Ex-finance chief at crisis-hit university says he ‘could have done a lot better'
Peter Fotheringham spoke out the day after the Scottish Government stepped in and used special powers to award £40 million directly to the university – whose interim principal quit last week after a report criticised him and others.
The university is currently seeking to cut up to 300 jobs as it seeks to deal with a £35 million deficit.
Professor Shane O'Neill, who up until last week was the interim principal and vice-chancellor there, has previously told MSPs on Holyrood's Education Committee that the scale of the financial problems only 'crystallised' in November last year.
He quit that post however after a report by former Glasgow Caledonian University principal Professor Pamela Gillies criticised senior figures at the university.
Members of the university executive group (UEG), which included the 'triumvirate' of Prof O'Neill, his predecessor former principal Professor Iain Gillespie and ex-chief operating officer Dr Jim McGeorge, were found to have 'failed' to 'properly respond to the worsening situation' and disclose the looming crisis to other university officials.
Dr McGeorge, appearing before the committee on Wednesday, said he was 'deeply and unreservedly sorry' for the situation at Dundee University.
He spent 16 years at the university, saying he had 'championed what it does through good times and through challenging times, including some previous financial difficulties'.
Education Committee convener Douglas Ross said that former chief operating officer Dr Jim McGeorge holds a 'significant amount of blame' for the situation at Dundee University
He added: 'Through the period covered by the report I tried to do my very best for the university, in good conscience, and on the basis of the information that was available to me.
'Where I have been found wanting or fallen short, either personally or collectively, I am deeply and unreservedly sorry for that.
'It would never have been my intention to do anything other than my very best for a university that I love and that I have served for over half my career.'
However he told the committee that leading figures at the university 'did not spot early enough the fact that the university as heading towards this crisis'.
He added: 'We should have done. I am hugely regretful and sorry that we did not.'
Committee convener Douglas Ross insisted that Dr McGeorge holds 'a significant amount of blame' for the university's situation.
The former chief operating officer however claimed he was 'equally as responsible as others' – although he said he wished decisions on cost-saving measures had been made earlier in March of last year.
'I think about that every single day at the moment and have done for some considerable period of time,' he told the committee.
But he insisted: 'I am not trying to shirk blame in any shape or form, I accept my share of responsibility for what happened to the university and the position it finds itself in.'
Staff at the university have staged protests over job cuts (Andrew Milligan/PA)
Mr Fotheringham meanwhile told the committee that the institution had 'not been in a strong financial position' for 'well over 10 years'.
But asked when the situation started to give him sleepless nights, he said that only happened 'as late' as September 2024.
Joe FitzPatrick, the SNP MSP for Dundee City West, told him: 'The fact that you didn't realise till September is the thing that folk who are watching – students, lecturers, staff – they will find that incredible that folk in your position have not realised how bad things were until that late. It is incredible.'
Mr Fotheringham responded: 'Absolutely and that has given me sleepless nights ever since September, if I'm honest with you.'
He left the university in October 2024, and is currently unemployed, telling the committee: 'I absolutely understand I could have done a lot better.'
And he said he took his 'share of responsibility in terms of the current position of the university'.
Mr Fotheringham added: 'The position that it now finds itself in is obviously deeply upsetting for all of us and I am very sorry for any part I played in that.'
But he also insisted: 'I thought it was very clear to everybody, the whole leadership team, that we did need to reduce costs. We had those discussions in late 2023 and early 2024.'
However SNP MSP George Adam accused the men of having 'tanked' the university.
He said there had been a 'systematic failure at every single point' at Dundee, including 'poor financial judgment, failure to act in real time on clear warning signs' as well as 'overly optimistic budget assumptions' and 'weak internal controls'.
Mr Adam described the problems as a 'perfect storm' as he told the witnesses: 'You nearly tanked the university. You nearly tanked one of the oldest universities in Scotland.'
The MSP added: 'I don't understand how people like yourselves can get yourselves into that position.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scotsman
an hour ago
- Scotsman
Readers' Letters: Everything seems to be getting worse in Scotland
The Scotsman's round-up of life in Scotland today dismays reader Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Yesterday (25 June) we had another edition of The Scotsman which exposes the calamitous state of our nation. Page one reveals more misery for cancer patients with treatment times dropping alarmingly. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Then we have the highest delayed discharge figures since records began in 2016. Awful statistics which explain why beds are unavailable for other patients and procedures. First Minister John Swinney's government is full of ministers unqualified for their role, says reader (Picture: Jane Barlow - Pool/Getty Images) Next up, we discover that the tartan biscuit tin is not as empty as we are told on a daily basis, with the news that Dundee University is to receive a bail-out over three years of £40 million – no doubt this will assist in covering the debts incurred by 'free tuition' for Scottish students, that is, those who can get a place at the expense of a fee-paying 'foreigner' from over the Border or abroad. Then on to house building, now at its lowest level since 2012. Anyone with an iota of common sense knows that the best way to stimulate an economy is house building – again the Scottish Government are complicit in this appalling statistic with their net zero restrictions adding exorbitant costs to builders. And then we have the bloated Civil Service, with almost one manager per member of staff. Another example of the profligacy of the SNP in power. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad And to put the tin lid on this depressing read, class sizes in Edinburgh will be breached to 'save costs'. Of all these examples of the mess we are in, this is the worst, as we fail our next generation and their prospects go down the tube. And at the head of all these examples are the failed 'Ministers' given top jobs with exorbitant salaries and pensions, most with no experience, some of whom can hardly construct a sentence coherently when interviewed. While it was a dreary read to start the day, I applaud the Scotsman and its correspondents for their diligence in bringing this to our attention. The only way to sort this out is at the ballot box in 2026 – but what will be left of our 'services' by then? 'Not much' is the clear and obvious answer. David Millar, Lauder, Scottish Borders Keep it Scottish? Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Early this week, the BMA claimed that the NHS is 'dying'. The following day more bad news on cancer treatment in Scotland emerges and as we wait for a statement of some kind we are told Health Secretary Neil Gray is on a trip to Japan – is his favourite football team doing a pre-season tour? Is it any wonder that a third of Scots are now forced into using private healthcare – the very thing the NHS was created to prevent. The problems in the NHS are myriad. But in Scotland they are multiplied by the SNP's apparent insistence on putting a 'Scottish' slant on everything – the latest example being the NHS app in wide use south of the Border for years, which had to be somehow 'Scottified' for use north of the Border. It is madness. Think of the census fiasco when their insistence on an entirely Scottish version cost millions and left gaps in our records. Why cannot we have an administration that will concentrate on Scottish matters and attempt to make life better for all Scots and forget the nationalist claptrap? Alexander McKay, Edinburgh Line of duty So the Health Secretary is in Japan? Not only has he left his post at a time of real crisis for those unfortunate Scots recently diagnosed with cancer but his carbon footprint looms large too. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The SNP seems more interested in bailing out the Edinburgh International Book Festival whose previous sponsor, Baillie Gifford, was dumped by those on the left for the firm's perceived links to oil and Israel. Surely this has nothing to do with appearances there by Nicola Sturgeon and friends? The SNP is failing Scotland in all areas. Holyrood elections are very close. The election can't come soon enough. Gerald Edwards, Glasgow What about Wales? According to Dame Jackie Baillie, the latest figures on NHS Scotland cancer waiting times are 'disastrous' and an indication of 'the SNP's mismanagement of the NHS'. If that is indeed the case, then how would Dame Jackie describe the situation in Wales, perhaps 'catastrophic'? In Wales the devolved Labour government has not only given up (since 2019) on reporting the 31-day target for the start of treatment, which NHS Scotland is achieving in 94.1 per cent cases and NHS England in 91.3 per cent of cases, NHS Wales is only achieving the 62-day target for initial referral to start of treatment in 60.5 per cent of cases. On the 62-day target, NHS Scotland at 68.9 per cent is performing 13.9 per cent better than Wales and NHS England at 69.9 per cent is performing 15.5 per cent better. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Of course, the broader picture is that across the UK the NHS is struggling as cancers are increasingly suspected earlier and people are living longer (NHS Scotland has seen 17.5 per cent and 6.3 per cent increases in 62-day and 31-day referrals since the pandemic) while staffing levels continue to suffer as a result of Brexit and hostile UK Government immigration policies. Stan Grodynski, Longniddry, East Lothian Fair play Murdo Fraser is right to criticise the Robertson Trust's half-baked proposal of a guaranteed income (Perspective, 25 June). Yet the principle is valid, provided it's paid from resource values, as in Norway and Alaska. More generally, publicly created land values should be restored to the citizenry, with them deciding which state services they wish to purchase. Childless people should not, for example, be taxed to pay for other peoples' kids' education. George Morton, Rosyth, Fife Turbine whoppers Good on Councillor Ruraidh Stewart and Skye residents protesting against the developers' plans to 'repower' Ben Aketil wind farm, near Dunvegan (your report, 23 June). The downright dishonesty in claiming larger turbines are more efficient is breathtaking, and shame on the remote Scottish Government for falling for the spin! Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Did our brick-sized mobile phones double or half in size as they became more efficient? The farcical industry claims that larger turbines are more 'efficient' could not be further from the truth! Current turbine blades have been tweaked, over many years, to the nth degree, but the inexorable laws of physics demand that all that can now be done is to make the turbines even larger, even more materials hungry, even more space consuming, even more destructive to our landscapes, even more difficult to recycle, even more damaging, even more unsightly and, with blades that travel in excess of 200mph, even more lethal to wildlife. They are foisting giant, offshore turbines onto beleaguered rural communities, onshore. Far from boasting about 'super' turbines we are in reality being subjected to yet another load of whoppers from the wind industry! George Herraghty, Elgin, Moray Price of life Now that inflation has pounced onto food and airfare prices once again, it just highlights that the cost of living crisis is real and pounding everyone's pockets, as previously. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad While Sir Keir Starmer talks about cutting green levies for business, by up to 25 per cent – what about everyone else. So with supermarkets offering their own special deals with store card advantages and high street stores offering continual all year round sales, one has to ask, what is the true and real price of anything, these days? Archie Mackinnon, Glasgow Unfair attack During the weekend Sir Keir Starmer defended the US bombing of Iran when he said it was necessary to 'alleviate' the threat of Iran developing a nuclear weapon. I wonder if he recalls an incident during a speech by Benjamin Netanyahu at a meeting of the UN Security Council in 2012, when the Israeli leader brandished a cartoon of a bomb and insisted Iran was close to developing a nuclear weapon. In 2015, the US estimated Iran could produce enough fuel for a nuclear bomb in 12 months if it was so inclined. In an article published on 13 September 2021, the New York Times claimed Iran was just a month away from being able to produce sufficient fuel for a nuclear bomb! So why has Iran not produced that bomb long before now? Our Prime Minister also said at the weekend, 'We call on Iran to return to the negotiating table and reach a diplomatic solution to end this crisis'. Perhaps Sir Keir should ask himself who caused the crisis by mounting an illegal attack on a sovereign state? It has evidently also slipped his mind that Iran was at the negotiating table when it was attacked! Alan Woodcock, Dundee Hold on to hope Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Amidst all the discussion around assisted dying it is important to distinguish between the terms 'terminal' and 'incurable' when describing life-threatening disease. Terminal should only be used when death is imminent – days, weeks or at most a few months. In recent media announcements several famous people have had their advanced cancers described as terminal, when they are obviously very much alive and in some cases only in the early stages of treatment. Today most cancers – even at stage 4 – are treatable, where appropriate management can result in good quality of life for considerable periods of time. Incurable, yes, but so are many common conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, arthritis etc. In many thousands of conversations with patients at the time of their diagnosis and treatment planning I have emphasised that although their disease is incurable it is certainly not a death sentence. Hope is a very valuable medicine in its own right. Doctors should never withhold truth about the seriousness of any illness but the prognosis for any individual depends on their specific response to treatment, and good communication should prevent automatic assumption a diagnosis of cancer implies imminent death. So please could the media stop using the word terminal as a blanket term for all advanced cancers. Thank you. (Professor) John F Smyth, Edinburgh Write to The Scotsman
The Herald Scotland
2 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Union seeks more public money for Alexander Dennis
But he says that support should be conditional on the company having a long term commitment to Scotland. And the union says that it cannot take away from the recovery of Grangemouth. Unions however have warned that "time is running out" on the company with the consultation over jobs due to expire in a few weeks, while there was no response yet to a request for an extension to August 15, and while the Scottish Parliament goes into summer recess between June 28 and August 31. It has been suggested that a taxpayer-backed furlough scheme could be put in place to allow ADL to remain in Scotland at a cost expected to be between £4m and £5m. The idea was to support staff for a few months until work on new bus orders could get under way. Ministers were accused of "strategic neglect" after The Herald revealed £90m of public money was ploughed into the firm in Scotland that is now planning to move to England. According to Scottish Government records, ADL received £58m of public 'subsidy' for green vehicles since 2020 under two schemes aimed at transitioning Scotland to green buses - despite the company having embarked on a 2020 plan to axe a third of its Scottish workforce. And some £30m of jobs grants for research and development over 10 years has come from the Scottish Government's economic development agency Scottish Enterprise. Some £11.2m of those jobs grants from Scottish Enterprise came in 2023, three years after concerns were raised over ADL embarking on major job cuts in 2020. John SwinneyThe Herald also revealed how the First Minister John Swinney was warned Alexander Dennis was "reconsidering" its "entire investment" in Scotland a year before announcing its plans last week to relocate to England putting 400 jobs at risk. This news follows the loss of more than 400 jobs just a few miles away in Grangemouth, where the oil refinery recently closed and was converted into an import terminal. Calls have already been made to claw money back if Alexander Dennis follows through with its proposals. Now Unite has suggested that Grangemouth money that is not earmarked for its recovery could be utilised to support ADL in Scotland. Sir Keir Starmer in February announced £200m investment in the Grangemouth site calling the announcement an "investment in Scotland's industrial future". The £200m investment will come from the National Wealth Fund which publicly-owned and backed by the Treasury, and invests alongside the private sector in projects - primarily focusing on initiatives that support clean energy. The UK government said its aim was to direct "tens of billions of pounds" of private investment to decarbonise the British economy. But Derek Thomson, Unite Scotland's regional secretary said there was no sign that that wealth fund money has been deployed anywhere yet. The oil refinery, owned by Petroineos, is set to close by the summer with the loss of more than 400 jobs. Scotland's first minister announced £25m of new 'just transition' funding which he said brought the Scottish government's total investment for the site to £87m. An Alexander Dennis bus (Image: Pic supplied) Mr Thomson said: "There are significant public funds being allocated towards the Grangemouth area by government ministers. This includes £200m from the UK National Wealth Fund and a further £25m in the Just Transition Fund set up by the Scottish government. There is minimal information on the criteria and conditionalities associated with accessing this public money which was increased due to pressure by Unite after the announcement by PetroIneos to close the oil refinery." Read more: "The question needs to be asked as to whether any public funding streams can be used to help support not only the refinery workers but also those at Alexander Dennis and the wider industrial cluster. We need to ensure that workers are properly supported particularly when they are integral to the nation's strategic manufacturing base and wider energy transition." Ministers are said to be looking at ADL's costs and considering what additional support that can ben provided to to help lower then, increase productivity and ensure there is demand for their buses. They are working with the procuring authorities - the people who actually own and run the buses - in Scotland and further afield, to look at how the ADL order book can be developed. The SNP-led Scottish Government and the Labour-led UK Government have agreed to establish a joint working group to discuss options to find a solution and avert job losses. The SNP-led Scottish Government and the Labour-led UK Government have agreed to establish a joint working group to discuss options to find a solution and avert job losses. If Alexander Dennis left Scotland it would mark the end of more than a century of manufacturing excellence and innovation. ADL and bus production are synonymous, with more than a century of manufacturing excellence and innovation growing from Walter Alexander's original coach works in Falkirk. Union representative were yesterday told how the firm's move to England is a 'political failure' which would be 'catastrophic' for a region already facing economic difficulties. Earlier this month, the company announced it was considering relocating production from its Larbert and Camelon sites near Falkirk to Scarborough in North Yorkshire, citing cost-cutting reasons. Robert Deavy, the senior organiser for manufacturing with GMB Scotland said the situation would require a political intervention to resolve. 'Speaking to our members, this is something that we as a union have been raising for some time – I'm pretty sure Unite have been as well,' he said. 'We believe that this is a political failure that now requires a political solution. He added: 'Now we need everyone to come together – trade unions, politicians and, really importantly, we need ADL involvement on this.' Alexander Dennis has said that they are engaging with both governments "in good faith on the possibility of any intervention" and has stressed that a final decision on the move had not yet been made. The company, the unions said, is losing out on contracts to cheaper foreign alternatives as a result of their lower costs, with Mr Thomson calling for direct awards to be made from government to the company and for workers to be paid until work on the contracts begins. 'What we understand is that pending those direct awards or contracts being done, there is a four month gap between bringing those contracts online and the end of the consultation period,' he said. 'What we have been asking for and speaking to the Deputy First Minister about is a time-limited furlough scheme where we can support those workers through that period of the contract being awarded.' Mr Deavy warned that if the sites close, then 'the skills are lost forever' in the area. Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said: "The absolute focus right now is on supporting ADL, its workforce, as well as the families and communities they support. We also recognise the significance of the company within the local economy and across the wider supply chain. 'The Scottish Government has committed to exploring all viable options throughout the consultation period to allow the firm to retain their hard-working employees and manufacturing and production facilities at Falkirk and Larbert. 'We will continue to work in close collaboration with the company, trade unions, Scottish Enterprise, Transport Scotland and the UK Government. 'Since 2020, ADL secured orders for more zero emission buses than any other single manufacturer through the Scottish Zero Emission Bus Challenge Fund and its predecessor the Scottish Ultra Low Emission Bus Scheme. ADL has received £58 million of Scottish Government subsidy for vehicles under these programmes.'
The Herald Scotland
2 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Plans for new nuclear reactors in Scotland brought forward
The plans and the plant owner's stance are revealed in the first part of our new series which is launched today with our sister title the East Lothian Courier. The GMB Scotland union has brought forward the sector estimates as it called on the Scottish Government to lift its moratorium on new nuclear. It has called for an 'urgent review the potential of new nuclear plants to cut emissions, secure energy supplies, and boost economic growth'. The union, one of the biggest across the energy sector, is urging ministers to lift the ban on new nuclear power in Scotland and convene an expert summit to discuss its potential to 'underpin the drive to Net Zero and create thousands of skilled, well-paid jobs and apprenticeships'. GMB Scotland said that industry-based research shows potential for two new large-scale reactors at Torness and direct station wages would equate to £90-100 million with £30-35m additional spending on contractors. However, the tension between Holyrood and Westminster is clear, with the UK Government pointing towards funding but adding that 'the Scottish Government continues to block any movement on this safe, green energy that would turbocharge the Scottish economy'. The Scottish Government stood firm and signalled research showing a potential 80,000 renewables jobs in Scotland within 25 years. EDF, the French state-owned energy giant and operator of Torness, told The Herald the site is suitable for new nuclear, but that it respects the Scottish Government stance and instead is concentrating on England. Torness is currently a significant site. Based on EDF's 2024 financial results, it generated more than a fifth of the UK's total nuclear output and more of its nuclear earnings in this country. It comes as the UK Government announced £14.2 billion for the creation of the Sizewell C plant south of the Border. The UK Government and EDF jointly own more than 80 per cent of the Suffolk site that will provide 10,000 jobs, including 1,500 apprenticeships. Ed Miliband, UK energy secretary, promised a 'new golden age' of nuclear power with the announcement. The news brought the new nuclear debate again to the fore as Torness moves towards its decommissioning. EDF said: 'If you consider the [Torness] site, in isolation from government policy, it would be suitable for new nuclear. There is available land, good road, rail and grid connections and it has a community which is used to hosting nuclear. 'However, we respect that the Scottish Government doesn't support new nuclear just now, so EDF is focussing its nuclear development ambitions on England and expanding its renewables business in Scotland.' The company manages eight UK nuclear power station sites and owns five of the eight designated new nuclear sites. Paul Forrest, Torness station director. (Image: Gordon Terris) The news is revealed as we examine the impact of the planned closure site near Dunbar which has around 500 staff and around 200 full-time contractors, the surrounding community and the region's economy as it moves towards shut-down. Paul Forrest, Torness station director, said it is 'a valuable asset to the UK' that has contributed more than £16bn to the economy since generation started in 1988. He said: 'Torness Power Station continues to play a significant role in EDF's UK operations. It is one of five generating stations and, based on 2024's financial results, generated 21.5% of the UK's total nuclear output and contributed 22.6%to the Ebitda (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation) of UK's Nuclear Operations business. 'In March 2025, Torness achieved a cumulative generation total of 300 terawatt-hours since its commissioning, that is enough to power every Scottish home for 36 years and solidified its status as Scotland's most productive low-carbon asset. 'Torness is a high performing site which has met its output targets for four out of the last five years and is on plan for this year.' READ MORE: Nuclear power wins vote of confidence as life of last Scottish plant extended He said that 'beyond that, it is a vital part of the East Lothian community', adding: 'Through construction and generation, thousands of local people have developed highly skilled, well-paid careers at the station. 'Generations of families have worked there, building their lives around the site, and the security that has brought has been a boon for the local economy.' Additionally, the company said, three further planned refuelling outages will bring in an extra 800 workers 'who come to the site spending money in hotels, restaurants, take-aways and with taxi firms while they stay here' each time. The 2030 decommissioning will happen in stages with the removal of spent fuel from the reactors taking about four years and will be carried out by EDF, which, at its other decommissioning facility at Hunterston B in Ayrshire, now at the defueled stage, employs around 250 moving forward to 'nuclear restoration services'. At this point it will take around 15 years to remove all the buildings from site, with the exception of the reactor building. It will be left in situ, in a state called 'safestore', for around 70 years, until the final clearance of square-mile site. The firm said it does not have 'visibility of figures that would allow us to make an assessment of whether renewables projects in the area will create those long-term employment opportunities on a like-for-like basis'. However, Mr Forrest said: 'There will be a range of retraining opportunities as the station moves beyond generation and we will use the experience from other defueling sites to support staff. 'For example, at Hunterston B people have been trained to take on project management roles, which the station needs more of now. People have also been supported to gain additional qualifications in HGV driving or electrical skills which are needed on site during defueling but can also be used to build a career outside of the nuclear industry. 'Now Hunterston B is getting ready to transfer to nuclear restoration services there are further opportunities for retraining to take on jobs the station will need during decommissioning like health physicists and waste technicians. We expect to see the same kinds of opportunities at Torness when it reaches this stage.' The new Sizewell C site in Suffolk. (Image: EDF) The latest Economic Impact of the Civil Nuclear Industry report, compiled by Oxford Economics and commissioned by the Nuclear Industry Association, shows the sector generated an extra £350m for the Scottish economy in gross value added (GVA) in 2024, up from £1.1bn in 2021, a 32 per cent rise, and much it from south of the Border. It reported: 'Scottish workers are playing a vital role in building the new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point C in Somerset and 170 Scottish firms have contracts to work on the new power station with over £280m spent with Scottish firms to date.' Tom Greatrex, chief executive of the NIA, said: 'Scotland is benefiting from the jobs and growth coming with new nuclear plants being built in England, but with no new nuclear of its own, Scotland will lose out on billions in investment and thousands of well-paid, skilled jobs. 'Scots have always been a significant part of the nuclear industry – with renowned engineers and physicists coming through the Scottish education system, but despite the integral role nuclear plays in keeping electricity in Scotland green, without future plants young Scots will lose out on those opportunities at home.' READ MORE: It said: 'We are promoting and exploring the potential of Scotland's renewable energy resource and its ability to meet our local and national heat, transport and electricity needs, while also contributing to meeting our ambitious emission reduction targets. 'By 2030 we aim to generate the equivalent of 50% of Scotland's overall energy consumption from renewable sources, and by 2050 we aim to have decarbonised our energy system almost completely.' It said it is backing the development of the hydrogen sector and carbon capture and storage, promoting the development of on and offshore wind, marine energy, geothermal energy, hydropower and hydrogen. A UK Government spokesperson said: 'Investing in nuclear power represents energy security and a gateway to thousands of skilled jobs. 'It would bring millions of pounds in wages and economic growth to communities all over Scotland. The Scottish Government continues to block any movement on this safe, green energy that would turbocharge the Scottish economy. As long as they maintain that position jobs and investment that could be coming to Scotland will head elsewhere." Gillian Martin, Scottish energy secretary, told The Herald: 'The Scottish Government is focussed on supporting growth and creating jobs by capitalising on Scotland's immense renewable energy capacity rather than expensive new nuclear energy which takes decades to build, creates toxic waste which is difficult and costly to dispose of. 'However, we recognise the significant value that Torness and its workforce has contributed to Scotland's economy and local community. 'Decommissioning Scotland's nuclear sites will take decades and will require the retention of a highly skilled workforce. Meanwhile, the significant growth in renewables, storage hydrogen, carbon capture and decommissioning are key opportunities for our future energy workforce in Scotland – with independent scenarios from Ernst and Young, showing that with the right support, Scotland's low carbon and renewable energy sector could support nearly 80,000 jobs by 2050.'
