Ministers “caught bang to rights” over dodgy energy figures

Responding to analysis suggesting Scotland has approximately 7% of Europe’s offshore wind capacity, rather than the 25% claimed by SNP and Green ministers for a decade, and the emergence of documents in which Cabinet Secretary Neil Gray sought to hush up publication, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said:

“Scotland has tremendous offshore renewable generation potential so there should be no need for ministers to rely on bogus, inflated statistics.

“Ministers repeatedly refused to tell the truth about their dodgy calculations and now we know that they sought to hush up the actual figures when they were caught bang to rights.

“That’s an indictment of the moral character of this government. Trust is an important currency and ministers are stony broke.

“I’d love to say that this would encourage SNP ministers to turn over a new leaf, but I fully expect them to carry on spreading misinformation and trying to avoid owning up for as long as possible.”

ENDS

Notes to editors

These Islands’ analysis of the figures can be found here.

The story can be found here.