Current status: Answered by Alyn Smith on 22 September 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what the Cabinet Secretary for Public Service Reform was referring to when, during the members' business debate on motion S7M-00428 (AI Data Centres) on 3 September 2026, he stated that "we are taking forward a strategy to consider all those issues", whether it plans to develop a new strategy in relation to data centres, and when any such strategy will be published.
The Cabinet Secretary for Public Sector Reform was referring to the commitment made as part of the Programme for Government 2026 – 2031 to publish a new strategic approach to attracting and securing responsible green data centre investment in Scotland. This will include clear expectations around environmental sustainability, resource use, community benefit and the economic and strategic value these developments should deliver. We are progressing on work to deliver this, and a timeline is currently being developed with more details to follow.