opportunity in the summer, when energy usage will inevitably be lower because of the weather, but after that, with the cap coming off and energy use going up in the autumn, people are going to face a huge crisis.

What should the Government be doing to reduce demand for energy over the summer? What should be the priorities? What programmes should the Government be putting in place to ramp up the capacity to provide advice and support quickly and ensure that it gets to the people who really need it to reduce their bills? You have covered some of that, but I am looking for practical measures that the Government should be focusing on in programmes that could run over the summer.

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Energy Price Rises

Meeting date: 26 April 2022

Mark Ruskell

Is that rapid deployment of energy efficiency measures best done through ECO, the energy company obligation, which can work through the registered social landlord sector, or is there another scheme that should come in alongside that? Last week, we heard about people who are just about managing, who might not be on a social rent but are now being hit—people in working poverty who are being hit hard with the cost of living crisis. Do we have a mechanism ready to go so that we can start to do that work, or does work still need to be done on that?

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Energy Price Rises

Meeting date: 26 April 2022

Mark Ruskell

Perhaps I could pick up where we just left off, with the proposal for a deficit fund. How we would fund that seems to be absolutely critical.

I turn to Ross Dornan from the oil and gas sector. Does the oil and gas sector recognise that it could have a role in supporting vulnerable consumers directly? I point to the fact that, over the past five years, the sector has not paid tax on its North Sea operations—BP specifically has not paid any tax in the North Sea. I think that it was in February this year that BP’s chief financial officer said:

“It’s possible that we’re getting more cash than we know what to do with.”

Surely paying more tax and enabling the Treasury to put money into a deficit fund would be one way to do that.

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Energy Price Rises

Meeting date: 26 April 2022

Mark Ruskell

BP paid a negative tax of 54 per cent in 2019.

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Energy Price Rises

Meeting date: 26 April 2022

Mark Ruskell

What proportion of that is capital expenditure? I do not want figures; I just want the proportion. When do we get to the point at which the majority of the capital expenditure that the oil and gas companies make is in the transition and clean energy, rather than in the expansion of oil and gas?

Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee

Crisis in Ukraine

Meeting date: 21 April 2022

Mark Ruskell

Do any other panellists want to contribute on either of those questions?

Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee

Crisis in Ukraine

Meeting date: 21 April 2022

Mark Ruskell

I will ask Elaine Ritchie a specific question. I recently met Stewarts of Tayside, which employs a lot of Ukrainian workers, sometimes on a seasonal basis and sometimes on a longer-term basis. The concern that it and some of its workers had is that although there is an assurance that the temporary visas can be extended to December 2022, the paperwork for their formal extension has not yet come through. Is that something that you are aware of, particularly in the rural context where there are a lot of Ukrainian seasonal workers in Perth and Kinross? Are you urging the Home Office to make sure that people are getting the necessary documents so that they have the assurance that they need that they can stay?

Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee

Crisis in Ukraine

Meeting date: 21 April 2022

Mark Ruskell

Do other members of the panel have any further reflections on that or examples to give?

Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee

Crisis in Ukraine

Meeting date: 21 April 2022

Mark Ruskell

There have been some examples in England where, under the Ukraine family scheme, extended family members have been brought over. There have then been some difficulties in relation to securing appropriate accommodation and some of those people have gone on to present as homeless. Has that happened in Scotland? Do you foresee that happening or will the structures that are being put in place here mitigate against anything like that happening?

Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee

Crisis in Ukraine

Meeting date: 21 April 2022

Mark Ruskell

I hope that that will come through in the next week, because we are running up to the end of the month. I have one extra question about undocumented Ukrainian citizens who were here before 1 January 2022. They are a bit caught, because they are not part of any of the current schemes that have been announced to enable people to have extended visas here.

Is that a problem? Are there significant numbers of people involved? Do you know how many people are here and are undocumented—and are therefore ineligible for the schemes? Do you have any concerns around that and about how people could potentially be affected by the Rwandan scheme or any other scheme?