The Scottish Parliament

Question reference: S6W-42652

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 5 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of Scotland’s 2045 target to balance climate-warming pollution that is emitted with what can be removed from the atmosphere, whether it will provide an update on how it plans to scale up education and training provision for green jobs in order to deliver that target.

Our recently published draft Climate Change Plan sets out how we will seize the opportunities of net zero to secure new jobs and economic growth. The plan sets out the action we are taking to Scottish Government to plan for a multi-skilled workforce that can benefit from opportunities across the energy system.

Since 2022, our Just Transition Fund has allocated £85 million projects across the North East and Moray, helping to create green jobs, support innovation and secure the highly skilled workforce of the future .This includes £4.5 million to support the Energy Transition Skills Hub in Aberdeen, and £3.7 million to develop the Energy Skills Passport, which supports oil and gas workers to identify raining routes into clean energy roles.

In 2025 we also launched the pilot of a new Oil and Gas Transition Training Fund in partnership with the UK Government to support oil and gas workers with careers advice and funding for training to access roles in sustainable energy.

The Offshore Wind Skills Priorities & Action Plan, developed with industry and key public sector partners, sets out 12 initial actions to be taken in supporting the required pipeline of skilled workers. We are also providing targeted funding to the college sector in 2025-26 to deliver an Offshore Wind Skills Programme, helping to create region-specific training hubs for offshore wind skills.

More broadly, the Scottish Government recognises the significant reforms to education and training to further the STEM skills needed to support high-quality green jobs. In the Programme for Government the First Minister committed to take responsibility for skills planning at the national level, while strengthening regional approaches, to ensure that post school provision becomes more responsive to Scotland’s strategic skills needs and priorities, including the transition to Net Zero.

Question reference: S6W-42679

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 5 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what the outcome was of any investigation into the pollution incident reported at Loch Hourn in April 2025; what the (a) source and (b) nature of any pollution was determined to be; whether any enforcement action has been taken as a result, and what steps have been taken to prevent any recurrence.

Question reference: S6W-42274

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 16 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the UK Government's recent publication of the North Sea Future Plan, which includes the announcement of the introduction of Transitional Energy Certificates, what assessment it has made of any impacts that these certificates will have on the Marine Protected Areas recently protected by the Scottish Government.

The regulatory regimes for offshore oil and gas licensing and consenting are matters reserved to the UK Government.

The Scottish Government has noted the recent publication of the UK Government’s North Sea Future Plan, including its approach to future offshore oil and gas licensing. We are now taking the appropriate time to carefully consider the detail within the UK Government’s plan and its implications for Scotland.

All public bodies have an obligation to consider the conservation objectives of Marine Protected Areas within their decision making and ensure these are furthered.

Question reference: S6W-42454

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 08 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 16 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many representations have been received (a) in support of and (b) opposed to the proposed golf course on the wildlife site at Coul Links near Embo in Sutherland, which NatureScot has described as "internationally important".

The Highland Council’s report of handling recorded 1,047 representations: 746 objections, 314 in support, and 9 neutral.

Separately, the Scottish Government has received a total 411 individual written representations in relation to the proposed development. A detailed breakdown of how many are in support or opposed is not available; however all relevant matters raised will be taken into account through the decision-making process.

In addition, petitions opposing the proposal have been submitted to the Scottish Government, including from: Not Coul (currently over 92,000 signatures), the Scottish Greens (around 4,500), and RSPB (around 11,000).

Question reference: S6W-42301

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 11 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will commit to a clear deadline for introducing new vessels on the Gourock-Dunoon route before the 2026 Scottish Parliament election.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-42300 on 11 December 2025.

Programme costs and budgets as well as construction and delivery timelines are currently being reviewed alongside vessel and infrastructure options and will be included in the Outline Business Case.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

Question reference: S6W-42300

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 11 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what instructions have been given to Transport Scotland regarding accelerating the procurement of new vessels for the Gourock-Dunoon route.

The Programme Working Group, comprised of representatives from CMAL, CalMac, Transport Scotland and Argyll and Bute Council, has been considering various replacement vessel and infrastructure options to ensure the optimum solution for ferry services to Dunoon and Kilcreggan.

In terms of moving forward with replacement vessels and infrastructure for the route, approvals from Transport Scotland’s Investment Decision Board and Ministers will be required following completion of the Outline Business Case, which will be subject to budget considerations and investment priorities across the network. An investment decision is currently scheduled for Q2 2026.

Question reference: S6W-42128

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 10 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S6W-41434 and S6W-41435 by Mairi McAllan on 18 November 2025 and S6W-41436 on 19 November 2025, whether it plans to introduce the bespoke statutory accommodation standards for all seasonal workers in the current parliamentary session; if so, by what date it needs to complete its consultation for this to take place; whether the consultation needs to conclude before, or is separate to, the publication of the bespoke statutory accommodation standards, and whether it (a) has undertaken and (b) plans to undertake any work to assess whether it is fulfilling its responsibilities under section 315(6) of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987, including when local authorities do not have byelaws in effect pursuant to section 315(1) of the Act.

The challenges faced by seasonal workers and their employers are complex, and therefore significant work is required in order to bring these bespoke standards into place. Whilst we will progress this work for the remainder of this parliamentary session, the government does not expect to legislate within this current parliamentary session.

As previously stated, we are assessing what is required pursuant to section 315 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987.

Question reference: S6W-42189

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 01 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 8 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding any recent meetings held by the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Inter-ministerial Group on horticultural peat, what was discussed at these meetings, and what proposals are being considered regarding a pan-UK approach to ending peat sales.

Communiqués summarising key points of discussion at Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Inter-Ministerial Group meetings are published on the Scottish Government website. Horticultural peat was most recently discussed at the June 2025 meeting. The Scottish Government called for legislative collaboration and consistent messaging across the UK in order to avoid potential undermining of the devolution settlement arising from the UK Internal Market Act and to support a level playing field for Scotland’s horticulture industry.

Question reference: S6O-05268

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 December 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how the planning process monitors the delivery of any job creation figures included within planning applications, including applications for salmon farms, once they are built and operational.

Question reference: S6W-42099

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 3 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the University of Stirling's recently published research on the positive benefits of beaver-created wetlands on pollinator numbers, what financial incentives it provides for landowners to accommodate beaver wetlands.

Whilst the Scottish Government does not have any specific options that provide financial incentives for landowners to accommodate beaver wetlands, there are grant schemes that could be used to support complimentary and positive beaver management.

Agri-Environment Climate scheme (AECS) options could be used to for the creation and management of wetlands, water margins, and flood plain management. For example, if the edge of a field next to a burn or drainage channel regularly floods where beavers are present, having a larger water margin could help to reduce ongoing conflicts. For larger areas or naturally wet corners, wetland management options could be considered.

The Nature Restoration Fund (NRF) may also be able to provide financial support for suitable habitat creation or restoration particularly at a collaborative project, catchment or landscape level.

Through the NRF, the Scottish Government is committed to providing £65 million additional funding from 2021 to 2026 for projects that will restore nature, safeguard wildlife and tackle the causes of biodiversity loss and climate change.

Although outcomes related explicitly to beavers or wetlands are not specified, the priority themes of the NRF would permit the creation of this kind of habitat e.g:

Habitat and species restoration - management for enhancement and connectivity.
Freshwater restoration, including restoration of natural flows in rural catchments.

Scottish Forestry Grant Scheme also offers funding through the Woodland Creation and Woodland Improvement Grants for the creation of new woodlands and the sustainable management of existing woodlands. Payment rates relate to the kind of woodland being created, each of which has a prescribed planting density. A higher rate can be paid if the woodland is in a target area such as a Woodlands for Water and the Forestry Grant Scheme | Scottish Forestry target area.

For Woodland Improvement Grants specifically, the aim of this option is to provide capital grants for a range of activities that will:

encourage natural regeneration and benefit priority habitats and species
increase species and structural diversity through low impact silvicultural systems management
support the preparation of forest and / or management plans that set out management objectives for the woodland
improve the biodiversity, resilience, and structural diversity of even aged woodlands

Going forward, NatureScot will work with the Scottish Beaver Advisory Group (SBAG) to ensure there is continued support available to land managers for beaver mitigation and to influence the design of future schemes to support land managers in making space for nature and building ecosystem resilience.

NatureScot has also produced guidance which provides further details on these schemes on what existing measures could be used in support of living with beavers

Beaver Mitigation - Support through Government grant schemes | NatureScot.

Any land manager, farmer or crofter wishing to discuss positive beaver management should contact [email protected] for further advice.

Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Filter your results Hide all filters

Question reference: S6W-42652

Answer

Question reference: S6W-42679

Answer

Question reference: S6W-42274

Answer

Question reference: S6W-42454

Answer

Question reference: S6W-42301

Answer

Question reference: S6W-42300

Answer

Question reference: S6W-42128

Answer

Question reference: S6W-42189

Answer

Question reference: S6O-05268

Answer

Question reference: S6W-42099

Answer