SNP accused of ‘disowning’ oil and gas sector as bulletin axed

No document released since 2015 but ‘wealth of information’ exists

The Scottish Government has axed a flagship measure of the state of the oil and gas industry, prompting claims it is “actively disowning” the sector.

The Oil & Gas Analytical Bulletin was cited in the White Paper on independence and used by the SNP to bolster the case for leaving the UK.

But it has only been published once – in 2015 – since the referendum. During this time the North Sea industry has suffered a crippling downturn, losing tens of thousands of jobs, as a result of a global oil price crash.

Alex Salmond had previously used the bulletin to suggest Scotland is on the verge of a “second oil boom”.

The Office for Statistics Regulation has now confirmed there are no plans to publish a further bulletin.

Scotland’s energy minister Paul Wheelhouse insisted that the Scottish Government has a wealth of other information on the oil industry.

But Labour energy spokesman Lewis Macdonald said: “This is a disgraceful decision. It shows that not only have SNP ministers given up trying to help the oil and gas industry but they are now actively disowning it.

“In the run-up to the independence referendum, Nicola Sturgeon promised oil revenues of £8 billion a year – and the SNP government published the Oil & Gas Bulletin twice in 2013 and once in 2014 in support.

“Since the oil price collapse, we have only had one Bulletin – as long ago as 2015. That is simply a disgrace.

“With thousands of jobs lost and the industry still in recovery, we need as much information as possible on the state of the North Sea. Instead, Nationalist ministers have decided to bury their heads in the sand in an attempt to avoid a political humiliation.”

Ed Humpherson, director general for regulation at the Office for Statistics Regulation, wrote to Mr Macdonald, telling him the “Scottish Government has now confirmed to me that no oil and gas analytical bulletin is scheduled for publication”.

But a spokesman for Mr Wheelhouse branded the Labour claims “ridiculous” and accused Mr Macdonald of “talking down” the industry.

He said: “In terms of backing the sector, we are doing everything in our power to support it, but it is the Tory government at Westminster who retain most of the key policy levers when it comes to protecting jobs and investment.

“While there is no bulletin scheduled for publication at present, the requirement for any analytical bulletins is kept under review, and there is already a wealth of other published information on the industry.”

In his letter, Mr Humpherson also stated that the Scottish Government “has developed new statistics about the oil and gas sector in Scotland”.

“While there is no bulletin scheduled … the requirement for any analytical bulletins is kept under review”