Questions and answers

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-28128

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 25 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met representatives of (a) the Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council, (b) the oil and gas industry and (c) trade unions to discuss employment rates for people from Scotland working in the offshore energy industry.

The Scottish Government engages regularly with all three of these stakeholder groups, as well as with other bodies, to discuss a range of issues related to ensuring a just energy transition, including rates of employment and other workforce considerations.

The Scottish Government routinely meets with the Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council (SOWEC) and other stakeholders to discuss a range of issues including skills and workforce. The last SOWEC meeting was held on 20 June 2024.

In relation to oil and gas industry, I met with Offshore Energies UK on 20 March 2024. The First Minister also met with representatives from a number of individual businesses in Aberdeen, including oil and gas companies, to discuss the energy transition on 17 May 2024.

In relation to trade unions, I met with representatives from the Scottish Trade Unions Congress (STUC), UNISON, Unite, RMT and GMB on 29 February 2024. Ministers have also subsequently met with trade unions on matters related to transition in Scotland’s onshore energy system. Scottish Government officials also meet monthly, most recently on 3 June 2024, with representatives of STUC to discuss issues relevant to ensuring a just transition. Previous engagement with trade unions has been fundamental to our policy thinking about a just transition to date, including through the creation of the Just Transition Commission. The Scottish Government has committed to providing annual funding of £100k to support just transition capacity within the trade union movement, which will ensure this vital input continues, as we get on with delivering good, green jobs and a truly just transition.

Question reference: S6W-28179

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 14 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 25 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide the reasons for its decision to no longer provide new referrals for solar PV and energy storage systems to the Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan scheme from 6 June 2024.

The Scottish Government recognises that solar power has an important role to play in decarbonising our energy supply and supporting a just transition to net zero, however, we cannot meet our climate targets without ending the use of polluting heating systems in our buildings and moving to clean heat alternatives.

With sustained demand for the scheme and in the context of the real terms cuts to the Scottish Government’s capital funding – as well as drastic reductions in financial transactions – these changes were necessary to ensure that funding is best focused on interventions which directly decarbonise heat or reduce heat demand and ensure the scheme stays within its available budget.

Question reference: S6W-28125

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 25 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any impact on the NHS’s hyperbaric treatment capacity for offshore divers in north east Scotland of NHS Grampian’s reported cessation of the contract for the hyperbaric facility in Oban.

NHS National Services Scotland as commissioner of hyperbaric services and NHS Grampian who provide and co-ordinate the Hyperbaric Medical Unit in Scotland completed a full risk assessment exercise. Within this they reviewed the impact of the service level agreement with the NHS hyperbaric facility in Oban coming to an end.

This assessment is a matter for NHS National Services Scotland and NHS Grampian and information regarding it is not held centrally by Scottish Government.

Question reference: S6W-28130

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 25 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with the Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council regarding the development of the skills passport for offshore energy workers in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-28101

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 24 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how frequently its ministers receive reports from its Marine Directorate on contaminants in marine animals.

Question reference: S6W-28131

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 21 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with the Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council regarding contracts for the delivery of floating offshore wind sites through the Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas (INTOG) programme for decarbonising offshore oil and gas installations.

The Scottish Government discussed INTOG at Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council (SOWEC) meeting on 6 March 2024.

As SOWEC chair, stakeholders were notified of the revised timeline for the updated Sectoral Marine Plan for offshore wind energy (SMP-OWE) which will provide a planning framework for Scotwind and INTOG. Consultation on a draft will commence in Autumn 2024 and a final plan adopted by Spring 2025.

While the updated SMP-OWE is being prepared, developers may continue to submit applications for consent and licensing in the normal way. These will be considered by Ministers on a case-by-case basis in line with the planning, consenting and assessment framework available at the time.

Therefore there will be no delay for any offshore wind project progressing through our licensing and consenting process as a result of the revised timeline.

SOWEC will continue to engage with industry to discuss the key challenges and opportunities related to offshore wind in Scotland including INTOG projects.

Question reference: S6W-28132

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 21 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the number of jobs that will be created in Scotland by the Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas (INTOG) programme.

The potential impacts, including that of job creation, of the Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas (“INTOG”) leasing round are currently being assessed through the sectoral marine planning process. The INTOG sites together with the commercial-scale sites leased by Crown Estate Scotland through the ScotWind leasing round will form the spatial basis for the updated Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind Energy. The planning process includes undertaking a plan-level social and economic impact assessment which will provide an estimate of the positive impacts INTOG developments may have on employment opportunities. The assessment will be made available for public consultation, alongside the draft updated Plan, later this year.

Question reference: S6W-28129

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 21 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has discussed the skills passport for offshore energy workers with (a) SSE Renewables and (b) other members of the Global Wind Organisation that hold contracts in Scotland’s offshore wind industry.

The Scottish Government has engaged with the industry-led Offshore Energy Skills Passport through the project steering group led by Renewable UK and Offshore Energies UK. This group also includes representation from the Global Wind Organisation (GWO), the Offshore Petroleum Industry Training Organization (OPITO), the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB), Trade Unions and a range of other stakeholders. SSE is not a member of the project steering group.

We have welcomed the recent joint statement from Renewable UK and Offshore Energies UK on progress to date and next steps with the Passport and urge industry partners to continue to develop and roll the initiative out at pace.

Question reference: S6W-28127

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 20 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what recent assessment it has made of the number of qualified offshore commercial divers residing in Scotland.

Question reference: S6O-03624

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 June 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met with Creative Scotland.