Labour MSP Jackie Baillie says Economy Secretary Keith Brown has made different answers relating to the number of people helped by the Energy Jobs Task force.

Not a point of order says Presiding Officer Ken Macintosh. 

Decommissioning must be carried out in a planned way in facilities in Scotland, says Mr Leonard.

However he says there are £20bn oil equivalent barrels in the North Sea that must not be written off.

The Labour MSP says there must be powerful democratic forces at work in the oil and gas industry. 

Mr Leonard says the Transition Training Fund is not working for the oil and gas industry.

The Labour MSPs says the parliament has a duty to say that the Energy Jobs Task force is not working, if that is the case.

Image source, Getty Images

He says oil and gas workers are saying to the parliament that they want the right to work in place of fear.

"That is why we say to the cabinet secretary we need a new approach."

Labour MSP Richard Leonard says the chamber must unite around the commitment to never allowing a tragedy like Piper Alpha to happen again.

Mr Leonard says austerity is a choice made here in Holyrood as well as Whitehall.

He says the oil and gas trade unions must be listened to.

The Labour MSP says the industry has lost 84,000 jobs in 2015, 40,000 more to go this year.

Economy Secretary Keith Brown says the government has done a number of key things but agrees there is more to be done.

Mr Brown says the Scottish government is considering more infrastructure for the North East and will also pressureise the UK government.

Labour's Jackie Baillie intervenes to say the Fraser of Allander Report says Scotland is on the "brink of recession" and the minister cannot just focus on the positive.

Mr Brown says Ms Baillie is clearly not able to welcome lower unemployment and record inward investment.   

Image source, Scottish Parliament

Mr Brown says he regrets the fact that the Lib Dem amendment was not taking as it made good points on decommissioning, unlike the "rant from Jenny Marra".

Economy Secretary Keith Brown says there has been more consensus in the debate than perhaps was expected.

Mr Brown stresses the importance of loan guarantees for the oil and gas industry and says it is good to see the Conservatives are finally catching up on the issue.

He says there is no question that UK Air Passenger Duty is the highest tax in the world, saying it is not an environmental tax and he does not understand why the Tories don't back a cut in APD.

Image source, bbc

Conservative MSP Alexander Burnett highlights the job losses in the North East due to the oil and gas crisis.

Mr Burnett says it is a challenge for both the Scottish and UK governments to ensure the industry is nurtured through these difficult times.

He says it is encouraging to see sustainable growth on the horizon.

The Tory MSP says there is progress in cost reduction from the UK government and he says it has given the industry unprecedented support.

Mr Burnett says Scotland should not be the highest taxed part of the UK and he welcomes the review of business rates.

Scottish Conservative Alex Johnstone says when John Swinney was finance secretary he took the plaudits when Scotland were doing better than the UK in the economy and blamed the Westminster government when it wasn't. 

Mr Johnstone says there is a serious housing problem in Scotland.

He says failures of provisions in the North East of Scotland has resulted in a teacher shortage and health care services closing.

SNP MSP Ash Denham begins by speaking out against the UK government's austerity policy.

She says: "Austerity is self-defeating."

Labour MSP Jackie Baillie intervenes saying the SNP government had an opportunity to end austerity and asks why they chose not to do so.

Ms Denham hits back saying in talking about the wider context Westminster has more levers in regard to this and says Labour backed the austerity policy there. 

Labour MSP Jenny Marra says she is going to focus on the decommissioning industry of oil and gas.

Ms Marra says over 150 oil rigs will be decommissioned over the next ten years.

Image source, bbc

She says we don't want to decommission too early but we don't want to miss the opportunity for Scottish jobs.

The Labour MSP says the bulk of the work will take off in 2019, only three years away and she asks if Scotland is ready to seize the decommissioning opportunities.

She calls for assistance from the Scottish government to make Dundee a decommissioning hub.

Scottish Conservative MSP Jamie Green says his first job was in IBM as it thrived in laptop manufacturing but now it is "barren".

Mr Green says "there is much to be worried about" in terms of businesses closing and jobs being lost.

The Tory MSP says he welcomes the help for small businesses but is concerned about business rates. 

"We as a parliament must keep our eye on the ball to avoid recession", he says.  

SNP MSP John Mason focuses on the Bank of Scotland oil and gas report, external.

Mr Mason says the report says job losses have run into five figures.

The SNP MSP says the cost of production can vary dramatically from company to company and oil field to oil field.

He says there can still be new oil and gas finds around the Scottish coast and he suggests pressure should be brought to bear on the UK government to encourage exploration. 

Scottish Lib Dem MSP Tavish Scott says the current oil and gas industry cannot be described as "business as usual" because of the job losses.

Mr Scott says it is a very different industry now than it was only two years ago. 

The Lib Dem MSP says this industry pays a heavy price to bring oil and gas to the country because people have given their lives whilst working in the industry.

Image source, bbc

SNP MSP Stewart Stevenson says he does not agree with Patrick Harvie that the oil and gas industry does not have a long term future, but using oil and gas, not as fuel but as chemical feedstock. 

 Mr Stevenson says the skills that have been built up in the industry will be sustained for the long term

Scottish Green Party co-convener Patrick Harvie says the challenge of supporting the people affected by the oil and gas crisis must be balanced with the acknowledgement that the industry is not a long term proposition.

Mr Harvie concludes saying "Surely we must plan for the profound changes facing us."