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-37385

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 16 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many post-construction ornithological monitoring reports it has received from wind farm operators in each of the last five years, and what summary findings it has identified from any such reports in relation to bird mortality.

In respect of offshore wind farms, six reports have been submitted to the Marine Directorate – Licensing Operations Team. Reports consider the distribution and abundance of seabirds around wind farms or protected sites and what this may mean in terms of their displacement from wind farm areas, with some reports discussing implications for collision avoidance rates used in modelling.

All information related to determinations made by Scottish Ministers in respect of onshore wind farm developments, which may include conditions such as post-construction ornithological monitoring, is publicly available on our Energy Consents website: https://www.energyconsents.scot/ApplicationSearch.aspx.

Question reference: S6W-37390

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 16 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to update the Scottish seabird sensitivity map to reflect the latest population trends and collision-risk research, and, if so, when it expects the revised map to be published.

The Scottish Government does not currently have plans to update the Scottish seabird sensitivity map. The Scottish seabird sensitivity map was last published in August 2024 following updates in over 2021-2023. There are various streams of work underway through the Scottish Marine Energy Research Programme (ScotMER) that will improve relevant parameters including seabird distributions, population trends and collision risk, required to update the tool. Once this work is completed, we may revisit and update the seabird sensitivity map.

Question reference: S6W-37388

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 16 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the effectiveness of turbine shutdown on demand systems in mitigating bird strikes at onshore wind farms, and what evidence it has evaluated to reach this position.

The mitigation of bird strikes at onshore wind farms is decided on a case-by-case basis. Any mitigation measures provided in the development's application documentation, specifically the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), is subject to statutory and other relevant consultees analysing the data and providing their technical expertise. If necessary, consultees will request additional ecological, ornithological and environmental data and information that will inform any decisions on mitigations.

Question reference: S6W-37387

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 16 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what research it has commissioned or funded since 1 January 2020 into technological or operational measures to reduce bird collisions with wind-turbine blades, and what the total expenditure has been on any such research, broken down by project.

Question reference: S6W-37391

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 16 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the implications are of its Scottish Biodiversity Strategy to 2045 for the consenting and operation of wind farm developments in areas of high ornithological sensitivity.

Question reference: S6W-37384

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 16 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on the estimated annual number of seabird and raptor collisions at operational (a) onshore and (b) offshore wind farms, broken down by (i) species and (ii) year in each of the last five years.

As part of their applications for consent under the Electricity Act 1989, developers undertake environmental impact assessment (EIA), including collision risk modelling to estimate annual collisions in respect of ornithological receptors. The results of such modelling for offshore wind are available within the EIA Reports published on the Marine Directorate – Licensing Operations Team website: https://marine.gov.scot/marine-projects.

Data provided by offshore wind developers indicate a total of 2 confirmed collisions have been reported at operational offshore wind farms in the last 5 years – one kittiwake (date not provided) and one herring gull (July 2024).

NatureScot collect data for bird strikes at onshore wind farms via their online reporting tool. The reporting is voluntary, meaning it is likely they only receive reports on a proportion of strikes. Where possible the data is supplemented with information they receive from general correspondence.

Question reference: S6W-37389

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 16 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on the proportion of new wind farm consents granted since 1 January 2022 that include legally enforceable conditions requiring (a) bird-strike monitoring, (b) adaptive management plans and (c) financial bonds for remedial action.

In respect of offshore wind farms, three consents have been issued since 1 January 2022. All three have requirements for ornithological monitoring via a condition for a Project Environmental Monitoring Programme (PEMP). In the event that further potential adverse environmental effects are identified, for which no predictions were made in the application, the Scottish Ministers may require the developer to undertake additional monitoring through the PEMP condition.

All information related to determinations made by Scottish Ministers in respect of onshore wind farm developments, including related conditions, is publicly available on our Energy Consents website: Scottish Government - Energy Consents Unit - Application Search . In cases where deemed planning permission is granted, any conditions of that deemed planning permission would be discharged by the Planning Authority.

Question reference: S6W-37362

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 May 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 28 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential implications of the UK Government’s consideration of zonal electricity pricing for any progress towards statutory net zero targets in Scotland, and whether it will publish any underlying modelling or analytical tables.

Question reference: S6W-37363

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 14 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has carried out of any distributional impacts of zonal electricity pricing in Scotland across (a) geographic regions, (b) income deciles and (c) protected characteristic groups, and what the findings were of any such work.

Question reference: S6W-37366

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 14 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the total staff (a) time commitment, expressed in full-time equivalent days and (b) cost has been for work relating to zonal electricity pricing under the Review of Electricity Market Arrangements since 1 June 2021.