The Scottish Parliament

Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for ��˿�� to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S6W-44368

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 25 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-43888 by Gillian Martin on 2 March 2026, whether it has sought clarification from SSEN that its definition of “specialist” jobs covers all seafarer grades.

Question reference: S6W-44371

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 25 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-43887 by Gillian Martin on 5 March 2026, what financial support it is currently providing to SSE plc and its subsidiaries, including (a) SSEN Transmission and (b) SSEN Distribution.

Question reference: S6W-44369

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 25 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-43888 by Gillian Martin on 2 March 2026, whether it will provide details of the 450 specialist jobs that SSEN estimates will be supported in each year of the five years of the contract, broken down by seafarer grade.

The Scottish Government understands that SSEN has now put in place its frameworks with contract partners. These frameworks will enable partners to bid for specific projects. This process will define the precise nature and the grade of roles created.

Given the subsea cable upgrades will be delivered through private contracts between SSEN and its partners, the Scottish Government will have no role in the creation or management of jobs resulting from the subsea network upgrades.

Question reference: S6W-44367

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 25 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-43887 by Gillian Martin on 5 March 2026, what steps it is taking to work with trade unions to promote Fair Work principles in private contracts for domestic (a) production, (b) transmission and (c) distribution of offshore renewable energy.

Question reference: S6W-44370

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 25 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-43887 by Gillian Martin on 5 March 2026, what action it is taking to promote the Oil and Gas Transition Training Fund for the supply of skilled workers to SSEN Distribution’s five contract partners.

The Oil and Gas Transition Training Fund (TTF), currently in its 2025-26 pilot phase and delivered by Skills Development Scotland, supports eligible oil and gas workers with careers advice and funding for training to access roles across a range of sustainable energy sectors. This includes roles in electricity grids, distribution and transmission.

It is for individuals applying to the TTF to set the overall direction of their application and therefore the sector(s) they may wish to access following training. This flexibility allows workers to assess their options, supported by expert careers advice, based on their experience, existing skill set, aspirations and the availability of jobs in their area.

In October 2025, the Scottish and UK Governments announced joint funding of up to £18 million to extend and expand the TTF over financial years 2026-27, 2027-28 and 2028-29.

Question reference: S6W-44386

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 20 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the Cabinet Secretary for Transport’s statement to the Parliament on 3 March 2026 on Ferries and Ports, on what date it expects CMAL to sign the legal agreement with Peel Ports for the public purchase of Ardrossan Harbour.

Question reference: S6O-05693

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 March 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding its cross-government co-ordination on island connectivity, what discussions the rural affairs secretary has had with ministerial colleagues on how to ensure that public transport meets the needs of island communities.

Question reference: S6F-04758

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 16 March 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 March 2026

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to reports that the Scottish Information Commissioner is taking legal advice on further legal action against the Scottish Government and his comments that he “can no longer trust the Government to handle this information unsupervised".

Question reference: S6O-05662

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 March 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that its Budget 2026-27 adequately funds health and social care partnerships to deliver services, including social care.

Question reference: S6W-43887

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 23 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 5 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will undertake an urgent assessment of the five contracted partners in SSEN Distribution’s £950 million framework for improving subsea grid connections for Scotland’s island communities, in relation to upholding the aims of the Fair Work Convention, which was renewed on 19 February 2026.

SSEN’s £950 million framework does not include any public funding, and the Scottish Government does not have the levers to enforce Fair Work conditions on private investments.
Employment law is reserved to the UK Government.
The Scottish Government strongly encourages all employers in Scotland to follow Fair Work principles as part of its wider Fair Work agenda, and is using all the levers available to us to make Fair Work the norm by promoting and embedding Fair Work within every Ministerial portfolio and across the economy, including through our Fair Work First conditionality policy.