Almost three out of five Scots want Holyrood ministers to make decisions on new oil and gas licences, instead of Westminster, polling has revealed.
Research by Ipsos Scotland found 58% think the Scottish Government should make “most decisions” on oil and gas drilling licences for the North Sea, while just a third (33%) say these decisions should be made by UK ministers.
Rosebank Decision Pending
The poll comes as the UK Government is considering whether to give the go ahead for drilling at Rosebank – the largest untapped oil field in the North Sea, which lies to the north of Shetland.
The Ipsos Scotland survey also found a majority of Scots (51%) want the Scottish Government to be able to make most of the decisions on national insurance, while 38% want power over this to remain at Westminster.
Meanwhile, 48% want immigration policy to be mostly decided by the Scottish Government, with 41% preferring the UK Government to be in control of this.
Political Divisions
Emily Gray, managing director of Ipsos Scotland, said the findings of its latest Scotland Political Pulse research “point to a clear public appetite for more decisions affecting Scotland to be made by the Scottish Government, particularly on North Sea oil and gas drilling licences, national insurance and immigration”.
However she noted that on this, “preferences divide sharply along political lines, with SNP voters favouring Scottish Government decision-making for these areas while Conservative and Reform UK voters are more likely to prefer continued UK Government responsibility”.
With pollsters questioning 1,033 people between September 18 and 28 for the research, Ipsos said a “large majority” of SNP voters and those who voted for independence in the 2014 referendum want to see the Scottish Government making most of the decisions in each of the different areas.
However a majority of both Conservative voters and those who back Reform UK, along with those who voted against independence in the referendum, would prefer the UK Government to be responsible for such matters.
Labour Voters Split
Ipsos found Scottish Labour voters were “evenly divided on which government should make decisions about North Sea oil and gas drilling licences”, with 46% wanting these decisions made by the UK Government, while 45% want them made at Holyrood.
However, Labour voters appear to favour the UK Government making decisions on both national insurance and immigration.
The poll showed 54% of Labour voters support decisions over national insurance charges remaining with Westminster, with 57% agreeing that immigration policy should remain under the UK Government’s control.
Deputy First Minister Jenny Gilruth said: “These findings show significant public support for the principle that decisions about Scotland are best made in Scotland.
“With the fresh start of independence, Scotland would have the powers required to realise our potential and make choices that reflect the needs and priorities of people who live here, to build a stronger, more inclusive economy that works for all.”
