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 MSPs 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-41364

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 28 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding any implications for its energy strategy, what impact it anticipates that the growth of AI and data centres will have on the (a) energy grid and (b) electricity demand in Scotland; whether it plans to introduce specific planning guidance for energy-intensive developments, such as AI data centres, and what strategic planning is being undertaken to accommodate any infrastructure demands of AI technologies, including data centres and high-performance computing.

There is an opportunity for Scotland to become a leader in green data centres given our capacity to generate energy from renewable sources.

In 2023, 70% of electricity generated in Scotland was from renewable sources – a marked increase compared to less than one-third (32%) a decade previously. As of June 2025, there is an estimated capacity of 76.5 GW of renewable energy projects, including storage, in the planning pipeline in Scotland. This means there is ample opportunity to use excess renewable generation for data centres, helping to reduce the impact and taxpayer costs of network constraints, with £390 million paid to Scottish wind farm operators in 2024 alone. As the National Energy System Operator (NESO) recognised in its 2025 Future Energy Scenarios, up to a fifth of Great Britain’s future data centre demand could be based in Scotland.

While we have no immediate plans to introduce planning guidance for energy-intensive developments, strategic planning is being undertaken by the Scottish Government to accommodate any infrastructure demands of AI technologies, such as AI data centres. Together with the UK and Welsh Governments, we have jointly commissioned NESO to produce a Strategic Spatial Energy Plan (SSEP) for Great Britain. The SSEP will spatially optimise a specified volume of flexible data centre demand (1-2GW). This will indicate where opportunities for energy system benefits exist, such as co-location of renewables and data centres, supporting the development of government policy on the spatial location of data centre demand. The Regional Energy Strategic Plan for Scotland will further enable the coordinated development of the energy system across multiple vectors.

Question reference: S6W-41361

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 28 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether all data centres are considered national developments under the fourth National Planning Framework, or only those that support the Digital Fibre Network ambition.

Question reference: S6W-40952

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 24 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what advice and recommendations it has received, and from whom, regarding the proposed Nature Conservation Order to protect the Parallel Roads of Lochaber Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) at Achnabobane.

The Scottish Government has received advice and recommendations from NatureScot and Scottish Forestry with respect to the proposed Nature Conservation Order to protect the Parallel Roads of Lochaber Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) at Achnabobane. The NatureScot advice reflected local discussions between The Highland Council, Scottish Forestry and Police Scotland which sought to address damage to the SSSI.

Question reference: S6W-40857

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 24 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential (a) environmental and (b) economic impact on Scotland of any breakdown of the Gulf Stream and its associated currents, and what action it has carried out to prepare for any such eventuality.

The Scottish Government works to address a wide range of current and potential future impacts of climate change on Scotland. The actions and policies it is committed to delivering to build resilience and adapt to climate change are set out in the Scottish National Adaptation Plan (SNAP3). As established in the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2008, this is a five-year cycle, with each new Adaptation Plan responding to the latest climate risk evidence base provided through technical advice and risk assessments published by the Climate Change Committee and UK Government. With regards to the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), the most recent Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA3) from the CCC does not factor AMOC into the underlying evidence base of climate risk and opportunities. The CCRA3 notes that a shutdown of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is considered very unlikely this century and is therefore not included in the specific evidence base on which SNAP3 has been designed to respond.

Question reference: S6W-41434

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 October 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 18 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made with the scoping review of caravan and mobile accommodation for seasonal workers, and by what date its findings will be made public.

Question reference: S6W-41435

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 October 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 18 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what ministerial meetings have been held with (a) local authorities, (b) representatives of the agricultural sector, including farmers and (c) regulatory bodies, including the (i) Health and Safety Executive and (ii) Gangmasters Labour Abuse Authority, regarding caravan and mobile accommodation for seasonal workers.

Question reference: S6W-41436

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 October 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 18 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review its compliance with, including ministerial performance, section 315 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987, which refers to byelaws with respect to accommodation for seasonal workers.

Question reference: S6W-40958

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 21 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of Marine Fund Scotland's award of the collection of fisheries observer data to commercial subsidiaries of the Scottish Fishermen's Federation, how these commercial subsidiaries are working on this with the Marine Directorate, and by what date the data and accompanying documents from the project will be released.

The Scottish Fishermen’s Federation has collected data as part of the Scottish Demersal Observer Programme with the Marine Directorate since 2014. The data collected by the scientific observers are provided to the Marine Directorate and are used for the annual estimation of bycatch weights and numbers by species, size and fishery in March of each year for the previous calendar year. These estimates are provided during April-July of each year to the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) for use in stock assessments, to the Scottish and UK governments to inform fisheries management, and to the fishing industry to provide evidence towards Marine Stewardship Council Sustainability Certification. A report summarising the time series of bycatch estimates is compiled each summer by the Marine Directorate. The report is available on request to the Marine Directorate and work has recently begun to make this publicly available online.

Question reference: S6W-40955

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 21 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Construction Skills Investment Plan 2015, which identified the need for flexible models of modern apprenticeship delivery, what progress it has made towards achieving this outcome, particularly for tiling and roof slating modern apprenticeships in rural areas.

The Scottish Government recognises the potential of the shared apprenticeship model to support small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) that may lack the capacity to employ an apprentice independently. Officials will continue to explore this model alongside other measures which may enable more SMEs to take on apprentices.

A key priority for the Scottish Government is also to promote apprenticeship delivery in island and rural communities, reflecting its commitment to inclusive growth. To ensure equitable access, particularly in remote and rural areas, the Government has introduced a rural uplift: an enhanced payment to training providers that incentivises delivery in these locations. This additional support enables providers to develop and deliver flexible, locally tailored apprenticeship programmes that meet the needs of learners and employers in these communities.

Question reference: S6W-40954

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 21 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of what was set out in the Construction Skills Investment Plan 2015, whether it has developed annual regional demand statements for modern apprenticeships and, if so, how these can be accessed.

Skills Development Scotland (SDS) produce annual Regional Skills Assessments (RSAs) and Sectoral Skills Assessments (SSAs) to inform modern apprenticeship (MA) contracting, helping to ensure that provision aligns with regional and sectoral demands.

These assessments identify current and projected skills needs across Scotland’s regions. They are informed by labour market intelligence, stakeholder engagement, and economic forecasting. They are publicly accessible via the SDS website Skills Planning - Skills Development Scotland.

The Scottish Government remains committed to ensuring that Modern Apprenticeships (MAs) are responsive to both regional and sectoral needs. We are taking responsibility for national-level skills planning, while also strengthening regional approaches to better align with local economic priorities and workforce demands.