Question reference: S5W-30432
- Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 3 July 2020
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Current status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 30 July 2020
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to reinstate the Energy Jobs Task Force to help protect the oil and gas workforce and the north east economy as the country enters another economic recession.
Answer
In response to the dual impacts of Covid-19 and the oil and gas price crash, the Oil and Gas and Energy Transition Strategic Leadership Group (SLG), for which I am the ministerial chair, was refocused in April and is meeting monthly to identify practical actions to support the sector and its workforce.
The SLG is already taking a taskforce approach and working in partnership with industry, public agencies and government to protect jobs, stimulate activity in the sector and address future employment needs. Three of its four meetings since the pandemic commenced have taken a taskforce approach. The most recent meeting on 2 July focused on the retention of talent and skills within the sector.
Given the valuable channel we already have for engagement of the sector and supply chain, through the SLG and given this is working effectively and on a taskforce basis, and where feedback from members has been positive, it is my view that there is no requirement to establish an entirely new, stand-alone Taskforce. The next meeting will take place on 6 August with a particular focus on the enterprise and skills agencies’ support for the supply chain.