Official Report 1017KB pdf
Climate Action and Energy, and Transport
The next item of business is portfolio questions, and the portfolio is climate action and energy, and transport. I invite members who wish to ask a supplementary question to press their request-to-speak buttons during the relevant question.
Question 1 has not been lodged.
Data Centres (Support)
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the energy secretary has had with the United Kingdom Government regarding how Scotland’s energy policy and natural resources could support the establishment of new data centres in the country. (S6O-04891)
Ministers and Scottish Government officials regularly engage with their counterparts in the UK Government’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. I continue to ask the UK Government to address the high cost of electricity, as that will be a key driver in attracting data centres to Scotland.
Data centres are also identified in the Scottish Government’s green industrial strategy. We are working with our economic agencies to identify data centre sites that utilise our renewable energy sources, while exploring opportunities to recycle waste heat from those facilities into the wider community. That is also in line with our vision and action plan for green data centres and digital connectivity, which seeks to position Scotland as a leading zero-carbon, cost-competitive green data-hosting location.
Artificial intelligence is continually developing and an increasing number of data centres will be required. Clearly, energy and water are needed to operate them. As we have seen, Thames Water and Anglian Water have already highlighted their concerns about the Prime Minister’s announcement of an additional 100 data centres. Does the cabinet secretary agree that Scotland would be an ideal location to host AI data centres that are powered by renewable energy, and is she confident that we have enough renewable capacity to operate such facilities?
Given our dynamic innovation and tech ecosystems and abundant renewable energy capacity, which, at the moment, includes a lot of constrained wind energy—at various times, we have to shut off wind generation—that could be used to power new AI data centres, Scotland is certainly a natural home for them.
In May 2025, the Deputy First Minister wrote to the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology regarding the AI growth zone opportunity. She provided an open letter of support to all bidders in Scotland to accompany their final submissions, which evidenced the dedicated support that the Scottish Government and its economic agencies will provide to any selected AI growth zone in Scotland. I am keen that we promote all suitable areas of Scotland, particularly former industrial sites, as potential hosts for that key critical infrastructure. Mr McMillan’s constituency would be an excellent location for such projects.
This week, offshore Europe is taking place in Aberdeen, where the best of our energy sector are showcasing to the world the value and skills that an oil and gas sector provides. While I was there, it was put to me that the sector has been waiting more than 31 months for Scotland’s energy strategy. That is 31 months of people having no idea whether the devolved Government still has a presumption against new oil and gas. There is even a petition calling on the Scottish Government to provide the strategy. Can the cabinet secretary commit to releasing the strategy before the end of the year or even before the next election? Can she provide some clarity on this important strategy?
That is not directly related to the substantive question. Cabinet secretary, do you have anything to add?
I thank the Presiding Officer for making that point. It is not directly related to Stuart McMillan’s important question about the importance of renewable energy generation to power Scotland’s economy in the future.
New infrastructure such as data centres requires land, but land ownership in Scotland continues to be concentrated in the hands of anonymous corporate investors such as Gresham House, which, according to research by Andy Wightman, is now the second-largest private landowner in the country. It is clear that, without a presumed limit on land ownership, remote corporate entities such as Gresham House will continue to monopolise Scotland’s natural resources, including energy. Does the cabinet secretary agree that Scotland’s natural resources—which are, after all, public goods—must, at the very least, be used in the public interest?
Again, that is quite a tangential subject to the talk of data centres. Actually, the types of land that are probably more suitable for data centres are in urban environments, particularly industrial land that perhaps is not in use at all at the moment.
I agree that Scotland’s decisions on energy should be in Scotland’s hands, and that they should include Scotland’s people.
I remind members that supplementary questions need to relate to the original substantive question.
Commuter Trains (Fife)
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to tackle the frequently reported overcrowding on Fife commuter trains. (S6O-04892)
I recognise that the fleet serving Fife routes is aged, which affects its reliability and has a negative impact on commuters. We are committed to replacing the fleet and to decarbonising the routes. Work on that continues to advance.
In the meantime, ScotRail continues to take steps to improve fleet reliability in Fife as part of its broader strategic approach. That includes close collaboration between ScotRail and the train leasing company to implement a comprehensive fleet improvement plan, with a particular focus on enhancing the performance of diesel fleet operating in that region.
There were more than 800 additional train services in Fife in the most recent reporting period, compared with the same period last year, and further additional services were introduced on the Leven route, which increased capacity. My officials will continue to monitor Fife services closely to ensure that further improvements are made where possible.
The cabinet secretary will be aware of my long-standing calls, going back many years, for the serious overcrowding on Fife commuter trains to be sorted once and for all. Although the scrapping of peak fares by the Scottish Government will be very popular with my constituents, what would be equally popular would be a clear plan, with a clear timetable, to ensure that my constituents are not packed in like sardines when they are travelling to and from their work. Can the cabinet secretary therefore offer my constituents an assurance that this constant problem of overcrowding will finally be tackled?
With the Scottish National Party Government’s removal for good of peak fares, commuters in my colleague’s constituency are making considerable savings. Those travelling between Cowdenbeath and Edinburgh Waverley are saving £7 on their return daily ticket and even more with a flexipass.
I appreciate Annabelle Ewing’s—dare I say—dogged commitment to improving rail services for her constituents. She is right to do so. The Government shares her commitment to that goal of improvement and, as I have mentioned, plans to replace the ageing fleet and decarbonise the Fife rail routes are well under way. I will update the Parliament with further details very soon, and I hope that Annabelle Ewing will then be able to share them with her constituents.
Again, there are a couple of—I hope—highly relevant supplementaries.
Statistics from last year reveal that there were more than 500 full train cancellations at Inverkeithing station alone, with a further thousand train services due to travel via Inverkeithing being more than nine minutes late, of which 615 were 10 to 14 minutes late. I am sure that the cabinet secretary will not be troubled by that in her upcoming visit, but passengers and commuters in Fife have a problem and they have been suffering for too long. I know that the transport secretary believes that the current situation in Fife is unacceptable, but it is also unreliable. Can we have some timeframes from the Government for how quickly we will be able to get this sorted for the people of Fife?
As I referred to in my initial answer, ScotRail has been working on timetable, train crew and fleet resilience. I remind the member that ScotRail performs better than most Great Britain operators: in 2024-25, ScotRail cancelled only 2.2 per cent of all trains—around half as many cancellations as the average of 4.1 per cent on the GB rail service, as run by her party at the United Kingdom level. There is a particular issue—
No, it was not.
All right—as run by private operators following the Conservative Government’s privatisation of the rail service. I am pleased to see that the new Labour Government is looking to copy Scotland and to take the rail service into public ownership.
We can try to make improvements on both track and train. If we are to improve them on the Fife line in particular, we need to make sure that we are progressing on the electrification. The work between Edinburgh and Dalmeny is already under way, so those improvements are being made. We will also see improvements to the service that, as I indicated to Annabelle Ewing, we will set out in the plans shortly.
Short-forming is often the cause of the overcrowding. As the cabinet secretary has recognised, there is a need to increase capacity in Fife. Given that short-forming is not measured in the public performance measure, would she support the PPM being changed to recognise the issue? Although peak fares have been removed, which is to be welcomed, overcrowding could work against that policy and make it less attractive to travel by train.
I have been very concerned about those areas where there is short-forming and what impact reduced rail fares could have on that. Short-forming could happen when units are affected by issues such as door cracks or wheel flats. That is why replacement is really important.
Claire Baker makes a reasonable point about what impacts are measured. I know that, before the Glasgow to Edinburgh line was electrified, short-forming was an issue, so it is not unreasonable to ask for the impact of short-forming to be measured. I will speak to ScotRail about whether it could consider that.
Hydrogen Action Plan
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the progress being made in relation to its hydrogen action plan. (S6O-04893)
Significant progress has been made in delivering the actions and commitments in the hydrogen action plan. The building blocks of a hydrogen economy in Scotland are being laid, technology is advancing and projects are entering construction. More than £35 million has been awarded to support hydrogen development. We have published our hydrogen sector export plan and have launched a national hydrogen planning hub, and we will shortly publish planning and consenting guidance.
We are also working with the United Kingdom Government on the role of hydrogen in the energy mix and on the development of the policy that is required to address deployment challenges, including in areas such as regulatory frameworks, market mechanisms and infrastructure.
As the cabinet secretary knows, the north-east of Scotland’s TH2ISTLE hydrogen valley project bid for European Union funding of €9 million, which will bring together a consortium of 29 partners led by Aberdeen City Council, aims to stimulate demand for hydrogen, thereby helping sectors including transport, agriculture, construction, new green industries and industrial test facilities to decarbonise. Given the significant opportunity that that bid creates for the north-east, what assurance can the cabinet secretary provide that the hydrogen action plan includes tangible support mechanisms to help projects such as TH2ISTLE, which is critical to the emergence of the hydrogen economy in the region?
As Audrey Nicoll might know, the former Acting Minister for Climate Action, Dr Alasdair Allan, was very pleased to offer a letter of support to the TH2ISTLE hydrogen valley project’s bid for EU funding. It is good to note the positive progress that Audrey Nicoll informs us has been made on the initiative. I look forward to receiving more updates as the project moves forward.
That project is a good example of energy transition harnessing north-east Scotland’s long-standing history of developing expertise in the oil and gas sector to take advantage of the new green hydrogen opportunities and, in doing so, helping to stimulate economic growth and job creation and to support the hydrogen supply chain to develop.
A number of members wish to ask supplementaries. I will try to get them all in, but they will need to be brief, as will the responses.
The 2020 Scottish hydrogen assessment suggested that Scotland could deliver up to 126TW of hydrogen energy per year by 2045, with up to 96TW of hydrogen being available for export to Europe and the rest of the UK in the most ambitious scenario. However, the most recent Climate Change Committee carbon budget reduced that forecast to 60TW in 2040. Does the minister think that that reduction in budget is a result of not being able to properly connect suppliers and offtakers?
I am trying to piece together the parts of that question. Brian Whittle mentioned the Climate Change Committee’s estimate. The Climate Change Committee does not fund any hydrogen projects—it is up to Governments to do that. We are working with the UK Government on what it is doing in relation to the hydrogen allocation round support that it provides, which is absolutely vital. We are concentrating on the innovation side of things, which involves supporting companies.
As far as I am concerned, we need to aim as high as we can on the production of hydrogen. There is a great market for it in Germany, in particular, but there is also a great need for it in decarbonising Scotland’s industrial complexes. Many jobs will come with that if we aim high.
I ask the cabinet secretary to focus on the issue of creating green jobs in the area of green hydrogen, in which there is huge economic interest. Green hydrogen could be used in supply chains, in heavy goods vehicles, on our railways and in industry, and it could also be used to produce sustainable aviation fuel for future use by aeroplanes.
I assure Sarah Boyack that I am concentrating our efforts on green hydrogen, because that is very much where the market is. There may be some instances of developers initially choosing to produce blue hydrogen but moving on to green hydrogen over time. We know that, if we are to export our hydrogen, any European countries that might buy from Scotland are interested only in green hydrogen, so it is fair to say that that is where our efforts lie.
I recently visited the Binn ecopark at Glenfarg, which neighbours my constituency and has a really interesting hydrogen project coming on stream. Green Cat Hydrogen is particularly anxious about incentives for the demand side. Although those are in the action plan, the company is nervous that the emphasis on that is not sufficient. What can the minister say to reassure Green Cat Hydrogen and other companies that are interested in becoming involved in the sector?
I would say that there is a really large potential market for green hydrogen in Scotland, on top of the export plans that I mentioned.
We must first decarbonise our own industry, and there are many opportunities for companies with high energy use to diversify into using hydrogen. We should shout from the rooftops about companies such as the one that Willie Rennie mentioned in order to send a signal to those with high energy use that are looking to change their fuel. For example, the whisky industry is one of the first movers in that area. We should signal that there is an opportunity to buy hydrogen from developers such as the one that Willie Rennie mentioned and from many more across Scotland and that they can only grow.
Borders Railway (Extension)
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the 10th anniversary of the Borders railway, whether it will provide an update on the progress of the feasibility study to extend the line beyond Tweedbank to Carlisle, via Hawick. (S6O-04894)
I pay tribute to Christine Grahame for her early, continuous, and passionate support for rail in the Borders over many years, and I look forward to joining her and others over the coming week as we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Borders railway.
The Scottish Government recognises that extending the Borders railway is a regional priority. We have already seen the positive social and economic impacts that reopening the railway to Tweedbank has had on the region in the past 10 years. I am pleased that Scottish Borders Council, which is leading the business case work on the proposed extension, has now appointed a project manager from Turner & Townsend.
Officials from both the United Kingdom and Scottish Governments recently met with the project manager to agree next steps and will continue to engage and support the work as it develops.
I thank the cabinet secretary for her kind words. Earlier today, I emphasised the success of the Borders railway. It was once opposed by the Conservatives, but we all love sinners who repent.
The extraordinary level of passenger usage, which goes way beyond what was predicted in the early days, has now had added to it to the huge benefit of the discarding of peak fares. Does that not add to the case for extension?
More than 13 million passengers have used the Borders railway since it opened. It is a major success, reflecting experiences in other areas, including with the Bathgate to Edinburgh line and the Bathgate to Airdrie extension, which have also encouraged more passengers than were originally forecast. Investment in rail is important.
The case has been made for the work that is required, which is why the project manager is now producing the business case. When that is delivered, we expect it to reinforce what Christine Grahame and others want to see. Any decisions about how an extension might be taken forward will be made in the future, but the delivery of the business case is the key next step.
Will the cabinet secretary address concerns that the Scottish Government feasibility study will concentrate predominantly on multimodal options, rather than looking at what the people of the Borders want, which is a transformational connection by rail, via Hawick, to Carlisle?
It is the project manager who will take forward that work, on behalf of Scottish Borders Council. If the member has any concerns about what Scottish Borders Council is looking at, it would be best for her to take those up with the council.
When we are developing transport enhancements, as we did with East Kilbride, multimodal use and encouraging passengers to use buses or cars to reach railway stations is part and parcel of the plans that we expect nowadays, so I will not traduce the use of multimodal transport in combination with rail. It will be best if the member addresses her question to Scottish Borders Council.
Energy Price Cap
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding any impact on its energy policy and strategy, what its response is to Ofgem’s announcement on 27 August regarding the energy price cap. (S6O-04895)
The Labour Party’s election manifesto pledged to cut bills by £300, but bills are higher than there were this time last year and they have just risen again. We need urgent action from the United Kingdom Government to set out how it will cut bills and keep its promise. We believe that the UK Government must immediately deliver a social tariff in the form of a targeted unit rate discount, while progressing much-needed wider reform. We urge it to deliver a package of measures that addresses fuel poverty while securing investor confidence and a level playing field for renewable generators in Scotland.
Scotland produces far more electricity than it consumes, but nearly half a million Scots are living in extreme fuel poverty. What financial support will be available from the Scottish Government this winter for people who are struggling to pay ever-increasing energy bills? I thank the cabinet secretary for welcoming Advice Direct Scotland’s call for a social energy tariff.
This coming winter, the Scottish Government will provide an estimated £28.3 million through our winter heating payment and £11.4 million through our child winter heating payment, and there will be £187 million priority payment recovery from pensioners who have a taxable income of more than £35,000 through our pension-age winter heating payment. That is in addition to the Scottish Government’s significant capital investment of more than £150 million in the current financial year in our energy efficiency programmes—the warmer homes Scotland and area-based schemes, which are targeted at people in fuel poverty, making homes easier and cheaper to heat.
I commend the work of Advice Direct Scotland, which is a member of our consumers working group. ADS has consistently, over many years, called for a social tariff for those whom it represents.
Rail Fares (Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn)
To ask the Scottish Government what impact the abolition of peak rail fares is likely to have on people living in, working in or visiting the Maryhill and Springburn constituency. (S6O-04896)
The Scottish National Party Government’s initiative to remove for good peak-time fares from ScotRail services will have a strong positive impact on passengers not only in Bob Doris’s constituency of Maryhill and Springburn but across the country. For example, passengers travelling during peak times between Springburn and Glasgow will save around 27 per cent on their daily return ticket, and those travelling from Maryhill will save 42 per cent on the same journey, and there will be more savings on flexipass fares.
With this initiative, we are helping household incomes as people face increases in food and energy bills. We are providing more choices for where people might want to work, and we are encouraging more people to travel into our cities and spend money on retail and hospitality. We are also, of course, tackling the climate emergency by encouraging new potential passengers on to the train and to leave the car at home.
I welcome the significant cost savings that abolishing peak-time rail fares will provide to my constituents. As the cabinet secretary has highlighted, the saving is more than 40 per cent for many of those using the railway in my constituency. Does the cabinet secretary agree that this is a real opportunity to drive up commuter numbers across the rail network more generally? As railway patronage grows, I highlight the importance of restoring a 30-minute service during the day on the Maryhill line Monday to Friday, which is still to return to its pre-Covid frequency.
We monitor the growth in passenger numbers and will continue to do so. We recognise the importance of the role that rail travel plays. Bob Doris might appreciate that passenger travel patterns have changed since the Covid pandemic, but they are recovering, and we expect further growth. We will identify what might be needed in the future, but as the service is meeting the current passenger demand, there are no immediate plans to deliver any significant changes to the timetable on the Maryhill line. However, as I have said, ScotRail will continue to review the timetable and, at some point in the future, it might adjust it.
Public Transport Safety
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on work to improve safety on public transport. (S6O-04897)
Everyone has the right to be and feel safe when using or working on our public transport network. Transport Scotland is working to make travel safer for all. ScotRail is delivering an on-going programme of conflict management training for all front-line staff and has recently expanded its travel safe team. To support that, a Scottish Government working group has been established to review how police enforcement powers are applied on the railway and where they can be strengthened.
The First Minister has set out a programme for government commitment to remove free bus travel from any person of any age who does not act responsibly. Work is on-going to develop a behaviour code for scheme users, with legislation planned to suspend access to free bus travel. Alongside that, work is on-going with bus operators to explore the use of travel safety officers on the bus network, along with enhancing education materials for bus passengers on safety.
I think that we all agree that there is no place for antisocial or abusive behaviour on public transport and that no one should feel unsafe or threatened in their place of work or when travelling.
The cabinet secretary recognised the concerns that were raised by bus drivers last year, and the Parliament agreed that the potential to remove concessionary bus passes from individuals who engage in antisocial behaviour should be progressed. I welcome her indicating that that work is on-going. Can she indicate when that work will be completed? Can we expect it to be completed by the end of this session of Parliament?
The answer to that is yes, that is our intention. However, I am in the hands of Parliament, its clerks and the committee on that, so I cannot give you certainty about that now.
Police Scotland figures, which were obtained by the Scottish Conservatives during the summer, have revealed that assaults and threats at bus stations have soared by 65 per cent in one year. The number of police call-outs to assaults at Glasgow’s Buchanan bus station rose by 85 per cent, while the number of call-outs to Dunfermline bus station increased by 133 per cent. Does the cabinet secretary believe that that is acceptable? What action is being undertaken to ensure that hard-working commuters feel safe?
Clearly, criminal behaviour needs to be dealt with by Police Scotland. Individuals are responsible for their own behaviour. It is more telling that people carry out such behaviour in environments in which there is a single bus driver, for example, and they are not in the company of others. Obviously, bus stations are owned by different operators.
In my initial answer, I mentioned that we are considering putting in place travel safety officers. Obviously, the issues that the member raises are for Police Scotland, but in general—this is a plea to the United Kingdom Government—the cuts to British Transport Police are not helpful, particularly to rail. However, I understand that the member asked about buses; I am sure that Police Scotland will give its attention to that area.
Will the cabinet secretary update the Parliament on progress on extending concessionary travel to people seeking asylum?
Work and funding are progressing on that, and my colleague Jim Fairlie—who will be taking the lead because of his responsibility for bus services—will inform Parliament at the appropriate time.
That concludes portfolio questions on climate action and energy, and transport. There will be a short pause before we move to the next item of business.
Previous
Rail FaresNext
Drug-related Deaths