Chamber and committees

I understand and acknowledge that communities in the North East may have concerns regarding proposed electricity transmission infrastructure in their areas. It is vital that communities can have their say on proposed developments and Scottish Ministers are clear that major energy infrastructure requires meaningful and substantive consultation and engagement with the local communities before a developer submits an Electricity Act application.

There are established routes for constituents and community groups to make their views on developments known, and the Scottish Government is working with the UK Government to further strengthen these.

The Ministerial Code states that "the Planning Minister or any other Minister involved in the planning decision, must do nothing which might be seen as prejudicial to that process, particularly in advance of the decision being taken. Action that might be viewed as being prejudicial includes’: ‘expressing an opinion publicly on a particular case which is before, or may subsequently be referred to, the Minister(s) for decision”.

I understand constituents and community groups may wish to discuss infrastructure development with me. However, I do not believe it is possible to have a meaningful discussion without speaking about specific projects and, given the guidance which I have set out above, any discussion on specific projects would risk a breach of the Ministerial Code.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-40778 on 7 October 2025. 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.

The Scottish Government has already invested more than £120 million in the North East through the Just Transition Fund and the Energy Transition Fund to support the region’s transition to net zero. This funding has helped create green jobs, support innovation, and supported the highly skilled workforce of the future.

As part of this, the Scottish Government has supported the initial phases of industry led development of an Energy Skills Passport by providing £3.7 million through the Just Transition Fund over the financial years 2022-23 and 2023-24.

The Passport is a tool to support oil and gas workers to identify training pathways into key offshore wind sectors. It is one tool in a wider landscape of support for Scotland’s oil and gas workers. For example, the Passport is complemented by the Oil and Gas Transition Training Fund (launched in July 2025 as a joint initiative from Scottish and UK Governments) which offers tailored careers advice and funded training for eligible workers looking to build the skills needed for work in Scotland’s sustainable energy sectors.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-40612 on 7 October 2025. 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.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-40612 on 7 October 2025. 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.

The Energy Skills Passport is an industry led project, and the Scottish Government does not hold detailed information on operational matters. For such queries, we recommend directly contacting the lead industry bodies - Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) and RenewableUK (RUK).

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-40638 on 7 October 2025. 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

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-40625 on 7 October 2025. 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

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-40612 on 7 October 2025. 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.

There were no approved change requests to the Just Transition Fund for the North East and Moray award that altered the scope, cost or timeline of the Energy Skills Passport pilot scheme.