Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Forth Valley: Industry

Tuesday 9 December 2025 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Fiscal steps include additional funding of 14 million plus for new industry in Grangemouth and 25 million to finalise the freeport.
  • Education and skills policy, including college funding, is devolved to the Scottish Government.
  • The UK Government announced a 820 million spending review settlement in the autumn Budget.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Euan Stainbank Lab Falkirk
Economy Scotland
Context

The question arises from the need for economic support and development in Grangemouth, which has a long industrial history but is currently facing challenges due to high energy prices and potential college closures.

Question

What fiscal steps are being taken to support industry in the Forth valley? I welcome the additional £14 million-plus to get new industry delivered quickly in Grangemouth and the £25 million to finalise the freeport in the Budget two weeks ago. Forth Valley college is vital to giving local working-class kids the skills they need to grasp the new opportunities that must come to Grangemouth, but it has been failed by the SNP Scottish Government’s staggering 20% cut to colleges since 2021. The Alloa campus now faces closure. Will the Minister consider stepping in with direct skills support for this vital college?

Answer from James Murray (Chief Secretary to the Treasury)

Education and skills policy, including the funding and operation of colleges, is fully devolved to the Scottish Government. That means that it is for Scottish Ministers to decide how to support Forth Valley college with the overall settlement. As my hon. Friend will know, the spending review provided the Scottish Government with their largest settlement in real terms since devolution in 1998, and the Budget provided an additional £820 million to Scotland through the Barnett formula. In the months ahead we will be campaigning to ensure that decisions about how to invest that funding in Scotland’s future will be taken by Anas Sarwar and a Scottish Labour Government.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Direct skills support for Forth Valley College was not addressed specifically, only general comments on devolved responsibilities were provided.

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Q2 Dave Doogan SNP Angus and Perthshire Glens
Economy Taxation Business & Trade
Context

The question stems from criticism towards the UK government’s fiscal policy, particularly regarding its impact on industrial energy prices, farm taxes, employment costs, and support for Grangemouth.

Question

What is your view on the challenges experienced by Forth valley businesses due to high G7 industrial energy prices, Labour's farm tax, family business tax, £26 billion raid on employing people, fiscal drag on earnings, and lack of support for key projects like Acorn?

Answer from James Murray (Chief Secretary to the Treasury)

The hon. Member is happy to criticise tax decisions taken by this Government, but where does he think the largest spending review settlement since devolution began came from? Where does he think the £820 million announced at the autumn Budget came from? He needs to support the tax decisions we take if he wants the investment to go into Scotland.

Not addressed: The specific issues raised about high energy prices and fiscal drag were not addressed; instead, the answer focused on challenging the opposition's criticism of taxes and highlighting government funding.

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